Punjab was one of the regional states that arose following the decline of the Mughal Empire. By the end of the 18th century, Maharaja Ranjit Singh had brought the misls together and established a powerful state. In this article, we will discuss The Sikhs - Regional States of North and South India which will be helpful for UPSC exam preparation.

The Sikhs - Background

• The Sikhs' formation as a political community in the seventeenth century aided regional state-building in the Punjab.
• Guru Gobind Singh fought several battles against Rajput and Mughal rulers both before and after the establishment of the Khalsa in 1699.
• Following his death in 1708, the Khalsa rose in revolt against Mughal authority, declaring sovereign rule by striking coins in the names of Guru Nanak and Guru Gobind Singh, and establishing their own administration between the Sutlej and the Jamuna.
• Banda Bahadur was apprehended in 1715 and executed the following year.
• The Sikhs organised themselves into a number of bands called jathas, and later misls, under a number of capable leaders in the eighteenth century. The grand army was the name given to their combined forces (dal khalsa).
• During Baisakhi and Diwali, the entire body would gather in Amritsar to make collective decisions known as "resolutions of the Guru (gurmatas)."
• Rakhi, a system that offers protection to cultivators in exchange for a 20% tax on the produce, was introduced.
• Guru Gobind Singh instilled in the Khalsa the belief that it was their destiny to rule (raj karega khalsa).
• Their tight-knit organisation allowed them to successfully resist Mughal governors and then Ahmad Shah Abdali, who had seized the rich province of Punjab and the Sarkar of Sirhind from the Mughals.
• In 1765, the Khalsa declared their sovereignty by minting their own coin. This coin bore the same inscription as the orders issued by the Khalsa during the reign of Banda Bahadur.
• Sikh territories stretched from the Indus to the Jamuna in the late eighteenth century, but they were divided under different rulers.
• In 1799, one of them, Maharaja Ranjit Singh, reunited these factions and established his capital in Lahore.

Mughal Rule of Punjab

• The Sikh religion emerged around the time of Babur, the founder of the Mughal Empire, conqueror of the Northern Indian subcontinent.
• His conquering grandson, Mughal Emperor Akbar, supported religious freedom and had a favourable impression of Sikhism after visiting Guru Amar Das' langar.
• He donated land to the langar as a result of his visit, and the Mughals had no conflict with Sikh gurus until his death in 1605.
• However, his successor, Jahangir, saw the Sikhs as a political threat. He directed Guru Arjun Dev, who had been arrested for supporting the rebellious Khusrau Mirza, to change the passage in the Adi Granth about Islam.
• When the Guru refused, Jahangir sentenced him to death by torture. Guru Arjan Dev's martyrdom prompted the sixth Guru, Guru Hargobind, to declare Sikh sovereignty through the construction of the Akal Takht and the construction of a fort to defend Amritsar.
• Jahangir tried to assert his authority over the Sikhs by imprisoning Guru Hargobind at Gwalior, but released him after a few years when he no longer felt threatened.
• The Sikh community had no further issues with the Mughal empire until Jahangir's death in 1627.
• The succeeding son of Jahangir, Shah Jahan, took offence at Guru Hargobind's "sovereignty" and forced the Sikhs to retreat to the Sivalik Hills after a series of assaults on Amritsar.
• The next guru, Guru Har Rai, kept the guruship in these hills by defeating local attempts to seize Sikh land and playing a neutral role in the power struggle for control of the Mughal Empire between two of Shah Jahan's sons, Aurangzeb and Dara Shikoh.
• In defiance of Aurangzeb, who attempted to install Ram Rai as new guru, the ninth Guru, Guru Tegh Bahadur, relocated the Sikh community to Anandpur and travelled extensively to visit and preach.
• Aurangzeb arrested Guru Tegh Bahadur for assisting Kashmiri Pandits in avoiding conversion to Islam.
• When given the option of converting to Islam or dying, he chose death rather than compromise his principles and was executed.

The Sikhs - Rise of Political and Military Force

• Guru Nanak founded the Sikh religion, which spread among the Jat peasantry and other lower castes of Punjab at the end of the 15th century.
• Guru Hargobind initiated the transformation of the Sikhs into a militant, fighting community.
• However, it was under the leadership of Guru Gobind Singh, the tenth and final Guru of the Sikhs, that they rose to prominence as a political and military force.
• Aurangzeb was not initially hostile to the Sikhs, but as the community grew in size and challenged the Mughals' central authority, the emperor turned against them.
• Religious intolerance fostered during Aurangzeb's reign which sparked opposition from Sikhs.
• Following Guru Gobind Singh's death, Banda Bahadur rallied the Punjab's peasants and lower castes in a valiant but unequal struggle against the Mughal army.
• However, he failed because the Mughal centre remained strong, and the upper classes and castes of Punjab banded together to oppose Banda Bahadur's support for the lower castes and rural poor.

Banda Singh Bahadur

• Banda Singh Bahadur's rebellion began with the defeat of Mughal armies at Samana and Sadhaura, and it ended with the defeat of Sirhind.
• During the rebellion, Banda Singh Bahadur made a point of destroying the cities where Mughals had been cruel to Guru Gobind Singh supporters.
• In retaliation for the deaths of Guru Gobind Singh's sons and Pir Budhu Shah following the Sikh victory at Sirhind, he executed Wazir Khan.
• He ruled over the territory between the Sutlej and Yamuna rivers, established a capital in the Himalayas at Lohgarh, and issued coins bearing the names of Guru Nanak and Guru Gobind Singh.
• His army was defeated by the Mughals in 1716 while defending his fort at Gurdas Nangal.
• He and 700 of his men were apprehended and taken to Delhi, where they were tortured and executed for refusing to convert to Islam.

