Mata Khivi Ji was the wife of Guru Angad Dev Ji. At Khadur Sahib she looked after the Guru's langar, where everyone was fed with care and dignity. She is remembered by name in Sri Guru Granth Sahib Ji for the richness and generosity of that kitchen.
Life
Mata Khivi Ji was born in the early sixteenth century and married Bhai Lehna, who later became Guru Angad Dev Ji, the second Guru. Historians place her life roughly across the 1500s; exact dates differ between sources. The couple had children, including Baba Dasu, Baba Datu and Bibi Amro, and the family settled at Khadur Sahib on the banks of the Beas, which became the centre of the Sikh community during Guru Angad Dev Ji's Guruship.
At Khadur Sahib Mata Khivi Ji took responsibility for the langar, the free community kitchen begun by Guru Nanak Dev Ji. Under her care it became known for warm, nourishing food served to all who came — rich and poor, high and low caste, travellers and villagers — sitting together as equals. The langar was not charity handed down from above; it was a shared table that put the Guru's teaching of equality into daily practice.
She is the only woman named in Sri Guru Granth Sahib Ji. In the Var of the bards Satta and Balwand, in Raag Ramkali, she is praised for her goodness and for the langar she ran, where rich food was freely shared. This mention gives her a lasting place in the scripture Sikhs bow before every day. After Guru Angad Dev Ji passed the Guruship to Guru Amar Das Ji in 1552, Mata Khivi Ji continued to be honoured in the community. Guru Amar Das Ji built further on the langar tradition, and its spirit of open welcome and service remains one of the most visible marks of Sikh life around the world today.
Why Sikhs remember Mata Khivi Ji
- She shaped the langar into an institution of care and equality at a formative time for the Sikh community.
- She is the only woman mentioned by name in Sri Guru Granth Sahib Ji, a mark of deep respect.
- Her example shows that leadership in Sikh history includes quiet, steady seva that sustains a whole community.
Key events
- c. 1500s
Marriage to Bhai Lehna Historical record
She marries Bhai Lehna, later Guru Angad Dev Ji.
- 1539
Guruship to Guru Angad Dev Ji Historical record
Her husband becomes the second Guru; the family's home at Khadur Sahib becomes the centre of the Sikh sangat.
- 1539–1552
Langar at Khadur Sahib Historical record
She runs the langar at Khadur Sahib, serving everyone together as equals.
- —
Named in Gurbani Historical record
The Var of Satta and Balwand in Raag Ramkali praises her and her langar.
For children
Mata Khivi Ji was the wife of Guru Angad Dev Ji. She ran the Guru's kitchen, called the langar, in a village called Khadur Sahib. Anyone could come and eat — rich or poor, from any family — and everyone sat together on the floor as equals. She made sure the food was tasty and served with love. She is so special that her name is written in Sri Guru Granth Sahib Ji!
Lessons for today
Care is a kind of leadership
Feeding people well, day after day, built a community. Steady service matters as much as speeches.
Equality at the table
When everyone eats the same food sitting side by side, differences of wealth and status fade. You can bring that spirit to how you welcome others.
Places connected with this life
- Khadur Sahib
The town on the Beas where Guru Angad Dev Ji lived and Mata Khivi Ji ran the langar.
Further reading & sources
- Sri Guru Granth Sahib Ji
- Harbans Singh (ed.), The Encyclopaedia of Sikhism, Punjabi University, Patiala
- J. S. Grewal, The Sikhs of the Punjab (The New Cambridge History of India), Cambridge University Press