Sikhism & the Rise of Punjab Power

Why This Chapter Matters

SSC and RRB General Awareness sections ask 2 to 4 questions from this chapter almost every year. The favourite areas are the sequence of the ten Sikh Gurus (who came after whom, and what each one is famous for), the founding of the Khalsa Panth in 1699, and one or two questions on Banda Bahadur or the Sikh misls. Guru Nanak's birth year, Guru Arjan Dev's compilation of the Adi Granth, and Guru Gobind Singh's creation of the Khalsa are the three most repeated facts, so learn these cold.

A smaller share of questions touches Maharaja Ranjit Singh, since his full story (Anglo-Sikh Wars, annexation of Punjab in 1849) belongs to the Modern India syllabus. Here you only need his rise to power and the unification of the misls, which is where this chapter's coverage ends. Treat the Guru table and the misls list as your two anchor points for quick revision.

1. Guru Nanak and the Founding of Sikhism

Guru Nanak Dev (1469–1539) founded Sikhism in the Punjab region. He was born in 1469 at Talwandi (now Nankana Sahib, in present-day Pakistan), in a Hindu Khatri family. His father was Mehta Kalu, a village accountant.

Guru Nanak preached one formless God (Ik Onkar), rejected idol worship, caste distinctions, and empty ritualism. He taught that devotion, honest living, and service to others matter more than external religious markers. He travelled widely on four major journeys called Udasis, covering places as far as Mecca, Baghdad, and Sri Lanka, spreading his teachings through simple verses sung in the local language rather than Sanskrit or Persian.

He set up the first Sikh institutions: the sangat (congregation) and the pangat (eating together in a line, regardless of caste), which became the basis of the later langar (community kitchen) tradition. Before his death in 1539 at Kartarpur, he appointed a disciple, Bhai Lehna, as his successor rather than passing the title to his sons, renaming him Guru Angad Dev. This established the practice of spiritual succession by merit, not blood, which continued for the first several Gurus.

2. The Ten Sikh Gurus — Sequence and Contributions

Sikhism developed over roughly two and a half centuries under ten Gurus. Learn the order first, then the "famous for" tag for each.

#	Guru	Period	Known for
1	Guru Nanak Dev	1469–1539	Founder of Sikhism; one God, sangat-pangat
2	Guru Angad Dev	1539–1552	Developed the Gurmukhi script for Punjabi
3	Guru Amar Das	1552–1574	Strengthened langar; opposed sati and purdah; set up Manji system (preaching centres)
4	Guru Ram Das	1574–1581	Founded the city of Ramdaspur, later called Amritsar
5	Guru Arjan Dev	1581–1606	Compiled the Adi Granth (1604); built the Harmandir Sahib (Golden Temple) at Amritsar; first Sikh martyr, executed under Jahangir
6	Guru Hargobind	1606–1644	Introduced the concept of Miri-Piri (temporal and spiritual authority together); wore two swords; began militarisation of the Panth
7	Guru Har Rai	1644–1661	Kept the Sikh community away from Mughal political conflict; maintained missionary work
8	Guru Har Krishan	1661–1664	Became Guru as a child; died young of smallpox in Delhi
9	Guru Tegh Bahadur	1664–1675	Defended Kashmiri Pandits' right to practice their faith; executed under Aurangzeb in Delhi (1675), site marked by Gurdwara Sis Ganj
10	Guru Gobind Singh	1675–1708	Founded the Khalsa Panth (1699); declared the Guru Granth Sahib the eternal Guru after him

A quick way to remember the martyrdoms: Guru Arjan Dev died under Jahangir, Guru Tegh Bahadur died under Aurangzeb. SSC has tested this pairing more than once, so do not mix up the two emperors.

