Guru Nanak meets Nath Siddhas at the village of Achal Batala, from a manuscript of the Janam Sakhi (Life Stories)

Guru Nanak and his companions arrived on one occasion at Achal Batala (in Punjab state), a site with an ancient temple and pool dedicated to the Hindu deity Shiva. Nanak's visit coincided with an important festival in honor of Shiva, an event of particular significance for ascetics of the Nath order who are followers of Shiva. Nanak engaged in an intense dialogue with the yogis, who aimed to astonish him with a display of magical powers that they had acquired as a result of intense meditation and practices of self-denial and bodily control. Guru Nanak remained unimpressed by these feats, and through his conversations with the yogis further emphasized his own teachings and beliefs in devotional meditation.

In the painting, Guru Nanak is shown at the left, slightly separated from the other figures and identifiable by his halo. He is engaged in intense dialogue with one yogi while others converse among themselves. The pool in the foreground serves to locate the event in Achal Batala. The yogis are variously depicted with coiled and matted hair, seated on an animal skin, or with ash-smeared bodies.