# The contributors to the Granth Who wrote the hymns of Sri Guru Granth Sahib Ji: the Gurus, the Bhagats, the Bhatts and the Gursikhs, with their dates, places and sources — the roster the site and the app show. - Page: - Updated: 2026-10-25 - From the Sri Guru Granth Sahib Ji — Knowledge Base wiki. Sri Guru Granth Sahib Ji is quoted verbatim, cited by Ang, and never altered. --- The roster names 36 voices. Each *name in the corpus* is the `author` string of the database, so `/api/analytics/author` and the [structure page](https://docs.gurbanisoul.com/scripture/structure/) join to it, and the [Ang explorer](https://docs.gurbanisoul.com/data/line-record/) shows their lines. A voice the attribution repair in sggs-data is still adding has no lines in the corpus yet. Dates come only from the sources each entry cites; an unknown date is left blank (*c.* marks an uncertain one, *fl.* the century a voice is known from). Every entry is a draft until the scholar signs the [review pack](https://docs.gurbanisoul.com/review/lineage-roster-v2/) (gate G3). This is historical context, never a ranking. ## The Gurus (6) | Name in the corpus | Name | Lived | Era | Region | Tradition | |---|---|---|---|---|---| | Guru Nanak Dev Ji (M1) | Guru Nanak Dev Ji | 1469–1539 | Founder · 1469–1539 | Punjab (Talwandi / Kartarpur) | First Guru | | Guru Angad Dev Ji (M2) | Guru Angad Dev Ji | 1504–1552 | Second Guru · 1504–1552 | Punjab (Khadur) | Second Guru | | Guru Amar Das Ji (M3) | Guru Amar Das Ji | 1479–1574 | Third Guru · 1479–1574 | Punjab (Goindval) | Third Guru | | Guru Ram Das Ji (M4) | Guru Ram Das Ji | 1534–1581 | Fourth Guru · 1534–1581 | Punjab (Lahore / Goindval / Amritsar) | Fourth Guru | | Guru Arjan Dev Ji (M5) | Guru Arjan Dev Ji | 1563–1606 | Fifth Guru · 1563–1606 | Punjab (Goindval / Amritsar / Lahore) | Fifth Guru · Compiler | | Guru Tegh Bahadur Ji (M9) | Guru Tegh Bahadur Ji | 1621–1675 | Ninth Guru · 1621–1675 | Punjab (Amritsar / Anandpur) · Delhi | Ninth Guru | - **Guru Nanak Dev Ji** — The first Guru and founder of the Sikh faith; the Granth opens with his Mool Mantar and Japji. - **Guru Angad Dev Ji** — The second Guru; his Bani is saloks, set within the Vaars of the Granth. - **Guru Amar Das Ji** — The third Guru; author of the Anand Sahib. - **Guru Ram Das Ji** — The fourth Guru, who founded Amritsar; his Laavan are sung at the Sikh wedding. - **Guru Arjan Dev Ji** — The fifth Guru, who compiled the Adi Granth (installed 1604); the author of Sukhmani Sahib. - **Guru Tegh Bahadur Ji** — The ninth Guru, martyred at Delhi in 1675; his saloks close the Bani of the Gurus in the Granth. ## The Bhagats (15) | Name in the corpus | Name | Lived | Era | Region | Tradition | |---|---|---|---|---|---| | Bhagat Jaidev Ji | Bhagat Jaidev Ji | fl. 12th c. | 12th century | Bengal or Orissa | Vaishnava poet | | Sheikh Farid Ji | Baba Sheikh Farid Ji | 1173–1265 | 12th–13th century | Punjab (Multan / Ajodhan) | Sufi (Chishti) | | Bhagat Trilochan Ji | Bhagat Trilochan Ji | b. c. 1267 | 13th–14th century | Maharashtra | Vaishnava sant | | Bhagat Namdev Ji | Bhagat Namdev Ji | c. 1270–1350 | 13th–14th century | Maharashtra (Pandharpur) · Punjab (Ghuman) | Varkari / Sant | | Bhagat Ramanand Ji | Bhagat Ramanand Ji | c. 1300–1410 | 14th–15th century | Prayag · Banaras (Varanasi) | Vaishnava bhakti teacher | | Bhagat Sadhna Ji | Bhagat Sadhna Ji | fl. 14th c. | 13th–14th century | Sindh (Sehwan) · Punjab (Sirhind) | Sant / butcher by trade | | Bhagat Kabir Ji | Bhagat Kabir Ji | b. c. 1398 | 15th century | Banaras (Varanasi) · Magahar | Sant / weaver-mystic | | Bhagat Dhanna Ji | Bhagat Dhanna Ji | b. c. 1415 | 15th century | Rajasthan (Tonk) | Sant / farmer | | Bhagat Pipa Ji | Bhagat Pipa Ji | b. c. 1425 | 15th century | Rajasthan (Gagraun) · Dwarka | Sant / renunciant king | | Bhagat Ravidas Ji | Bhagat Ravidas Ji | fl. 15th c. | 15th century | Banaras (Varanasi) | Sant / cobbler-saint | | Bhagat Sain Ji | Bhagat Sain Ji | fl. 15th c. | 15th century | Central India (Rewa) or the Deccan (Bidar) | Sant / barber | | Bhagat Bhikhan Ji | Bhagat Bhikhan Ji | c. 1480–1573 | 15th–16th century | Not recorded | Sant | | Bhagat Parmanand Ji | Bhagat Parmanand Ji | b. c. 1483 | 15th–16th century | Maharashtra (Barsi) | Vaishnava saint-poet | | Bhagat Surdas Ji | Bhagat Surdas Ji | b. c. 1529 | 16th century | Awadh (Sandila) · Banaras | Bhakta poet | | Bhagat Beni Ji | Bhagat Beni Ji | not recorded | uncertain (medieval) | Not recorded | Sant | - **Bhagat Jaidev Ji** — Poet of the Gita Govinda; two of his hymns are in the Granth. - **Baba Sheikh Farid Ji** — Sufi mystic, known as the first recorded poet of the Punjabi language. - **Bhagat Trilochan Ji** — A Maharashtrian sant, learned in Puranic lore; four of his hymns are in the Granth. - **Bhagat Namdev Ji** — Marathi sant of fervent devotion; sixty-one of his hymns are in the Granth. - **Bhagat Ramanand Ji** — Teacher of Vaishnava bhakti at Kashi; his single hymn in the Granth rejects idol-worship. - **Bhagat Sadhna Ji** — A butcher by trade whose single hymn asks the Lord to save his honour. - **Bhagat Kabir Ji** — The weaver-mystic of Kashi; his Bani is the largest of any Bhagat in the Granth. - **Bhagat Dhanna Ji** — A Jatt farmer of Rajasthan, drawn to devotion by Namdev, Kabir, Ravidas and Sain; three hymns are his. - **Bhagat Pipa Ji** — A prince of Gagraun who gave up his throne; his one hymn finds the Divine within the body. - **Bhagat Ravidas Ji** — Poet and mystic of Varanasi who rejected caste; forty of his hymns are in the Granth. - **Bhagat Sain Ji** — A barber-saint whose one hymn in the Granth calls praise of the Lord the true aarti. - **Bhagat Bhikhan Ji** — A sant in the tradition of Ravidas and Dhanna; two of his hymns are in the Granth. - **Bhagat Parmanand Ji** — A Maharashtrian saint-poet whose one hymn puts devotion and service above ritual reading. - **Bhagat Surdas Ji** — A bhakta poet of whom the Granth keeps one line, answered by a shabad of Guru Arjan. - **Bhagat Beni Ji** — A sant of single-minded meditation; three of his hymns are in the Granth. ## The Bhatts (12) | Name in the corpus | Name | Lived | Era | Region | Tradition | |---|---|---|---|---|---| | Bhatt Bal (ਭਟ) | Bhatt Bal Ji | fl. 16th c. | Court bard · late 16th c. | Punjab | Bhatt (bard) | | Bhatt Bhal (ਭਟ) | Bhatt Bhal Ji | fl. 16th c. | Court bard · late 16th c. | Punjab | Bhatt (bard) | | Bhatt Bhikha (ਭਟ) | Bhatt Bhikha Ji | fl. 16th c. | Court bard · late 16th c. | Punjab | Bhatt (bard) | | Bhatt Gayand (ਭਟ) | Bhatt Gayand Ji | fl. 16th c. | Court bard · late 16th c. | Punjab | Bhatt (bard) | | Bhatt