Guru Angad Dev Ji
(1504 – 1552)
The Untold Story of Guru Angad Dev Ji's Legacy
Guru Angad was born Bhai Lehna in a village in present-day Punjab. He was a devout worshipper and eventually became a close disciple of Guru Nanak.
In 1539, Guru Nanak chose him as his successor and gave him the name Angad (“part of me”).
As the second Sikh guru, Angad continued Guru Nanak’s message of promoting equality and rejecting caste discrimination and superstitious practices.
He encouraged the education of Sikh followers and invented the Gurmukhi script to write the Punjabi language as a means of spreading literacy. This allowed the hymns of the gurus to be recorded more accurately.
To promote community structure, Guru Angad founded centers called manjis and appointed regional deputies. He collected the hymns and teachings of Guru Nanak in a book called the Pothi Sahib.
The langar community kitchen system was strengthened by serving simple food made of locally available ingredients. Guru Angad lived an exemplary life of service, humility and simplicity.
