Amar Das was born to mother Bakht Kaur (also known as Lakshmi or Rup Kaur) and father Tej Bhan Bhalla on 5 May 1479 in Basarke village in what is now called Amritsar district of Punjab (India). His family belonged to the Bhalla gotra (clan) of the Khatri caste. He married Mansa Devi and they had four children which they named Mohri, Mohan, Dani, and Bhani. Amar Das had followed the Vaishnavism tradition of Hinduism for much of his life. reputed to have gone on some twenty pilgrimages into the Himalayas, to Haridwar on river Ganges. About 1539, on one such Hindu pilgrimage, he met a Hindu monk (sadhu) who asked him why he did not have a guru (teacher, spiritual counselor) and Amar Das decided to get one. On his return, he heard Bibi Amro, the daughter of the Sikh Guru Angad, singing a hymn by Guru Nanak. He learned from her about Guru Angad, and with her help met the second Guru of Sikhism and adopted him as his spiritual Guru who was much younger than his own age. He is famous in the Sikh tradition for his relentless service to Guru Angad, with legends about waking up in the early hours and fetching water for his Guru's bath, cleaning and cooking for the volunteers with the Guru, as well devoting much time to meditation and prayers in the morning and evening.

After eleven years most devoted service of the Guru and the sangats, Amar Das was nominated the third guru. Guru Amar Das moved to Goindwal situated not far away from Khadur on the bank of river Beas on the high road to Lahore, about 8 kilometres from Kapurthala and 45 kms. from Amritsar. He did so to avoid the pending conflict with Guru Angad's sons who had not approved of their supersession. Even at Goindwal he was harassed by one of the sons named Datu. He went to Goindwal and said: "Only yesterday thou wert a water-carrier in our house, and today thou sittest as a Guru. "Saying this he kicked the Guru off his seat. The Guru humbly said: "O great king, pardon me. Thou must have hurt thy foot." The Guru retired from Goindwal and hid himself in a house at Basarke, his home village. Datu set himself up as the Guru. Amar Das was persuaded by Baba Buddha to return, and Datu, finding no following, went back to Khadur.

Guru Amar Das taught with His own life the meaning of Guru Service, also known in Punjabi religious parlance as Guru Sewa. Guru Amar Das emphasized both spiritual pursuits as well as an ethical daily life. He encouraged his followers to wake up before dawn, do their ablutions and then meditate in silent seclusion. A good devotee, taught Amar Das, should be truthful, keep his mind in control, eat only when hungry, seek the company of pious men, worship the Lord, make an honest living, serve holy men, not covet another's wealth and never slander others. He recommended holy devotion with Guru's image in his follower's hearts. He was also a reformer, and discouraged veiling of women's faces (a Muslim custom) as well as sati (a Hindu custom). He encouraged the Kshatriya people to fight in order to protect people and for the sake of justice, stating this is Dharma.

MANJI, derived from the Sanskrit mancha and manchaka meaning a stage, platform, raised seat, dais, throne, beadstead, or a couch, has a special connotation in Sikh tradition. Ordinarily, a manji, in Punjabi, means a cot, especially of the simple, stringed variety. Social manner in India requires that when more than one person are seated on the same cot, the one senior in age or superior in relationship should occupy the upper portion of it. But when someone commanding high social or spiritual status is present, he alone occupies the manji, while the others squat on the ground in front of or around it. When Guru Amar Das, the third Guru, appointed some leading Sikhs to cater for the needs of Sikh sangats in different parts of the country, the districts or dioceses came to be known as manjis, from the manjis or high seats on which the incumbants sat when preaching the Guru`s word. According to Sikh chroniclers, Guru Amar Das established 22 manjis. The persons appointed came to be called masands, a word derived from the Persian masnad, also meaning, like the Sanskrit manchakd, a throne or a couch. These manjis and masands played a significant role in knitting the Sikhs into a community.