Haribans (ਭਟ) | Bhatt Haribans Ji | fl. 16th c. | Court bard · late 16th c. | Punjab | Bhatt (bard) | | Bhatt Jalap (ਭਟ) | Bhatt Jalap Ji | fl. 16th c. | Court bard · late 16th c. | Punjab | Bhatt (bard) | | Bhatt Kalsahar (ਭਟ) | Bhatt Kalsahar Ji | fl. 16th c. | Court bard · late 16th c. | Punjab | Bhatt (bard) | | Bhatt Nal (ਭਟ) | Bhatt Nal Ji | fl. 16th c. | Court bard · late 16th c. | Punjab | Bhatt (bard) | | Bhatt Sal (ਭਟ) | Bhatt Sal Ji | fl. 16th c. | Court bard · late 16th c. | Punjab | Bhatt (bard) | | The Bhatts (ਭਟ) | The Bhatts | fl. 16th c. | Court bards · late 16th c. | Punjab | Bhatts (collective) | | Bhatt Kirat (ਭਟ) | Bhatt Kirat Ji | d. c. 1634 | Court bard · late 16th c. | Punjab | Bhatt (bard) | | Bhatt Mathura (ਭਟ) | Bhatt Mathura Ji | d. c. 1634 | Court bard · late 16th c. | Punjab | Bhatt (bard) | - **Bhatt Bal Ji** — Balh, son of Tokha (a brother of Rayya), wrote Swaiyye on the spiritual oneness of the Gurus, in the set praising Guru Ram Das. - **Bhatt Bhal Ji** — Bhalh, a son of Sekha, wrote one Swaiyya, in praise of Guru Amar Das. - **Bhatt Bhikha Ji** — Bhikha, son of Rayya, was a Brahmin bard of Sultanpur Lodhi who received initiation from Guru Amar Das. - **Bhatt Gayand Ji** — Gayand's Swaiyye glorify Guru Ram Das. - **Bhatt Haribans Ji** — Haribans, eldest son of Gokha (a brother of Rayya), wrote two Swaiyye, both in praise of Guru Arjan. - **Bhatt Jalap Ji** — Jalap, a son of Bhatt Bhikha, moved to Goindval with his father. - **Bhatt Kalsahar Ji** — Kalh, also called Kalsahar or Kal Thakur, was a son of Bhatt Bhikha and is reckoned the most learned of the Bhatts. - **Bhatt Nal Ji** — Nalh's Swaiyye are all in praise of Guru Ram Das. - **Bhatt Sal Ji** — Salh, a son of Sekha (brother of Rayya, Bhikha's father), wrote Swaiyye on the pre-eminence of Guru Amar Das and Guru Ram Das. - **The Bhatts** — The Bhatts were bards of Brahmin families from the banks of the Sarasvati; some had settled at Sultanpur Lodhi. - **Bhatt Kirat Ji** — Kirat, a son of Bhatt Bhikha, wrote Swaiyye in praise of Guru Amar Das and Guru Ram Das. - **Bhatt Mathura Ji** — Mathura, a son of Bhatt Bhikha, sang the praise of Guru Ram Das and Guru Arjan. ## Gursikhs (3) | Name in the corpus | Name | Lived | Era | Region | Tradition | |---|---|---|---|---|---| | Bhai Mardana | Bhai Mardana Ji | 1459–1534 | 15th–16th century | Punjab (Talwandi / Kartarpur) | Companion of Guru Nanak | | Baba Sundar Ji | Baba Sundar Ji | fl. 16th c. | 16th century | Punjab (Goindval) | Great-grandson of Guru Amar Das | | Satta & Balwand | Bhai Satta Ji & Bhai Balwand Ji | fl. 16th c. | 16th–17th century | Punjab (Lahore) | Rababis of the Gurus' court | - **Bhai Mardana Ji** — Guru Nanak's companion and rabab player on his travels. Saloks at Ang 553 carry his name (ਮਰਦਾਨਾ ੧); many read them as Guru Nanak's words addressed to him — under scholarly review. - **Baba Sundar Ji** — Author of the Sadu, which tells of Guru Amar Das's peaceful, God-willed passing. - **Bhai Satta Ji & Bhai Balwand Ji** — The two rababis whose Vaar praises the one light passing from Guru to Guru. Source: `frontend/public/contributors.json` (vendored by the app at each platform release). To change an entry, edit the JSON, run `python3 tools/check_contributors.py`, then `python3 tools/gen_contributors.py`.