Take a thoughtful journey with the founder and first guru of Sikhism.
Explore a “narrative landscape” through pages from the janamsakhi (ਜਨਮਸਾਖੀ), or life story, of Guru Nanak (1469–1539). Incorporating styles found in traditional Indian miniatures, these works depict the guru’s meetings with various figures — from poet-saints like Kabir to kings and fantastical creatures — set against a shifting background of green fields, rolling hills, and streams full of fish. While underscoring Guru Nanak’s expansive work and influence, these images also reflect Sikhism’s quest to bridge ideological and religious divides.
“In this selection, I sought to highlight works that might raise questions about Othering,” says Padma Dorje Maitland, Malavalli Family Foundation Associate Curator of the Art of the Indian Subcontinent. “In some cases, I omitted the term ‘demon’ from a label, as I’d like to ask why figures with certain physical characteristics are often presented as villains. What does it mean for Guru Nanak to meet with a ‘monster fish,’ or with Kaliyuga — the personification of the ‘age of darkness’? And what is the significance of Guru Nanak welcoming the carpenter Jhanda Bhadhi so graciously?”
This installation also includes a poem by Kabir, “Brother, I have seen some” (translated from Hindi by Arvind Krishna Mehrotra), which serves as both a lyrical accompaniment and a link to broader poetic and philosophical traditions.
Top image: Guru Nanak and the monster fish, from a manuscript of the Janam Sakhi (Life Stories), approx. 1755-1770. India; probably Murshidabad, West Bengal state. Colors on paper. Asian Art Museum, Gift of the Kapany Collection, 1998.58.17. Photograph © Asian Art Museum of San Francisco. Lower image: Pages from the Guru Nanak Janamsakhi installed in the South Asia Galleries.