At a distance of 25 km from Tarn Taran and 48 km from Amritsar Junction, Gurudwara Goindwal Sahib is a Sikh shrine situated at Goindwal Sahib town in Tarn Taran district of Punjab. It is one of the major pilgrimage places in Punjab and also one of the best Amritsar tourist places. The Goindwal Baoli is the first Sikh pilgrimage which was set under the supervision of Shri Guru Amar Das Ji in 16th Century. Guru Amar Das, the 3rd Sikh Guru, stayed in Goindwal for 33 years. Here, he constructed a Baoli or a well with 84 steps. The entrance to the Baoli has been artistically decorated. There is a row of frescoes, depicting scenes from Sikh history. It is said that someone who takes a bath in the well and recites the Japji Sahib, attains Moksh. Goindwal is the place where Guru Amar Das met Guru Ram Das and is also the birth place of Guru Arjan Dev Ji. Adjoining the Baoli, a magnificent Gurdwara has been built. The Gurdwara is an example of typical Sikh architecture with a large dome tipped with a gold pinnacle. Besides, there is Langar, the famous community kitchen of Guru Amar Das Ji, where each visitor is offered food free of cost. It has been recorded by a Sikh historian that Emperor Akbar also took meal in the Langar before meeting the Guru. There is another domed entrance, which is ornamented with frescoes reflecting the life of the great saint- Guru Amar Das.

Emperor Akbar had heard favourable accounts of Guru Amar Das. When it was time for the Emperor Akbar to make his periodical visit to from Delhi to Lahore he decided to visit the Guru. Having crossed the Beas he made a detour to Goindwal, and accompanied by a large escort of Mughal and Pathan soldiers the Emperor made a state visit to the Guru. The Emperor, out of respect for the Guru, walked on the bare ground as he approached his residence. He learned, however, that he could not meet with the Guru until he had partaken his food in the langar. The Emperor inquired of what the food consisted, and was informed that it was coarse unseasoned rice. Langar Before Meeting The Guru We know what the practice was in the Guru's kitchen. People of all castes and religions had to sit side by side on the floor and take their food. There was no special place for the rich or the high. The rich and the poor, kings and beggars, hindus and muslims, masters and servants, high and low, brahmins and shudras, all were treated alike. All had to take the same food, sitting side by side. No special dishes were prepared for anyone, not even for the Guru. As a matter of fact, the food served to the Guru was far simple than that served to the public.

The Emperor Offers His Support Emperor Akbar saw that a large number of people were fed from the Guru's kitchen. He said to himself, 'A very large quantity of food is freely distributed here every day. It must be difficult for the Guru to provide so much food. I should help the Guru in this noble work.' When he met the Guru the Emperor asked him to accept his service and his offerings. He added, "I would like to give you some good fertile land and villages to help reward and pay for your langar." Guru Amar Das replied, "God has given me everything I need. My Sikhs freely provide their services in running the langar. They keep a part of their honest earnings for this purpose. Whatever comes daily is spent daily, and for tomorrow my trust is in God." The Emperor pressed on him the acceptance of several villages, but the Guru was firm in his refusal. Guru Amar Das said, "Emperor, you are good and kind. Your intentions are noble and high. But I am unable to accept your offer." The Emperor then said, "I see that you desire nothing for yourself. Still I want to do something for you. I need your blessings. I wished to give you a grant of some villages. You refuse to accept it. Instead I shall grant them to your daughter Bibi Bhani. After all, she is like a daughter to me." The Emperor then signed a grant of the villages in Bibi Bhani's name. The Guru gave the Emperor a saropa or dress of honour. The Emperor went away highly pleased. Baba Budha was appointed to manage the villages granted by the Emperor. The produce from the said villages was used for the good of all the people.

Guru Amar Das composed the rapturous hymn called Anand and made it a part of the ritual of Sikh marriage called "Anand Karaj", which literally means "blissful event". The Anand hymn is sung, in contemporary times, not only during Sikh weddings but also at major celebrations. Parts of the "Anand hymn" are recited in Sikh temples (Gurdwara) every evening, at the naming of a Sikh baby, as well as during a Sikh funeral. It is a section of the Anand Sahib composition of Guru Amar Das, printed on pages 917 to 922 of the Adi Granth and set to the "Ramkali" raga. Guru Amar Das's entire Anand Sahib composition is a linguistic mix of Panjabi and Hindi languages, reflecting Guru Amar Das' upbringing and background. The hymn celebrates the freedom from suffering and anxiety, the union of the soul with the divine, describing a devotee's bliss achieved through the Guru with inner devotion and by repeating the Name of the Creator. The hymn states in stanza 19 that the Vedas teach "the Name is supreme", in stanza 27 that Smriti and Shastra discuss the good and the bad but are unreal because they lack a Guru and that it is the grace of the Guru which awakens the heart and the devotion to the Name. The hymn celebrates the life of a householder and constant inner devotion to the One, ending each stanza with the characteristic "says Nanak".