Guru Nanak Jayanti or Guru Nanak Prakash Utsav will be celebrated across the country on November 12, 2019. The 550th birth anniversary of Guru Nanak will mark the beginning of Sikh festival that will be commemorated around the world. Guru Nanak Dev Ji, the founder of Sikhism, is well known for his spiritual, political and social beliefs that are based on love and equality. Here are ten facts about Guru Nanak Dev Ji that you should know on his 550th Birth Anniversary. Guru Nanak Dev 550th Birth Anniversary: Know Date And Significance of Guru Nanak Jayanti.

1. Birth: Guru Nanak Dev Ji was born in April 15, 1469 A.D to Mehta Kaloo Ji and mother Mata Tripta Ji at Rai-Bhoi-di Talwandi, Nankana Sahib which is now in Pakistan. His birth anniversary is known as Guru Nanak Guruparab/ Jayanti or Prakash Utsav.

2. Sibling: He also had one elder sister - Bebe Nanaki, who was five years older than him. Bebe Nanaki was later married to Jai Ram and went to Sultanpur.

3. Marriage: Guru Nanak Dev Ji married Mata Sulakkhani on September 24, 1487, at the age of 18. He had two sons named Sri Chand and Lakshmi Chand.

4. Oneness of Mankind: Guru Nanak spread the message of unity of all humanity, including love and respect for each other. With inequality, gender discrimination, religious isolation, slavery and caste discrimination were common, but Guru Nanak Dev Ji honestly talked against them. Gurpurab 2019: Pakistan Issues Rs 50 Coin to Mark 550th Birth Anniversary of Guru Nanak Dev; See Pic.

5. Equality For All: Guru Nanak Dev Ji preached about equality as he did not believe in the concept of caste or religion. He always spread the message of equality for everyone irrespective of their religion, caste, gender or creed.

6. Founder of Sikhism: Guru Nanak Dev Ji laid the foundation of Sikhism, and he was the first among ten gurus of Sikhs. His teachings can be seen in the holy scripture of Sikhs – Guru Granth Sahib, which is a vast collection of revelatory verses recorded in Gurmukhi.

7. Teachings & Principles: Guru Nanak Dev Ji’s teaching majorly involved three things- 'Vand Chakko', 'Kirat Karo' and 'Naam Japna'. Vand Chakko consists of sharing with others and helping the needy ones. Kirat Karo focuses on earning livelihood honestly without any fraud or cheating. The third teaching is 'Naam Japna', which focuses on meditating the name of God and controlling our evils.

8. Concept of Langar: Guru Nanak Dev Ji started the concept of langar over 500 years ago. Also known as ‘communal kitchen’, Guru Nanak Dev Ji’s idea of langar sees every Gurdwara should have an open kitchen for distributing free meals all day to anyone, irrespective of faith, gender, age or status. Guru Nanak Dev 550th Birth Anniversary: What Is Ik Onkar? The Symbol That Air India’s Boeing 787 Has Put Up Ahead of Gurpurab Celebrations.

9. Spiritual Journeys: Guru Nanak Dev Ji made four journeys or Udasis that were majorly completed on foot. He spent 20 years of his life in travelling. He travelled to several places for spreading the message of ‘One God’ across all parts of sub-continent and West Asia that included Mecca, Tibet, Kashmir, Bengal, Manipur, Rome, etc.

10. Death: After the death of Guru Nanak, Bhai Lena was named as his successor. He was renamed as Guru Angad by Guru Nanak. He died on 22 September 1539 in Kartarpur, which is now in Pakistan.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Nov 03, 2019 11:06 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).