Study Guide · Chapter 8
The Sikh Tradition and the Sikh Empire
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- Guru Nanak Dev (1469–1539), founder of Sikhism, preached monotheism, equality, and rejection of caste distinctions and ritualism; his teachings were compiled, along with those of subsequent Gurus and various Bhakti/Sufi saints, into the Adi Granth (later the Guru Granth Sahib), finalised in its present form under the tenth Guru.
- The line of ten human Gurus: Guru Nanak → Guru Angad → Guru Amar Das → Guru Ram Das (founded Amritsar) → Guru Arjan Dev (compiled the Adi Granth, built the Harmandir Sahib/Golden Temple, executed by Jahangir in 1606 — first Sikh martyrdom) → Guru Hargobind (introduced the concept of "Miri-Piri," temporal and spiritual authority combined) → Guru Har Rai → Guru Har Krishan → Guru Tegh Bahadur (executed by Aurangzeb in 1675 for resisting forced conversions) → Guru Gobind Singh (founded the Khalsa in 1699, a disciplined martial order with the "Five Ks," and declared the Guru Granth Sahib the eternal, final Guru after him).
- Banda Singh Bahadur led a major Sikh uprising against Mughal authority in Punjab in the early 18th century following Guru Gobind Singh's death.
- The Sikh Empire was later consolidated by Maharaja Ranjit Singh (1799–1839), who unified the Punjab misls (confederacies) and built a powerful, modernised state with capital at Lahore, controlling the Koh-i-Noor diamond, before its eventual annexation by the British after the Anglo-Sikh Wars (1845–49).
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