Guru Amardas Ji was born in May 1479 in the village of Basarke, 13 km. south-west of Amritsar, India. His father was Sri Tej Bhan, a farmer and trader and his mother, Mata Lakshami Ji. He was married to Bibi Ram Kaur Ji and had two sons namely Mohri and Mohan and two daughters, Dani and Bhani.
He was a very religious Vaishanavite Hindu who spent most of his life performing all of the ritual pilgrimages and fasts of a devout Hindu. In his mid 50s, by chance he heard his niece, Bibi Amro, recite a scared hymn of Guru Nanak Dev. He at once decided to accompany Bibi Amro, to Khadur Sahib, where Guru Angad carried on his mission. Laying his head at the feet of Guru Angad, he implored him to accept him as his humble disciple. For 12 years continuously Baba Amardas was occupied heart and soul in dedicated service of Guru Angad Dev.
Guru Amardas Ji saw the Divine Light in the year 1541, when he met Guru Angad Dev Ji at Khadur Sahib. It was only in 1552, when Guru Angad transferred the same 'Light', received from Guru Nanak Dev Ji, to Guru Amar Das to enlighten the Sikhs. He had now become the third Guru to the Sikh religion.
Soon large numbers of Sikhs started flocking to Goindwal to see the new Guru. Datu one of Guru Angad's sons proclaimed himself as Guru at Khadur following his father's death. He was so jealous of Guru Amardas that he proceeded to Goindwal to confront the Guru. Upon seeing Guru Amardas seated on a throne surrounded by his followers he said, "You were a mere menial servant of the house until yesterday and how dare you style yourself as the Master ?". He then proceeded to kick the revered old Guru, throwing him off his throne.
Guru Amardas in his utter humility started caressing Datu's foot saying; "I'm old. My bones are hard. You may have been hurt." As demanded by Datu, Guru Amardas left Goindwal the same evening are returned to his native village of Basarke.
Here Guru Amar Das shut himself in a small house for solitary meditation. There he attached a notice on the front door saying, "He who opens this door is no Sikh of mine, nor am I his Guru."
A delegation of faithful Sikhs led by Baba Buddha found the house and seeing the notice on the front door, cut through the walls to reach the Guru. Baba Buddha said, "The Guru being a supreme yogi cares for nothing in the world - neither fame, nor riches nor a following. But we cannot live without his guidance. Guru Angad has tied us to your apron, where should we go now if you are not to show us the way?" At the tearful employment of the Sikhs, Guru Amardas was overwhelmed by their devotion and returned to Goindwal. Datu having been unable to gather any followers of his own had returned to Khadur.
Guru Amardas further continued the free communal kitchen called langer among the Sikhs. The langar kitchen was open to serve all day and night. Although rich food was served there, Guru Amardas was very simple and lived on coarse bread. The Guru spent his time personally attending to the cure and nursing of the sick and the aged. Guru Amardas made it obligatory that those seeking his audience must first eat in the langer.
Guru Amardas continued a systematic planned expansion of the Sikh Institutions. He trained a band of 146 apostles (52 were women) called Masands and sent them to various parts of the country. He also set up 22 dioceses called manjis across the country. These twenty two dioceses helped to spread Sikhism among the population while collecting revenues to help support the young religion. Guru Amardas also declared Baisakhi (April 13), Maghi (1st day of Magha, mid January) and Diwali (festival of lights in October/November) as three special days where all the Sikhs should gather to hear the Guru's words.
Seeing the rapid expansion of Sikhism, Guru Amardas asked his son-in-law and trusted follower Jetha to oversee the founding of another city. He wanted him to dig a tank there and to build himself a house. Jetha first purchased the lands for the price of 700 Akbari rupees from the Zamindars of Tung. Here he started the digging on the tank.
This new township called Ramdaspur would in due time become present day Amritsar, the holiest city of the Sikhs.
In September 1574 sensing that his end was near, Guru Amardas sent for Baba Buddha and other prominent Sikhs including his two sons Mohan and Mohri. He declared; "According to the tradition established by Guru Nanak, the leadership of the Sikhs must go to the most deserving. I, therefore, bestow this honour on my son-in-law Jetha." Guru Amardas then renamed Jetha as Ram Das, meaning Servant of God. As was the custom Baba Buddha was asked to anoint the forehead of Amardas with the saffron mark. All those present bowed before Guru Ram Das except for Mohan, Guru Amardas's eldest son. Shortly thereafter Guru Amardas breathed his last on the full moon day of Bhadon in 1574 at the ripe old age of 95.
