UPSC Notes / Medieval Indian History / Chapter 18
Chapter 18 of 24

Sikh Movement and Sikh Empire

From Guru Nanak's teachings through the ten Sikh Gurus to Maharaja Ranjit Singh's powerful Punjab kingdom.

📖 ~14 min read 🕌 Medieval Indian History

Introduction

Beginning as a Nirguna Bhakti-inspired spiritual movement under Guru Nanak, Sikhism evolved over two centuries — through ten successive Gurus — into a distinct religious and, eventually, political-military community, culminating in Maharaja Ranjit Singh's powerful Sikh Empire in Punjab.

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Image space — add illustration here
Suggested: The Golden Temple (Harmandir Sahib), Amritsar
Suggested visual: Golden Temple, Amritsar — the spiritual centre of Sikhism

The Ten Sikh Gurus

GuruKey Contribution
Guru Nanak (1st)Founder of Sikhism; taught one formless God, equality, and rejection of caste and ritualism
Guru Angad (2nd)Developed the Gurmukhi script
Guru Amar Das (3rd)Institutionalised the langar (community kitchen) system
Guru Ram Das (4th)Founded the city of Amritsar
Guru Arjan Dev (5th)Compiled the Adi Granth (precursor to the Guru Granth Sahib); built the Harmandir Sahib (Golden Temple); executed by Mughal emperor Jahangir — first Sikh martyrdom
Guru Hargobind (6th)Introduced the concept of "Miri-Piri" (temporal and spiritual authority combined); began militarisation of the Sikh community in response to Mughal persecution
Guru Har Rai & Guru Har Krishan (7th & 8th)Continued community leadership through a turbulent period
Guru Tegh Bahadur (9th)Executed by Aurangzeb for defending the religious freedom of Kashmiri Hindus (Pandits) who sought his protection — a landmark act of principled sacrifice
Guru Gobind Singh (10th)Founded the Khalsa Panth (1699); declared the Guru Granth Sahib as the eternal, final Guru after his death, ending the line of human Gurus

Khalsa Panth (1699 CE)

Flowchart — Founding of the Khalsa
Guru Gobind Singh establishes the Khalsa at Anandpur Sahib (Baisakhi, 1699)
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Baptism (Amrit Sanchar) ceremony for the "Panj Pyare" (Five Beloved Ones)
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Adoption of the Five Ks (Kesh, Kangha, Kara, Kachera, Kirpan) as visible markers of Sikh identity; surname "Singh" (lion) for men and "Kaur" (princess) for women

Maharaja Ranjit Singh and the Sikh Empire (1799-1839 CE)

  • Unified various Sikh misls (confederacies/warrior bands) into a single, powerful kingdom centred on Lahore.
  • Built a modernised, disciplined army trained partly by European (French/Italian) mercenary officers.
  • Maintained control over Punjab, parts of Kashmir, and the northwest frontier — one of the few Indian powers to successfully resist British expansion during his lifetime.
  • The famous Kohinoor diamond was in his possession before later passing to the British after Punjab's annexation.

After Ranjit Singh's death (1839), internal succession conflicts weakened the kingdom, leading to the two Anglo-Sikh Wars (1845-49) and the eventual British annexation of Punjab (1849) — the last major independent Indian kingdom to fall to British expansion (covered further in the Modern History chapters).

✅ UPSC Focus: Ten Gurus and their key individual contributions · Guru Arjan Dev vs Guru Tegh Bahadur — reasons for their respective martyrdoms · Khalsa Panth's founding (1699) and the Five Ks · Ranjit Singh's kingdom and its eventual fall to the British.

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