Baba Buddha (

Gurmukhi Gurmukhī ( , Shahmukhi: ) is an abugida developed from the Laṇḍā scripts, standardized and used by the second Sikh guru, Guru Angad (1504–1552). Commonly regarded as a Sikh script, Gurmukhi is used in Punjab, India as the official scrip ...

: ਬਾਬਾ ਬੁੱਢਾ; ''bābā buḍhā''; lit. meaning "wise old man"; 6 October 1506 – 8 September 1631) was a prime figure in early

Sikhism Sikhism is an Indian religion and Indian philosophy, philosophy that originated in the Punjab region of the Indian subcontinent around the end of the 15th century CE. It is one of the most recently founded major religious groups, major religio ...

Early life

He was born to a Jat family in 1506 in the village of Kathu Nangal in

Amritsar Amritsar, also known as Ambarsar, is the second-List of cities in Punjab, India by population, largest city in the India, Indian state of Punjab, India, Punjab, after Ludhiana. Located in the Majha region, it is a major cultural, transportatio ...

. His father's name was Sukha Randhawa and his mother was named Mai Gauran. His birth name was Bura (Gurmukhi: ਬੂੜਾ; ''būṛā''). As a child, while grazing cattle outside his village, he met

Guru Nanak Gurū Nānak (15 April 1469 – 22 September 1539; Gurmukhi: ਗੁਰੂ ਨਾਨਕ; pronunciation: , ), also known as ('Father Nanak'), was an Indian spiritual teacher, mystic and poet, who is regarded as the founder of Sikhism and is t ...

. He asked Guru Nanak many questions regarding life and death, such that, at his young age, Guru Nanak blessed him with the name Buddha, as he spoke as if he were a wise elder.

Spiritual career

He was one of the earliest Sikhs of Guru Nanak, and performed the formal coronation ceremonies of the five Sikh gurus who succeeded Guru Nanak;

Guru Angad Guru Angad (31 March 1504 – 29 March 1552; , ) was the second of the ten Sikh gurus of Sikhism. After meeting Guru Nanak, the founder of Sikhism, becoming a Sikh, and serving and working with Nanak for many years, Nanak gave Lehna the name A ...

Guru Amar Das Guru Amar Das (Gurmukhi: ਗੁਰੂ ਅਮਰ ਦਾਸ, pronunciation: ; 5 May 1479 – 1 September 1574), sometimes spelled as Guru Amardas, was the third of the Ten Gurus of Sikhism and became Sikh Guru on 26 March 1552 at age 73. Befor ...

Guru Ram Das Guru Ram Das (Gurmukhi: ਗੁਰੂ ਰਾਮ ਦਾਸ, pronunciation: ; 24 September 1534 – 1 September 1581), sometimes spelled as Guru Ramdas, was the fourth of the ten Sikh gurus. He was born to a family based in Lahore, who ...

Guru Arjan Guru Arjan (Gurmukhi: ਗੁਰੂ ਅਰਜਨ, pronunciation: ; 15 April 1563 – 30 May 1606) was the fifth of the ten total Sikh Gurus. He compiled the first official edition of the Sikh scripture called the Adi Granth, which later expande ...

, and Guru Hargobind. On installation of the Adi Granth, a compilation of Sikh scripture, at Sri Harimandir Sahib on August 16, 1604, Bhai Buddha was appointed the first

Granthi A Granthi (, ) is a person, female or male, of the Sikh religion who is a ceremonial reader of the Guru Granth Sahib, which is the holy book in Sikhism, often read to worshipers at Sikh temples called a Gurdwara. The name Granthi comes from the ...

by Guru Arjan. When Bhani (daughter of Guru Amar Das) had a ''

jagir A jagir (), ( Hindustani: जागीर/جاگیر, ''Jāgīr''), ( Marathi: जहागीर, ''Jahāgīrá'') also spelled as jageer, was a type of feudal land grant in the Indian subcontinent at the foundation of its Jagirdar ( Zamindar ...

'' land grant (consisting of 500 '' biggas'') of productive agricultural land bestowed upon her by the Mughal emperor

Akbar Akbar (Jalal-ud-din Muhammad Akbar, – ), popularly known as Akbar the Great, was the third Mughal emperor, who reigned from 1556 to 1605. Akbar succeeded his father, Humayun, under a regent, Bairam Khan, who helped the young emperor expa ...

, Baba Buddha was administrator of the land. The land became known as 'Beer Baba Buddha Ji' as a result. The land had a gurdwara constructed upon it, was used for farming, and educational activities. Ganga, wife of Guru Arjan, sought out Baba Buddha for his blessings when Ganga desired to give birth to a son in-order to have an heir to the guruship. After a failed first attempt, Baba Buddha eventually granted her wish and blessed her. Guru Hargobind was born to Ganga after this blessing.

Military career

According to Sikh hagiographies and oral histories, Baba Buddha learnt the Sikh martial art system of '' Shastar Vidya'' from Guru Nanak himself. Baba Buddha provided the successive gurus of Nanak training in the martial art and was ordained by Guru Hargobind to instruct recruits into the first Sikh army, in Shastar Vidya. On May 30, 1606, after the martyrdom of Guru Arjan, Guru Hargobind ordered the construction of the

Akal Takht The Akal Takht (; ), also spelt as Akal Takhat and historically known as Akal Bunga, is the most prominent of the Takht (Sikhism), five takhts (Seat (legal entity), seats of authority) of the Sikhs. Located within the Golden Temple, Darbar Sah ...

and entrusted the responsibility of its construction to Baba Buddha and Bhai Gurdas. While Guru Hargobind was in jail, Baba Budha reformed the

Nihang The Nihang (also spelt as Nihung lit. "Crocodiles") or Akali (lit. "Immortals"), also known as '' Dal Khalsa'', is an armed Sikh warrior order originating in the Indian subcontinent. Nihangs are believed to have originated either from Fateh Sin ...

army, at the time called the Akal Sena, although now it is named the Budha Dal after Jathedar Baba Budha Randhawa.

Death

After a lifetime of following the Sikh Gurus, Baba Buddha died at the age of 124 in 1631 at the village of Jhanda Ramdas, on the banks of the

Ravi River The Ravi River is a transboundary river in South Asia, flowing through northwestern India and eastern Pakistan, and is one of five major rivers of the Punjab region. Under the Indus Waters Treaty of 1960, the waters of the Ravi and two oth ...

. Guru Hargobind was at his bedside and honoured him by carrying him to his funeral pyre and reciting passages from the Adi Granth.

Gallery

File:Baba Buddha, as a young boy, seeks the blessings of Guru Nanak.jpg, Baba Buddha, as a young boy, seeks the blessings of Guru Nanak. Pahari, brush drawing, from the family workshop of Nainsukh of Guler, last quarter of the 18th century. File:Guru Arjun Dev being pronounced fifth guru.jpg, Baba Buddha crowning the fifth guru File:Drawing of Guru Arjan meeting Baba Buddha and Bhai Gurdas.jpg, 19th century drawing of

meeting Baba Buddha and Bhai Gurdas

References

* gurbilas Chhevin Patshahi. Patiala, 1970 * Bhalla, Sarup Das, Mahima Prakash. Patiala, 1971 * Padam, Piara Singh, and Gianl Garja Singh, eds., Guru ban Sakhlari Patiala, 1986