3. Guru Arjan Dev and the Adi Granth

Guru Arjan Dev, the fifth Guru, holds two firsts in Sikh history. In 1604, he compiled the Adi Granth, the first authoritative Sikh scripture, gathering hymns of the earlier four Gurus along with verses of Bhakti and Sufi saints such as Kabir, Ravidas, and Farid. This inclusive compilation reflected the syncretic spirit of the Bhakti-Sufi age covered in the earlier chapter on that topic.

He also completed the construction of the Harmandir Sahib at Amritsar, begun under Guru Ram Das, which later came to be called the Golden Temple. Guru Arjan Dev was executed in 1606 on the orders of Emperor Jahangir, becoming the first martyr of the Sikh faith. His death is usually explained by Mughal suspicion of his growing following and his alleged blessing of the rebel prince Khusrau. This event marks the turning point where Sikhism began shifting from a purely spiritual movement toward organised self-defence under his successor.

4. Guru Hargobind and the Militarisation of the Panth

Guru Hargobind, the sixth Guru, responded to his father's execution by adopting the doctrine of Miri-Piri, wearing two swords to represent temporal power (Miri) and spiritual authority (Piri) held together. He built the Akal Takht at Amritsar in 1606, facing the Harmandir Sahib, as a seat of temporal authority for the Sikh community.

He organised an armed following and fought several skirmishes with Mughal forces during the reigns of Jahangir and Shah Jahan. This period marks the start of Sikhism's transformation from a purely religious movement into an armed community capable of resisting persecution, a process completed later by Guru Gobind Singh.

5. Guru Tegh Bahadur's Martyrdom

Guru Tegh Bahadur, the ninth Guru, is remembered for his stand on religious freedom. According to the standard account taught in Indian schools, a delegation of Kashmiri Pandits, facing forced conversion under Aurangzeb's policies, approached him for help. He agreed to intervene on their behalf and travelled to Delhi, where Aurangzeb had him executed in 1675 for refusing to convert to Islam.

His martyrdom is commemorated at Gurdwara Sis Ganj Sahib in Chandni Chowk, Delhi, and his cremation site is marked by Gurdwara Rakab Ganj Sahib. His son and successor, Guru Gobind Singh, would go on to give the Sikh community its final and most distinctive institutional form.

6. Guru Gobind Singh and the Khalsa Panth (1699)

Guru Gobind Singh (1666–1708), the tenth and last human Guru, transformed the Sikh community into a disciplined, militant order to resist Mughal persecution and defend religious freedom. On Baisakhi day in 1699 at Anandpur Sahib, he founded the Khalsa Panth, a brotherhood of committed Sikhs bound by a common code of conduct.

He called for volunteers willing to give their lives for the faith. Five men stepped forward, later called the Panj Pyare ("five beloved ones"). Guru Gobind Singh initiated them through a ceremony called Amrit Sanskar (or Pahul), then remarkably asked the five to initiate him in turn, establishing equality between Guru and disciple within the Khalsa.

Members of the Khalsa were required to keep the Five Ks: Kesh (uncut hair), Kangha (comb), Kara (steel bracelet), Kachera (cotton undergarment), and Kirpan (dagger). Male members took the surname Singh (lion) and female members Kaur (princess), removing caste-based surnames and reinforcing equality.

Shortly before his death in 1708 at Nanded (Maharashtra), Guru Gobind Singh declared that there would be no further human Guru. Spiritual authority would pass permanently to the scripture, now called the Guru Granth Sahib, and temporal leadership would rest with the Khalsa Panth collectively. This is one of the most frequently tested facts in this chapter: the line of human Gurus ended with him in 1708.

7. Banda Bahadur and Early Sikh Resistance

Banda Bahadur (originally Lachman Dev, also known as Banda Singh Bahadur) was a former ascetic who met Guru Gobind Singh at Nanded and was inspired to lead the Sikh community's military resistance against Mughal authority in Punjab after the Guru's death.

