Guru Nanak Gurpurab 2026

About Guru Nanak Gurpurab

Guru Nanak Gurpurab, also called Guru Nanak Jayanti or Prakash Purab, marks the birth in 1469 of Guru Nanak, the first Sikh Guru. Sikhs keep it on the full moon of the lunar month Kartik with an Akhand Path, nagar kirtan, early-morning kirtan and langar, and in 2026 it falls on Tuesday, 24 November 2026.

Who was Guru Nanak?

Guru Nanak was the founder of Sikhism and the first of the ten Sikh Gurus. He was born in 1469 at Rai Bhoi ki Talwandi, now Nankana Sahib in Pakistan's Punjab, to Mehta Kalu and Mata Tripta, a Khatri merchant family. His father wanted him to become an accountant. The boy preferred talking with holy men.

As a young man he worked in Sultanpur Lodhi for his sister Nanaki's husband. Sikh tradition holds that at about thirty he went into the Kali Bein stream for his morning bath and did not come out for three days. When he returned, his first words were "There is no Hindu, there is no Muslim": a statement that God does not see people by the labels they carry.

For roughly the next twenty years he travelled on long journeys called udasis, with his companion Mardana playing the rabab while Nanak sang his compositions. Around the age of fifty he settled at Kartarpur on the Ravi, farmed his own land, and built the pattern of Sikh life there: kirtan, a common kitchen where everyone ate sitting together, and three duties that Sikhs still repeat.

Before his death in 1539 he passed over his own sons and named his disciple Bhai Lehna as successor, renaming him Angad, "a part of me". The Guruship would go by merit, not by family.

Why is Guru Nanak Gurpurab celebrated on Kartik Purnima?

Guru Nanak Gurpurab falls on the full moon of Kartik because the Bhai Bala Janamsakhi, an early account of his life, gives that as his birth date, and Sikh practice settled on it. Other accounts and some historians place the birth in the month of Vaisakh, in April 1469. The November date is now firmly part of Sikh tradition, and the SGPC calendar follows it.

Since the date is lunar, it moves across the Gregorian calendar and usually lands in November. The same full moon is Kartik Purnima for Hindus, so in north India you may see Ganga snan and diyas on the same night as gurdwara lights.

To work out which anniversary it is, subtract 1469 from the year. Guru Nanak's Birthday is a compulsory holiday for central government offices across India; state lists add their own details.

How is Guru Nanak Gurpurab celebrated?

Guru Nanak Gurpurab is celebrated over several days, and the preparations begin weeks earlier with prabhat pheris, groups that walk through the neighbourhood before dawn singing shabads.

1. Two days before
   Akhand Path

   A continuous, 48-hour reading of the Guru Granth Sahib begins, timed to end on the morning of the Gurpurab.

2. The day before
   Nagar kirtan

   The Panj Piare lead a procession carrying the Nishan Sahib, with the Guru Granth Sahib in a flower-covered palki. Gatka teams, bands and schoolchildren follow, and people along the route serve tea and snacks.

3. Amrit vela, about 4 to 5 am
   Asa di Var

   The day begins with the morning hymns, followed by katha on Guru Nanak's life and kirtan through the morning.

4. Through the day
   Langar

   Volunteers cook and serve free meals to anyone, seated together in rows, whatever their faith, caste or class.

5. Night
   Lights and kirtan

   Gurdwaras and homes are lit with lamps and electric lights, and kirtan often continues past midnight.

At the Golden Temple in Amritsar the complex is lit up and the crowds are among the largest of the year. Gurdwara Janam Asthan at Nankana Sahib, the birthplace, holds the main celebration in Pakistan.

Can Indians visit Nankana Sahib and Kartarpur for the Gurpurab?

Indians can visit Nankana Sahib for the Gurpurab only as part of an organised jatha with a Pakistani visa, under a 1974 protocol between the two countries on visits to religious shrines. In November 2025 the SGPC secured visas for about 1,800 pilgrims in its jatha, the first to cross after the 2025 hostilities, from 4 to 13 November.

The visa-free Kartarpur Corridor, opened on 9 November 2019 for the 550th Prakash Purab, links Dera Baba Nanak in Gurdaspur district to Gurdwara Darbar Sahib Kartarpur, where Guru Nanak spent his last 18 years. About 3.42 lakh Indian pilgrims used it in its first five years. India suspended it on 7 May 2025, and in August 2026 the government told the Lok Sabha it would stay closed because of the security situation.

What to write on Guru Nanak Gurpurab

A good Gurpurab message names one of Guru Nanak's teachings or one habit the family keeps, such as seva at the langar. The day is devout but also happy, so warmth is right.

Gurpurab

A Guru's anniversary; from Guru and purab, a holy day

Prakash Purab

Festival of the Guru's light appearing; the term used for a Guru's birth

Prabhat pheri

Pre-dawn procession singing shabads through the streets

Amrit vela

The early-morning hours before dawn, kept for prayer

Asa di Var

A morning composition of Guru Nanak sung in gurdwaras

Palki

The canopied carriage in which the Guru Granth Sahib travels

Langar

The free community kitchen at every gurdwara

For Guru Gobind Singh's birth anniversary, see Guru Gobind Singh Jayanti, and for the Sikh new year and Khalsa day see Vaisakhi. The Sikh observance of Diwali is Bandi Chhor Divas.

How to wish someone on Guru Nanak Gurpurab

A Guru Nanak Gurpurab wish works best when it names his teaching: one Creator, the equality of all people, honest work, sharing with others and remembering the Name. "Gurpurab diyan lakh lakh vadhaiyan" is the usual greeting, and "Happy Gurpurab" is fine in English. Keep the tone devout and warm. Friends of other faiths can join in easily, since langar and the gurdwara are open to everyone.

Write a few lines in your own words, pick a design and share it as one link on WhatsApp, Instagram or anywhere else. They open an animated card made just for them, with no app and no sign-up.

Language tip: English, Hindi + recipient language.

When is Guru Nanak Gurpurab in 2026 and 2027?

Guru Nanak Gurpurab is set by the Sikh lunisolar (Bikrami) calendar, so it falls on a different date each year. In 2027 it falls 10 days earlier than in 2026.

Frequently asked questions