Sikh Gurus, the Khalsa and Maharaja Ranjit Singh Notes for UPSC

Sikhism was born in the Punjab in the 15th century in the age of the Bhakti movement. Over two hundred years, it grew from a religious path of the teachings of Guru Nanak to a strong community and, in the early 19th century, to a powerful empire under Maharaja Ranjit Singh. For the UPSC, this topic gives questions in the Prelims on the ten Gurus, the Khalsa and the Anglo-Sikh wars, and in the Mains on the relation between religion, state and society. This note covers the Gurus, the conflict with the Mughals, the Misls, the Sikh Empire and its end in simple language.

Guru Nanak and the Teachings of Sikhism

Guru Nanak (1469-1539) was born at Talwandi, now Nankana Sahib in Pakistan. He taught belief in one God (Ik Onkar), equality of all human beings, honest work (kirat karna), sharing with others (vand chakna) and remembrance of God's name (naam japna). He rejected caste differences, idol worship and empty ritual. He started the institutions of sangat (the holy gathering), pangat (eating together) and langar (community kitchen), and settled at Kartarpur on the Ravi river, where the first Sikh community was formed. His hymns are included in the holy book. He made four long journeys (udasis) and met people of many faiths.

The Ten Sikh Gurus

Relations With the Mughals

Under Akbar, relations were friendly: he visited the langar at Goindwal and gave land for Amritsar. The conflict started under Jahangir, who executed Guru Arjan Dev on the charge of helping the rebel prince Khusrau, and it grew under Shah Jahan and Aurangzeb. In response to the persecution, Guru Hargobind took the path of armed defence, and after the execution of Guru Tegh Bahadur, Guru Gobind Singh organised the Sikhs as a military brotherhood. The Mughal rulers saw the growing Sikh community as a political danger, while the Sikhs saw themselves as defenders of their faith and of the oppressed.

The Khalsa (1699)

On the day of Baisakhi in 1699 at Anandpur Sahib, Guru Gobind Singh founded the Khalsa Panth. He baptised the Panj Pyare (five beloved ones) from different castes, who then initiated the Guru himself. The members took the name Singh (for men) and Kaur (for women), and adopted the five Ks: Kesh (uncut hair), Kangha (comb), Kara (steel bracelet), Kirpan (sword) and Kachera (shorts). The Khalsa gave the Sikhs a strong identity, a discipline and a common military spirit, and removed caste barriers. Before his death at Nanded in 1708, the Guru ended the line of personal Gurus and said that the Guru Granth Sahib would be the eternal Guru. He also wrote the Zafarnama, a letter to Aurangzeb.

Banda Singh Bahadur and the Misls

After Guru Gobind Singh, Banda Singh Bahadur led the Sikhs in a revolt against the Mughals in Punjab. He captured Sirhind in 1710, abolished the zamindari system in the area and gave land to the tillers. He was captured and executed in 1716. In the 18th century, the Sikhs fought the invasions of Nadir Shah and Ahmad Shah Abdali and the Mughal governors, and organised themselves into twelve groups called Misls, each led by a Sardar. They met at Amritsar as the Sarbat Khalsa and acted together as the Dal Khalsa when there was a danger. One of these, the Sukerchakia Misl, was led by the family of Ranjit Singh.

Maharaja Ranjit Singh (1780-1839)

Ranjit Singh became the head of the Sukerchakia Misl as a boy, captured Lahore in 1799 and was crowned the Maharaja in 1801, with Lahore as his capital. By conquest and treaties, he united the Misls and built a large state that included Punjab, Kashmir (1819), Multan (1818) and Peshawar (1834). He took the famous diamond Kohinoor from the exiled Afghan ruler Shah Shuja in 1813.

• Treaty of Amritsar (1809): With the British, represented by Charles Metcalfe, it fixed the river Sutlej as the boundary; Ranjit Singh gave up his claim over the Cis-Sutlej Sikh states, in return for peace with the British on his other frontiers.
• Army: He modernised the army as the Fauj-i-Ain with the help of European officers such as Allard, Ventura and Court, and set up an artillery wing (Topkhana) and a gun factory in Lahore.
• Administration: The state was divided into subas, parganas and villages. Land revenue was the main income, usually one-third to one-half of the produce. He chose able officials of all religions, such as the Muslim Fakir Azizuddin as the foreign minister and the Hindu Diwan Mohkam Chand.
• Policy: His rule was secular and tolerant, and he gave grants to Hindu temples and mosques as well as to the gurdwaras.

