Guru Nanak (29 November 1469 – 10 October 1539) was the founding father of sikhism and also the 1st of the 10 Sikh Gurus. Guru Nanak travelled far and wide teaching people the message of 1 God who dwells in every one of His creations and constitutes the eternal Truth.
Guru Nanak travelled extensively during his lifetime. Some modern accounts state that he visited Asian nation, most of South Asia and Arabia starting in 1496, at age 27, once he left his family for a thirty-year period.
Guru Nanak was moved by the plight of the people of world and wanted to inform them concerning the “real message of God”. The peoples of the globe were confused by the conflicting message given by priests, pundits, qazis, mullahs, etc. He was determined to bring his message to the masses; therefore in 1499, he determined to line out on his sacred mission to unfold the holy message of peace and compassion to all or any of man. it’s believed that Guru Nanak is that the the second most travelled person within the world; most of his journeys were created on foot together with his companion Bhai Mardana. He travelled all told four directions – North, East, West and South. The founder Sikh Guru is believed to have travelled quite 28,000 Kms in 5 major tours of the globe throughout the amount from 1500 to 1524. The record for the most travelled person is held by Ibn Battuta of Morocco.
Guru Nanak saw the globe suffering out of hate, fanaticism, falsehood and hypocrisy. the globe had unsuccessful in wickedness and sin. therefore he determined that he had to travel and educate and drive home the message of Almighty Lord. therefore he launched in 1499 on his mission for the regeneration of humanity on this earth. He carried the torch of truth, heavenly love, peace and joy for man. For one year he unfold his message of peace, compassion, morality and truth to the folks in and around his home.
Then in 1500, he embarked on his Divine Mission and went towards east, west, north and south and visited numerous centers of Hindus, Muslims, Buddhists, Jainis, Sufis, Yogis and Sidhas. He met folks of various religions, tribes, cultures and races. He cosmopolitan on foot together with his Muslim companion named Bhai Mardana, a minstrel. His travels are referred to as Udasis.
Below is a brief summary of the confirmed places where Guru Nanak visited:
First Udasi: (1500-1506 AD)
Lasted about 7 years and lined the following cities and regions: Sultanpur, Tulamba (modern Makhdumpur, zila Multan), Panipat, Delhi, Banaras (Varanasi), Nanakmata (zila Nainital, U.P.), Tanda Vanjara (zila Rampur), Kamrup (Assam), Asa Desh (Assam), Saidpur (modern Eminabad, Pakistan), Pasrur (Pakistan), Sialkot (Pakistan). Guru Nanak was of the age of 31-37.
Second Udasi: (1506-1513 AD)
Lasted about 7 years and lined the following cities and regions: Dhanasri valley, Sangladip (Ceylon). Guru Nanak was of the age of 37-44
Third Udasi: (1514-1518 AD)
Lasted about 5 years and lined the following towns and regions: kashmir, sumer Parbat, Nepal, Tashkand, Sikkim, Tibet. Guru Nanak was of the age of 45-49
Fourth Udasi: (1519-1521 AD)
Lasted about 3 years and covered the following towns and regions: Mecca and also the Arab countries.
Fifth Udasi: (1523-1524 AD)
Lasted about 2 years and covered the following cities and regions: Places within the Punjab.
In the next articles, we will be discussing about the various stories of Guru Nanak ji during his Udasis.