The Ten Gurus and the Guru Granth Sahib

After Nanak, nine more human Gurus led the Sikh community from 1539 to 1708, each building its institutions. Guru Angad standardized the Gurmukhi script, Guru Amar Das strengthened the langar (communal kitchen), and Guru Ram Das founded the city of Amritsar. Guru Arjan compiled the Adi Granth, the first Sikh scripture, in 1604 and built the Harmandir Sahib; he was executed under the Mughal emperor Jahangir in 1606, becoming the first Sikh martyr.

Rising tension with Mughal authorities shaped later Sikh history, and Guru Tegh Bahadur was executed in Delhi in 1675. Before his death in 1708, the tenth Guru, Gobind Singh, declared that there would be no more human Gurus: authority would rest in the scripture, now called the Guru Granth Sahib, and in the community. Sikhs treat the scripture as a living Guru, which is why it is installed with great respect in every gurdwara.