Born in 1469 in Talwandi (Nanakana Sahib in modern-day Pakistan), Guru Nanak was an Indian mystic, saint, and the founder of Sikhism. He was the first of the ten Sikh gurus who conceptualized a unique spiritual movement based on equality, good virtues, fraternal love, selfless service, and devotion. From early childhood, Nanak had an inclination towards exploring and understanding spiritual matters, be it Hindu or Muslim. As a young adult, he refused to participate in rituals like idol worship and spoke strongly against the prevalent social discrimination on the basis of religion, caste, or gender.
In the 1490s, Guru Nanak started preaching his message of unity and divine love (Sikhi) by extensively traveling to several parts of India, South Asia, Arabia, and Tibet. The core message of his teachings is to devote yourself to divine realization by developing a sense of deep love and selfless service towards every living being. He also insisted on meditating (Japa) on the divine name (Satnam) to attain liberation. Most of Nanak’s doctrines survived in the form of poetic hymns (Shabads) mentioned in the Guru Granth Sahib (the holy book of Sikhism, which is also considered to be the 10th and final guru of Sikhism).
Nanak spent his final years in Kartarpur (a district located in the Punjab region of Pakistan). Before his death, he appointed Bhai Lehna (Guru Angad) as his spiritual successor. After Nanak’s death in 1539, Guru Angad led the young Sikh community.