Guru Ram Das Ji Prakash Purab: the founder of Amritsar and how the day is celebrated

The Prakash Purab of Sri Guru Ram Das Ji celebrates the birth in 1534 of the fourth Sikh Guru, who was born Bhai Jetha Ji in Chuna Mandi, Lahore. It is one of the most joyful days in Amritsar, the city he founded, where Sri Harmandir Sahib is lit up and the streets fill with Nagar Kirtan.

From an orphan in Lahore to the fourth Guru

Bhai Jetha Ji lost both parents as a child and was raised by his grandmother, earning a living by selling boiled grain. He came to Goindwal Sahib with a group of pilgrims and stayed to serve Sri Guru Amar Das Ji, carrying earth and water for the building of the baoli. He married the Guru's daughter, Bibi Bhani Ji. Sikh tradition tells how the Guru asked his disciples to build platforms and then pulled them down again and again; only Bhai Jetha Ji kept rebuilding without a word of complaint. He was chosen as Guru above the Guru's own sons.

As Guru, he founded the town of Ramdaspur, later called Amritsar, and had its sarovar dug. He invited traders and craftsmen of many kinds to settle there so that the town could support itself. His bani in Sri Guru Granth Sahib Ji includes the Laavan, the four hymns around which the Sikh wedding, the Anand Karaj, is performed.

How the day is celebrated

In Amritsar the Gurpurab is a festival for the whole city, with Nagar Kirtan, illuminations and fireworks over the sarovar. Gurdwaras everywhere hold Akhand Paath, kirtan and langar, and many Sikhs make a point of visiting Sri Harmandir Sahib on or around the day.