Between 1709 and 1715, Banda Bahadur led Sikh forces against Mughal governors, capturing Sirhind in 1710 (the city associated with the execution of Guru Gobind Singh's two younger sons) and briefly establishing Sikh administrative control over parts of Punjab. He issued coins and seals in the name of Guru Nanak and Guru Gobind Singh, an early assertion of an independent Sikh political identity.

Mughal forces eventually besieged and captured him at Gurdas Nangal in 1715. He was executed in Delhi in 1716 after refusing to convert to Islam. His campaign is remembered as the first armed Sikh challenge to Mughal rule in Punjab, setting a precedent for the later resistance organised through the misls.

8. The Sikh Misls

After Banda Bahadur's execution, Sikh resistance in Punjab continued in a decentralised form through the misls, a set of roughly twelve semi-independent Sikh military confederacies or bands, each led by its own chief (sardar). The misls operated mainly through the 18th century, filling the power vacuum created by weakening Mughal control and repeated invasions from Persia and Afghanistan (Nadir Shah in 1739, Ahmad Shah Abdali's multiple raids from the 1740s to 1760s).

The misls cooperated loosely through a body called the Sarbat Khalsa, a general assembly of Sikh leaders that met periodically at Amritsar to decide on common matters, especially resisting Abdali's invasions. Individually, misls controlled different territories across Punjab and often fought among themselves for resources and influence, but they could unite against a common external threat.

Notable misls included the Bhangi, Ahluwalia, Kanhaiya, Ramgarhia, Nakai, and Sukerchakia misls. The Sukerchakia misl, based around Gujranwala, became the most significant of all because it produced the leader who eventually unified Punjab under a single rule.

9. Rise of Ranjit Singh (Bridge to Modern History)

Maharaja Ranjit Singh (1780–1839) belonged to the Sukerchakia misl. He inherited leadership of his misl as a young man after his father's death and began absorbing neighbouring misls into his own control through a mix of alliance, marriage, and conquest. In 1799, he captured Lahore, and in 1801 he was formally crowned Maharaja, taking the title Sarkar-i-Wallah and unifying most of the Punjab misls under one rule for the first time.

Ranjit Singh built a modernised, disciplined army trained partly by European officers, and extended his control across Punjab, parts of the North-West Frontier, Kashmir (annexed in 1819), and Multan. His kingdom is remembered as a rare, well-organised Sikh state that maintained relative religious tolerance toward Hindus and Muslims within its administration.

His full reign, his treaties with the British East India Company (Treaty of Amritsar, 1809), and the two Anglo-Sikh Wars that followed his death in 1839, leading to the British annexation of Punjab in 1849, belong to the Modern India syllabus. For this chapter, remember only that Ranjit Singh rose from the Sukerchakia misl to unify Punjab, closing the medieval story of Sikh political power.

