born 1581
died 1606
Fifth Guru of the Sikhs (1581–1606) and its first martyr.
He compiled the volume of Sikh scripture on which the is based, and he completed the {{link=Golden Temple">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 Ādi Granth to remove passages that gave offense to Hinduism or Islam .