Baba Sri Chand

Baba Sri Chand was the elder son of Guru Nanak and Mata Sulakkhani and the founder of the Udasi order. He was born on 8 September 1494 at Sultanpur Lodhi, now in Kapurthala district. When Guru Nanak left on his travels, his mother took Sri Chand and his younger brother Lakhmi Das to her parents' home at Pakkhoke Randhave on the Ravi. Sri Chand loved solitude from childhood. At about eleven he went to Kashmir, where he studied Sanskrit under Pandit Purushottam Kaul and later yoga under Avinasha Muni.

Key moments

• Kartarpur. When Guru Nanak settled at Kartarpur, Sri Chand rejoined the family but kept his preference for an ascetic life.
• 13 June 1539. Passing over his own sons, Guru Nanak nominated Angad as his successor. Guru Nanak died at Kartarpur on 7 September 1539.
• Dera Baba Nanak. After floods washed away the monument over Guru Nanak's ashes, Sri Chand recovered the urn, reburied it near the well of Ajitta Randhava and built a mud hut over the site. That became the samadh around which Dera Baba Nanak grew.
• The Udasi order. He gathered disciples who gave up householder life. They travelled as itinerant preachers across India and beyond, founding missionary centres. His main centre was at Barath, about 8 km from Pathankot.
• 1626. At Guru Hargobind's request, he broke ground for the town of Kiratpur, where Baba Gurditta was to settle.
• 13 January 1629. According to the Bhatt Vahis he died at Kiratpur, after appointing Baba Gurditta head of the Udasis with Guru Hargobind's approval. The Encyclopaedia of Sikhism gives his lifespan as 1494 to 1629.

Sri Chand stayed in contact with successive Gurus, who esteemed him for his holy descent, his age and his piety. The Encyclopaedia says the Udasi preachers carried Guru Nanak's message across India and beyond. He is remembered as Guru Nanak's son and as the founder of the Udasi order.