Quick Revision — One-Line Facts

• Guru Nanak Dev, born 1469 at Talwandi (Nankana Sahib), founded Sikhism.
• Guru Nanak preached one formless God (Ik Onkar) and rejected caste and idol worship.
• Guru Angad Dev (2nd Guru) developed the Gurmukhi script.
• Guru Amar Das (3rd Guru) organised the Manji system and opposed sati.
• Guru Ram Das (4th Guru) founded the city later known as Amritsar.
• Guru Arjan Dev (5th Guru) compiled the Adi Granth in 1604.
• Guru Arjan Dev built the Harmandir Sahib (Golden Temple) at Amritsar.
• Guru Arjan Dev was executed under Jahangir in 1606; first Sikh martyr.
• Guru Hargobind (6th Guru) introduced the Miri-Piri doctrine (temporal + spiritual authority).
• Guru Hargobind built the Akal Takht at Amritsar in 1606.
• Guru Har Krishan (8th Guru) became Guru as a child and died of smallpox in Delhi.
• Guru Tegh Bahadur (9th Guru) was executed under Aurangzeb in 1675 for defending Kashmiri Pandits' faith.
• Gurdwara Sis Ganj Sahib in Delhi marks Guru Tegh Bahadur's martyrdom site.
• Guru Gobind Singh (10th Guru) founded the Khalsa Panth on Baisakhi day, 1699, at Anandpur Sahib.
• The first five initiated Khalsa members are called the Panj Pyare.
• Khalsa members follow the Five Ks: Kesh, Kangha, Kara, Kachera, Kirpan.
• Male Khalsa members took the surname Singh; female members took Kaur.
• Guru Gobind Singh declared the Guru Granth Sahib the eternal Guru before his death in 1708.
• The line of human Sikh Gurus ended in 1708 with Guru Gobind Singh.
• Banda Bahadur led the first armed Sikh resistance against the Mughals (1709–1715).
• Banda Bahadur captured Sirhind in 1710.
• Banda Bahadur was executed in Delhi in 1716.
• The Sikh misls were about twelve semi-independent military confederacies active through the 18th century.
• The Sarbat Khalsa was the general assembly of Sikh leaders that met at Amritsar.
• Ranjit Singh belonged to the Sukerchakia misl.
• Ranjit Singh captured Lahore in 1799 and was crowned Maharaja in 1801.
• Ranjit Singh annexed Kashmir in 1819 and unified most of Punjab under one rule.
• Ranjit Singh's later conflicts with the British belong to the Modern India syllabus, not this chapter.

Memory Tables

Table A: The Ten Sikh Gurus at a Glance

Guru	Period	Key Contribution
Guru Nanak Dev	1469–1539	Founded Sikhism
Guru Angad Dev	1539–1552	Gurmukhi script
Guru Amar Das	1552–1574	Manji system, opposed sati
Guru Ram Das	1574–1581	Founded Amritsar
Guru Arjan Dev	1581–1606	Adi Granth (1604); Golden Temple; martyred under Jahangir
Guru Hargobind	1606–1644	Miri-Piri doctrine; Akal Takht
Guru Har Rai	1644–1661	Kept Panth away from Mughal conflict
Guru Har Krishan	1661–1664	Child Guru; died young
Guru Tegh Bahadur	1664–1675	Martyred under Aurangzeb (1675)
Guru Gobind Singh	1675–1708	Founded Khalsa (1699); ended human Guru line

Table B: Key Events and Years

Year	Event
1469	Guru Nanak Dev born at Talwandi
1539	Guru Angad Dev becomes second Guru
1604	Adi Granth compiled by Guru Arjan Dev
1606	Guru Arjan Dev executed; Guru Hargobind builds Akal Takht
1675	Guru Tegh Bahadur executed by Aurangzeb
1699	Khalsa Panth founded at Anandpur Sahib
1708	Guru Gobind Singh dies; Guru Granth Sahib declared eternal Guru
1710	Banda Bahadur captures Sirhind
1716	Banda Bahadur executed in Delhi
1799	Ranjit Singh captures Lahore
1801	Ranjit Singh crowned Maharaja of Punjab
1819	Ranjit Singh annexes Kashmir

Practice MCQs

Q1. Who founded Sikhism and was born at Talwandi in 1469? (a) Guru Angad Dev (b) Guru Nanak Dev (c) Guru Amar Das (d) Guru Gobind Singh

Q2. Which Guru developed the Gurmukhi script? (a) Guru Nanak Dev (b) Guru Ram Das (c) Guru Angad Dev (d) Guru Arjan Dev

Q3. Who compiled the Adi Granth in 1604? (a) Guru Hargobind (b) Guru Arjan Dev (c) Guru Tegh Bahadur (d) Guru Har Rai

Q4. The Harmandir Sahib (Golden Temple) at Amritsar was completed under which Guru? (a) Guru Ram Das (b) Guru Amar Das (c) Guru Arjan Dev (d) Guru Hargobind

Q5. Guru Arjan Dev, the first Sikh martyr, was executed on the orders of which Mughal emperor? (a) Akbar (b) Jahangir (c) Shah Jahan (d) Aurangzeb

