About Guru Ravidas Jayanti
Guru Ravidas Jayanti is the birth anniversary of the 15th-century poet-saint Ravidas of Varanasi, whose hymns are in the Guru Granth Sahib. It falls on Magh Purnima, the full moon of the month of Magh, which in 2027 is Saturday, 20 February 2027. Ravidassias, Sikhs and many Hindus mark it, with the biggest gatherings at Seer Goverdhanpur in Varanasi and across Punjab.
A few days before the Magh full moon, a special train leaves Jalandhar for Varanasi packed with pilgrims, kirtan playing on the platform. They are going to Seer Goverdhanpur, the village outside Varanasi where Guru Ravidas was born, for his birth anniversary. In Punjab the same day brings nagar kirtans, langar and lamps; in Uttar Pradesh, where he is better known as Sant Ravidas or Raidas, it is a day of bhajans and processions.
Who was Guru Ravidas?
Ravidas was born in Seer Goverdhanpur, near Varanasi, into a family of leather workers of the Chamar community, then treated as untouchable. Tradition names his parents as Santokh Dass and Mata Kalsi. He worked as a cobbler, and married Lona Devi; their son was Vijay Dass.
His dates are uncertain. Anniversary counts used by his followers place his birth in 1377; scholars propose dates ranging from 1414 to 1433, and the tradition that Mirabai, the Rajput princess-poet born in 1498, was his disciple puts his life in the 15th and early 16th centuries. Medieval hagiographies name the Vaishnava teacher Ramananda as his guru and make him a younger contemporary of Kabir in the same city.
What survives is his poetry: songs of devotion to a formless God, open to anyone regardless of caste. Forty of his shabads are included in the Guru Granth Sahib, the Sikh scripture compiled by Guru Arjan, which is why Sikhs revere him as Bhagat Ravidas.
Begampura sahar ko naau, dookh andohu nahi tihi thaau. (Begampura, the city without sorrow, is its name; no pain or anxiety lives there.)
The hymn goes on to describe a city with no tax, no fear and no second-class citizens, where people walk wherever they please. His followers still use Begampura as the name for the equal society they hope for.
Who marks the day, and how
Three overlapping communities honour him, and the words they use differ.
| Community | What they call him | Where the day centres |
|---|---|---|
| Ravidassia | Shri Guru Ravidass Maharaj Ji, Guru Ravidass Ji | Dera Sachkhand Ballan near Jalandhar; Shri Guru Ravidass Janam Asthan at Seer Goverdhanpur |
| Sikh | Bhagat Ravidas Ji | Gurdwaras, with kirtan of his shabads from the Guru Granth Sahib |
| Hindu, especially in Uttar Pradesh | Sant Ravidas, Sant Raidas | Temples, bhajan gatherings and processions in Varanasi and towns across the state |
Dera Sachkhand Ballan, the largest Ravidassia dera, leads the pilgrimage to Varanasi each year; in 2025 about 3,000 devotees boarded its special train at Jalandhar. In 2010, on the 633rd anniversary, the dera announced Ravidassia as a separate religion with its own scripture, the Amritbani Guru Ravidass Ji, and its own symbol, the Har. Many Sikh bodies opposed the step, and families today hold a range of views, so it is best not to assume which one someone follows.
On the day itself, Ravidassia bhawans and deras read from the Amritbani, nagar kirtans carry the Guru's portrait through towns in Punjab, Haryana and Uttar Pradesh, and langar is served to all comers. Seer Goverdhanpur draws the largest crowds, many pilgrims arriving days early.
How the date is set
The day is Magh Purnima, the full moon of the lunar month of Magh, so it moves between late January and late February. Panchangs and the SGPC calendar set it by the tithi. When the full moon begins after one sunrise and ends before the next, as it did in 2027, Drik Panchang and the SGPC both list the day on which the Purnima begins.
The anniversary in 2027 is the 650th by the traditional count. The SGPC has dedicated its calendar for Nanakshahi Samvat 558, running from March 2026 to March 2027, to the 650th birth anniversary of Bhagat Ravidas, alongside 450 years of Amritsar, the city founded by Guru Ram Das. It lists the day as 8 Phagun.
Central government staff can take it as a restricted holiday. Punjab and several neighbouring states and union territories usually declare a holiday, so check the state list for the year. For the season's other gurpurabs, see Guru Nanak Gurpurab and the calendar.
What to write
Do
- Use the name the person uses. Ask, or follow how their dera, gurdwara or family writes it.
- Mention his message: dignity of labour, devotion over birth, the city of Begampura.
- If you visit a bhawan, dera or gurdwara, cover your head and take off your shoes. Langar is open to everyone.
Avoid
- Don't reduce him to his caste in a wish. He is remembered first as a saint, poet and teacher.
