Guru Ram Das Biography

Guru Ram Das was the fourth of the ten Gurus of Sikhism. He took forward the legacy of the first three Sikh gurus and made significant contributions to the development of Sikhism. He is especially revered for planning and developing the township of Ramdaspur which became the city of Amritsar, the holiest city of the Sikhs. Born into a Sodhi Khatri family in Lahore as Jetha, he was raised by pious and hardworking Hindu parents. He was spiritually inclined from a young age and sought the company of holy men. As a young man he came across a party of Sikhs who were on their way to Goindwal to pay homage to Guru Amar Das and decided to join them. On meeting the guru he was deeply influenced by his holiness and became his disciple. He worked hard under the guru’s supervision and served him wholeheartedly. Guru Amar Das was so impressed by the young man’s dedication that he gave his daughter in marriage to him. Jetha continued being a dedicated Sikh totally devoted to the service of God and humanity which made Guru Amar Das select him as his successor. Jetha assumed the Guru Gaddi as Guru Ram Das following the death of his predecessor.