Bhai Gurdas (1551 – 25 August 1636) was a Sikh writer, historian and preacher who served as the Jathedar of the Akal Takht from 1606 to his death in 1636.

Under the patronage of Guru Amar Das, Bhai Gurdas learned Sanskrit, Braj Bhasha, Persian, and Punjabi at Sultanpur Lodhi and eventually began preaching.

[8] At Goindval, Gurdas listened and obtained knowledge from scholars and swamis that continuously visited the town while traversing the Delhi-Lahore road.

In 1577, Bhai Gurdas contributed his labour to excavating the Sarovar at Darbar Sahib.

Twenty years later, he went on an expedition to East Kartarpur and recited many of the early hymns to Emperor Akbar.

Gurdas led a group of Sikhs to Gwalior, where the Mughal emperor Jahangir, jealous of the popularity of Sikhism, had imprisoned Guru Hargobind.

On 31 December 1612, when Guru Hargobind was imprisoned at Gwalior Fort, he assigned Baba Buddha to perform the services at Harmandir Sahib and Bhai Gurdas as the first Jathedar of Akal Takht.