Bhai Vir Singh was born on December 5th, 1872. He was brought up in a devout Sikh family and learnt Gurbani right from his earliest years. By the time that he was eight years old, he already knew by heart a great deal of the Guru Granth Sahib. Later, he was sent to a mission school where he learnt about Christianity. He also studied the Vedas and the Kuran. With such a broad education, therefore, he became a wise theologian and developed tolerance in the true tradition of the Sikhs.