- Don't take a side on whether Ravidassia is separate from Sikhism. Wish the person, not the debate.
Jai Gurudev. Happy Guru Ravidas Jayanti to you and your family. May the city of Begampura he sang about come a little closer every year. Jo Bole So Nirbhay, Sri Guru Ravidas Maharaj Ki Jai!
Mummy, Papa, Guru Ravidas Ji de Prakash Purab diyan lakh lakh vadhaiyan. Guru Ji di mehar sada saade ghar te rahe. (Countless greetings on the Prakash Purab of Guru Ravidas Ji. May the Guru's grace always stay on our home.)
Safe journey to Seer Goverdhanpur. Bow your head at the Janam Asthan for all of us, and bring back some prasad. Happy Guru Ravidas Jayanti.
Warm wishes on Guru Ravidas Jayanti. His idea that honest work carries its own dignity seems worth remembering at the office too.
Bhagat Ravidas Ji de janam dihade diyan vadhaiyan. Hope you get to hear his shabads at the gurdwara today. (Greetings on the birth anniversary of Bhagat Ravidas Ji.)
Sant Ravidas Jayanti ki hardik shubhkamnayein. Man changa to kathauti mein Ganga. (Warm wishes on Sant Ravidas Jayanti. If the heart is pure, the Ganga is in your washing bowl.)
- Magh Purnima
- The full moon of the lunar month of Magh, the day of the Jayanti.
- Prakash Purab
- Literally the festival of light; Punjabi term for a Guru's birth anniversary.
- Begampura
- "City without sorrow", the ideal city in his hymn in Raag Gauri.
- Amritbani
- The Amritbani Guru Ravidass Ji, the Ravidassia scripture made up of his writings.
- Har
- The symbol of the Ravidassia community, shown on the flag outside its bhawans.
- Jai Gurudev
- The greeting Ravidassias use with each other.
- Man changa to kathauti mein Ganga
- A saying linked to Ravidas: a pure heart makes even a cobbler's water bowl as holy as the Ganga.
How to wish someone on Guru Ravidas Jayanti
A good wish names him the way the person you are writing to does: Guru Ravidass Ji for most Ravidassias, Bhagat Ravidas Ji in Sikh usage, Sant Ravidas or Raidas in much of Uttar Pradesh. Speak of what he taught, that worth comes from devotion and honest work and not from birth, and of Begampura, his city without sorrow. For Ravidassia friends, \"Jai Gurudev\" and \"Jo Bole So Nirbhay, Sri Guru Ravidas Maharaj Ki Jai\" are the familiar words. Keep it devotional and warm.
Write a few lines in your own words, pick a design and share it as one link on WhatsApp, Instagram or anywhere else. They open an animated card made just for them, with no app and no sign-up.
Language tip: English, Punjabi + Hindi.
When is Guru Ravidas Jayanti in each year?
Guru Ravidas Jayanti is set by the Hindu lunisolar calendar, so it falls on a different date each year. In 2027 it falls 19 days later than in 2026.
- 2026
- 2027
- 2028may vary by location
Frequently asked questions
When is Guru Ravidas Jayanti in 2027?
Guru Ravidas Jayanti 2027 falls on Saturday, 20 February 2027.
Where was Guru Ravidas born?
Guru Ravidas was born at Seer Goverdhanpur, a village on the edge of Varanasi in Uttar Pradesh. The Shri Guru Ravidass Janam Asthan temple there is the main site of his birth anniversary, and pilgrims travel from Punjab by special train to reach it.
Why is Guru Ravidas Jayanti on Magh Purnima?
Guru Ravidas Jayanti follows the tradition that he was born on the full moon of the lunar month of Magh. Because the date is lunar, it falls on a different day each year, between late January and late February.
How many hymns of Guru Ravidas are in the Guru Granth Sahib?
The Guru Granth Sahib contains 40 shabads by Guru Ravidas, and some counts give 41 compositions in all. They include the hymn about Begampura, the city without sorrow.
What does "Jo Bole So Nirbhay" mean?
"Jo Bole So Nirbhay" means "whoever speaks it becomes fearless". Ravidassias call it out before "Sri Guru Ravidas Maharaj Ki Jai", hailing the Guru, at gatherings and nagar kirtans.
What is the meaning of "Man changa to kathauti mein Ganga"?
The saying, linked to Sant Ravidas, means that if your heart is pure, even the wooden tub a cobbler soaks leather in holds the Ganga. It is used to say that inner purity matters more than pilgrimage or ritual.
How do you wish someone on Guru Ravidas Jayanti in Punjabi?
Say "Guru Ravidas Ji de Prakash Purab diyan lakh lakh vadhaiyan", which means countless greetings on Guru Ravidas Ji's birth anniversary. Ravidassias often begin with "Jai Gurudev".
Last verified by the Kehdoo team on .