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Why did most of the Gurus establish new cities?

Ask SikhRI

Monday

,

15

September

2025

The vision was far more about action. Guru Nanak saw that while many kings, sovereigns, and emperors spoke of equality, respect and dignity, their policies didn’t reflect those principles.

The vision was far more about action. Guru Nanak saw that while many kings, sovereigns, and emperors spoke of equality, respect and dignity, their policies didn’t reflect those principles. Therefore, he founded Kartarpur, where everyone, regardless of caste, gender, faith, or ideology, was provided equal economic and political rights and opportunities.

From Kartarpur to Anandpur Sahib, the Gurus founded cities to turn utopian ideals into lived realities.

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Harinder Singh

Senior Fellow, Research & Policy

Harinder Singh is the Senior Fellow at the Sikh Research Institute. He holds a BS in Aerospace Engineering from Wichita State University, an MS in Engineering Management from the University of Kansas, and an MPhil from Punjab University in the linguistics of the Guru Granth Sahib.

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