A Short History of Sikhism Founders

Sikhism is regarded as one of the eastern religions, which was established by Guru Nanak who at first found followers in the state of Punjab over 500 years ago. Guru Nanak merely called on people to meditate on the teachings of their religion. He claimed that he was only preaching the Name of God. But what once had been founded as Sikhism gradually turned into a different religion with different beliefs, practices and scripture. Of course, Sikhism was not completely developed by Guru Nanak during his lifetime. In fact, Sikhism has more than one Guru, spiritual leader. Guru Nanak and his nine successors are the Sikh’s human Gurus each of whom has contributed to the development of Sikhism. One of the most important measures taken by the tenth Guru in the history of Sikhism is the appointment of the sacred scripture of Sikhism as the eternal Guru of the Sikhs, which has prevented internal divergence in Sikhism. This paper is concerned with a survey of these Gurus’ roles in the evolution of Sikhism towards its final formation.