The Sikh faith began around 1500 CE in the Punjab area of South Asia, which now falls into the present day states of India and Pakistan, when Guru Nanak began teaching a faith that was quite distinct from Hinduism and Islam.

Nanak's religious ideas draw on both Hindu and Islamic thought, but are far more than just a synthesis. Nanak was an original spiritual thinker and expressed his thoughts in extraordinary poetry that forms the basis of Sikh scripture.

The most famous teachings attributed to Guru Nanak are that there is only one God, and that all human beings can have direct access to God with no need of rituals or priests. His most radical social teachings denounced the caste system and taught that everyone is equal, regardless of caste or gender.