Decline and the Anglo-Sikh Wars

After the death of Ranjit Singh in 1839, the empire fell into disorder because of the weak successors, the fights of the court factions and the power of the army (the Khalsa army). This gave the British a chance to intervene.

Important Terms to Remember

• Miri-Piri: The twin swords of temporal and spiritual authority adopted by Guru Hargobind.
• Akal Takht: The seat of Sikh temporal authority at Amritsar, opposite the Golden Temple.
• Sarbat Khalsa: The general assembly of the Sikh community at Amritsar.
• Dal Khalsa: The joint army formed by the Misls in the 18th century.
• Zafarnama: The letter of Guru Gobind Singh to Aurangzeb, written in Persian.

Importance and Legacy

The Sikh movement shows the change of a spiritual path into a political and military force in response to the oppression. The Sikh Empire was the last major Indian power to fall to the British, and it gave a model of a state in which Hindus, Sikhs and Muslims served together. The Sikh institutions, including the Gurdwara, the Akal Takht and the Shiromani Gurdwara Prabandhak Committee (formed in 1920 after the Gurdwara reform movement), continue to shape the Sikh life.

Mains Angle: Why Did the Sikh Movement Become Militant?

Describe the change in stages: the peaceful teaching of Guru Nanak; the growth of the community and its institutions under the later Gurus; the execution of Guru Arjan and Guru Tegh Bahadur by the Mughal rulers; the founding of the Khalsa to defend dharma; and the political rise through the Misls to the empire of Ranjit Singh. Mention both religious and political causes, and conclude that persecution, caste equality, and the geography of Punjab as a frontier region helped in the growth of the movement.

Practice Questions

• Q1. Who gave the Gurmukhi script? Answer: Guru Angad.
• Q2. Who compiled the Adi Granth? Answer: Guru Arjan Dev.
• Q3. In which year was the Khalsa founded? Answer: 1699.
• Q4. Which treaty of 1809 fixed the Sutlej as a boundary? Answer: The Treaty of Amritsar.

Revise the connected topic of Bhakti and Sufi movements and the Mughal Empire for the background.

Quick Revision

• Guru Angad: Gurmukhi; Guru Ram Das: Amritsar; Guru Arjan: Adi Granth and Golden Temple.
• Guru Tegh Bahadur executed in 1675; Guru Gobind Singh founded the Khalsa in 1699.
• Ranjit Singh: Lahore 1799, Maharaja 1801, Treaty of Amritsar 1809.
• Anglo-Sikh wars: 1845-46 and 1848-49; Punjab annexed in 1849.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

Who founded Sikhism?

Guru Nanak (1469-1539) founded Sikhism.

Who gave the Gurmukhi script?

Guru Angad gave the Gurmukhi script to the Punjabi language.

Who founded Amritsar?

Guru Ram Das founded Amritsar on land granted by Akbar.

Who compiled the Adi Granth?

Guru Arjan Dev compiled the Adi Granth in 1604.

Which Guru was executed by Aurangzeb?

Guru Tegh Bahadur was executed in Delhi in 1675 under Aurangzeb.

What is the Khalsa?

The Khalsa is the Sikh brotherhood founded by Guru Gobind Singh in 1699 at Anandpur Sahib.

What are the five Ks?

The five Ks are Kesh, Kangha, Kara, Kirpan and Kachera.

Who was Banda Singh Bahadur?

He was the Sikh leader who led the revolt against the Mughals after Guru Gobind Singh, captured Sirhind in 1710 and was executed in 1716.

What were the Misls?

The Misls were twelve Sikh confederacies of the 18th century, each led by a Sardar.

When did Ranjit Singh capture Lahore?

He captured Lahore in 1799 and became Maharaja in 1801.

What was the Treaty of Amritsar of 1809?

It was a treaty between Ranjit Singh and the British that fixed the Sutlej as the boundary.

When was Punjab annexed by the British?

Punjab was annexed by Lord Dalhousie in 1849 after the Second Anglo-Sikh War.