Bhai Bala

Bhai Bala (Punjabi: ਭਾਈ ਬਾਲਾ 1466–1544), born in Talvandi Rai Bhoi (now called Nankana Sahib in Pakistan) . He was a supposed childhood friend and all his life a constant companion of Bhai Mardana and Guru Nanak. According to the Bhai Bala Janam Sakhi's. He travelled with Guru Nanak and Bhai Mardana on all their great journeys around the world including China, Mecca, and around India. He supposedly died in Khadur Sahib, in his late 70s in 1544. There is currently ongoing debate surrounding the existence of Bhai Bala.

Bhai Bala's Existence

There has been considerable discussion as regards to Bhai Bala's existence, particularly within the Sikh academic field. The reasons for this are:

Bhai Gurdas, who has listed all Guru Nanak's prominent disciples (in his 11th Var), does not mention the name of Bhai Bala (this may be an oversight, for he does not mention Rai Bular either). However Bhai Mani Singh's Bhagat Ratanwali, which contains essentially the same list as that by Bhai Gurdas, but with more detail, also does not mention Bhai Bala. There are a number of other anomalies, which Dr. Kirpal Singh has explicated in his Punjabi work `Janamsakhi Tradition.'