born 1581
died 1606
Fifth Guru of the Sikhs (15811606) and its first martyr.
He compiled the volume of Sikh scripture on which the 0100; di Granth is based, and he completed the Golden Temple at Amritsar, India. The first Guru to serve as both temporal and spiritual head of Sikhism , he built up Amritsar as a commercial centre and enlarged missionary efforts. He was also a prolific poet and writer of hymns. He prospered under the tolerant Mughal emperor Akbar but was tortured to death by Akbar's successor for not altering the 0100; di Granth to remove passages that gave offense to Hinduism or Islam .