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Guru Angad Dev

Guru Angad Dev (1504 - 1552) was the second of the ten Gurus of Sikhism. Guru ji's original name was Bhai Lehna. Bhai sahib became Guru on September 7 1539 following in the footsteps of Guru Nanak, who was the first Guru and founder of the Sikh religion. Guru Angad was born on March 31, 1504 but the Sikhs now celebrate the birthday on April 18 every year together with the birthday of their ninth master, Guru Tegh Bahadur.

The institution of langar was given prominence and further maintained and developed during the Guruship of the second master. The Guru's wife, Mata Khivi personally worked in the kitchen to prepare the food and guide others in managing this important function. She also served food to the members of the community and visitors. Her devotion to this institution finds mention in Guru Granth Sahib, the holy book of the Sikhs.

Guru Angad also invented the present form of the Gurmukhi script. It became the medium of writing the Punjabi language in which the hymns of the Gurus are expressed. This step had a far-reaching purpose and impact. Firstly, it gave the common people a language that was simple to learn and write. Secondly, it helped the community to dissociate itself from the very reserved and complex nature of the Sanskrit religious tradition which were just reserved for the top class brahmins. This meant that the growth and development of the Sikhs could take place unhampered and unprejudiced by the backlog of the earlier religious and social philosophies and practices. .....More