Q6. Which Guru introduced the doctrine of Miri-Piri and built the Akal Takht? (a) Guru Har Krishan (b) Guru Hargobind (c) Guru Tegh Bahadur (d) Guru Gobind Singh

Q7. Guru Tegh Bahadur was executed in 1675 by which Mughal emperor? (a) Jahangir (b) Shah Jahan (c) Aurangzeb (d) Bahadur Shah I

Q8. In which year was the Khalsa Panth founded, and at which place? (a) 1675, Delhi (b) 1699, Anandpur Sahib (c) 1708, Nanded (d) 1606, Amritsar

Q9. What are the first five initiated members of the Khalsa collectively called? (a) Sarbat Khalsa (b) Panj Pyare (c) Akal Takht (d) Nihangs

Q10. Which of the following is NOT one of the Five Ks of the Khalsa? (a) Kesh (b) Kangha (c) Kirpan (d) Kalash

Q11. Who led the first major armed Sikh resistance against the Mughals after Guru Gobind Singh's death, capturing Sirhind in 1710? (a) Ranjit Singh (b) Banda Bahadur (c) Guru Har Rai (d) Ahmad Shah Abdali

Q12. Which body of Sikh leaders met periodically at Amritsar to decide on matters of common concern to the misls? (a) Panj Pyare (b) Akal Takht (c) Sarbat Khalsa (d) Khalsa Darbar

Q13. Maharaja Ranjit Singh, who unified Punjab, belonged to which misl? (a) Bhangi misl (b) Ahluwalia misl (c) Sukerchakia misl (d) Kanhaiya misl

Q14. Arrange the following events in chronological order: 1. Founding of the Khalsa Panth 2. Compilation of the Adi Granth 3. Execution of Guru Tegh Bahadur 4. Ranjit Singh crowned Maharaja (a) 2, 3, 1, 4 (b) 1, 2, 3, 4 (c) 2, 1, 3, 4 (d) 3, 2, 1, 4

Q15. Which of the following statements about Guru Gobind Singh is correct? (a) He compiled the Adi Granth in 1604 (b) He built the Harmandir Sahib at Amritsar (c) He founded the Khalsa Panth in 1699 and declared the Guru Granth Sahib the eternal Guru (d) He was executed by Emperor Aurangzeb in 1675

Answer Key

Q	Answer	One-line reason
1	(b)	Guru Nanak Dev founded Sikhism, born 1469 at Talwandi.
2	(c)	Guru Angad Dev, the second Guru, created the Gurmukhi script.
3	(b)	Guru Arjan Dev compiled the Adi Granth in 1604.
4	(c)	Guru Arjan Dev completed the Harmandir Sahib at Amritsar.
5	(b)	Guru Arjan Dev was executed under Jahangir in 1606.
6	(b)	Guru Hargobind introduced Miri-Piri and built the Akal Takht in 1606.
7	(c)	Guru Tegh Bahadur was executed by Aurangzeb in 1675.
8	(b)	The Khalsa Panth was founded on Baisakhi 1699 at Anandpur Sahib.
9	(b)	The first five initiated Khalsa members are the Panj Pyare.
10	(d)	The Five Ks are Kesh, Kangha, Kara, Kachera, Kirpan; Kalash is not one of them.
11	(b)	Banda Bahadur led Sikh forces and captured Sirhind in 1710.
12	(c)	The Sarbat Khalsa was the general assembly of misl leaders at Amritsar.
13	(c)	Ranjit Singh belonged to the Sukerchakia misl.
14	(a)	Correct order: Adi Granth (1604), Guru Tegh Bahadur's execution (1675), Khalsa founded (1699), Ranjit Singh crowned (1801).
15	(c)	Guru Gobind Singh founded the Khalsa in 1699 and made the Guru Granth Sahib the eternal Guru.