SKETCH OF THE SIKHS. 2U 



Samvat 1631 , at the village of Gdndawdl, in the province of Lahore, and was 

 succeeded by his son-in-law, Ra m Da's,* whom he had initiated in the sa« 

 cred mysteries of his holy profession, and who became famous for his piety^ 

 and still more from the improvements he made at Amritsar, which was 

 for some time called Rdmpilr, or Rdmddspur, after him. Some Sikh au- 

 thorities ascribe the foundation of this city to him; which is not corre61:j 

 as it was a very antient town, known formerly under the name of Chak, 

 He, however, added much to its population, and built a famous tank, or 

 reservoir of water, which he called Amritsar, a name signifying the water 

 of imltoortality, and which has become so sacred, that it has given its 

 name, and imparted its sanaity, to the town of Rdmddspur, v^h'ich has 

 become the sacred city of the Sikh nation^ and is now only known by the 

 name of Amritsar, , :,2-7;-; ^, 



After a life passed in the undisturbed propagation of 'his tenetsVm ex- 

 planation of which he wrote several works, he died, in the year A.D. 158I3, 

 and of the Samvat 1638, at Amritsar,lea.\'mg two sons, Arjunmal and Bha- 

 "rAtmal. He was succeeded by the former j-f who has rendered himself fa- 

 mous by compiling the Adi-Grant'h.'l The Adi^Granfh, or firs^ sacred vo^ 



* No dates of the events -which occurred during the rule of Ra'm Da's, are given in any of 

 the auUiorities from which this sketch is drawn. One authorj however, states, that he lived in. 

 the time of Akber, and was honored with the favor of that truly tolerant and great emperor. 



+ Arjunmal, or Arjun, as he is more commonly caifed, according to K'nAi Gu'bu' 

 J)a's B'hale', the author of the Gnj/an Ralndtali, -was not initiated in the sacred mjS;» 

 teries of his father. This author says, that Ahjun, though a secular man, didnotsulFer 

 the office of G??}//, or priest, t" ^iv.ethc Sondi tribe. " Like a substance," he adds, " whick 

 '' none else could digest, the (wpcrty of the family reniaincJ in the family." 



t GranCh means, book; bi|itj a,s a mark of its superiorly to all others, ,i3,g^Ten.tQtlii^ 

 %'Qx\, as "The Book." JdhGrqnCh means, the first GravCh, or book,. i?i^d is generally 

 given to this work to distinguish it hom. Uie Dasama Padshah ha Cranili, or the book of the 

 tenth king, composed by tlu nu' GovInd. 