The Sikhs - Ranjit Singh

• The invasion of Nadir Shah and Ahmad Shah Abdali, and the subsequent dislocation of Punjab administration, provided an opportunity for the Sikhs to rise once more.
• They began to fill the political void left by Abdali's departure from Punjab. Between 1765 and 1800, they seized control of Punjab and Jammu.
• However, power in the Sikh polity became more horizontally structured at this point, as misls, or kinship combinations, now held territories as units.
• Throughout this period, political authority in Punjab remained decentralised and horizontally dispersed until Ranjit Singh, the chief of the Sukerchakia misl, attempted to establish a more centralised Sikh state at the end of the eighteenth century.
• The English acknowledged him as the sole sovereign ruler of Punjab in the Treaty of Amritsar in 1809.
• His authority was recognised in territories between the Sutlej River and the mountain ranges of Ladakh, Karakoram, Hindukush, and Sulaiman at the time of his death.
• Ranjit Singh also maintained a careful balance at the central level of durbar politics between the powerful Sikh chiefs on the one hand and newly recruited military commanders from among the peasants of central Punjab and non-Punjabi nobles such as Dogra Rajputs from Jammu on the other.
• This delicate balancing act worked well until Ranjit Singh died in 1839.
• Within a decade of his death, independent Sikh rule in Punjab vanished, as a struggle for power among the mighty Sikh chiefs and royal family feuds aided the English in easily taking over.

First Anglo Sikh War

• During Dalip Singh's reign, the English invaded Punjab, occupied Lahore, and imposed the Treaty of Lahore on March 9, 1846 AD.
• Due to the failure to pay the war indemnity, Lahore Durbar was transferred to the Company.
• The company then gave Kashmir to Gulab Singh, who played an important role in the negotiations.

Second Anglo Sikh War

• The terms of the negotiations and treaty did not improve the situation in Punjab, which resulted in the establishment of the Second Anglo-Sikh war.
• Lord Dalhousie annexed Punjab to the company after the war. Lawrence was the first Punjab Commissioner.

Conclusion

The disintegration of the Mughal Empire in the 18th century was celebrated by ambitious nobles as well as a preoccupied raja and regional leader who desired to form their own kingdom. Punjab was one of the regions that rose after the fall of the Mughal Empire.

FAQs

MCQs

1. Who was the first Guru of Sikhism?

A) Guru Nanak Dev Ji
B) Guru Gobind Singh Ji
C) Guru Arjan Dev Ji
D) Guru Tegh Bahadur Ji

2. What was the major aim of the Khalsa?

A) To fight the British
B) To unite Sikhs under one faith
C) To promote trade and agriculture
D) To protect Sikh religious sites

3. Under whose leadership did the Sikhs emerge as a military power?

A) Guru Nanak Dev Ji
B) Guru Gobind Singh Ji
C) Guru Tegh Bahadur Ji
D) Maharaja Ranjit Singh

4. Who founded the Sikh Empire in the 19th century?

A) Guru Gobind Singh Ji
B) Maharaja Ranjit Singh
C) Guru Nanak Dev Ji
D) Banda Singh Bahadur

5. Which event marked the military and political unity of the Sikh community?

A) Formation of the Khalsa
B) Battle of Amritsar
C) Guru Nanak’s visit to Mecca
D) Conquest of Lahore by Ranjit Singh

GS Mains Questions and Model Answers

Q1: Discuss the role of the Sikh Gurus in the political and military resistance against Mughal imperialism in India.

Answer: The Sikh Gurus played a vital role in resisting Mughal imperialism. Guru Nanak, the first Guru, laid the foundation of Sikhism based on the principles of justice, equality, and devotion to one God. His successors, particularly Guru Arjan Dev and Guru Tegh Bahadur, faced persecution from the Mughal rulers. However, it was Guru Gobind Singh who militarized the Sikh community by creating the Khalsa in 1699, uniting Sikhs for armed resistance. The Khalsa fought against the Mughals and other regional powers, defending Sikhism and promoting the ideals of justice and freedom.

Q2: Analyze the political and administrative contributions of Maharaja Ranjit Singh to the Sikh Empire and his legacy in Indian history.

Answer: Maharaja Ranjit Singh's reign marked the zenith of the Sikh Empire. His administrative reforms included the creation of a centralized administration, a structured army, and the establishment of a strong judicial system. He is credited with modernizing the Sikh Empire and ensuring religious tolerance. Ranjit Singh's diplomatic strategies helped him maintain alliances with the British while defending his kingdom from external invasions. His legacy is remembered for the consolidation of Sikh power in Punjab and for creating an empire that was one of the major regional powers of 19th-century India.

Q3: Evaluate the impact of the creation of the Khalsa on Sikhism and its role in shaping Sikh identity.

Answer: The creation of the Khalsa in 1699 by Guru Gobind Singh was a landmark event in Sikh history. It militarized the Sikh community, providing them with a common identity and a code of conduct, including the wearing of the Five Ks (Kesh, Kara, Kanga, Kachera, Kirpan). This event not only fortified Sikhism as a religion but also helped to create a distinct Sikh identity that transcended caste and regional barriers. The Khalsa gave Sikhs a sense of unity and purpose, enabling them to resist religious and political oppression and to assert their rights as a community.

Previous Year Questions on Sikhs 

1. UPSC CSE Mains 2018 (General Studies Paper 1):

Q: Examine the role of the Sikh Gurus in the social and political landscape of 16th and 17th-century India.

Explanation: This question required an in-depth understanding of the social and political reforms initiated by the Sikh Gurus. It focused on the Gurus’ contribution to religious tolerance, social justice, and their efforts to resist Mughal tyranny. The Khalsa's military formation was an essential aspect of their resistance.

2. UPSC CSE Mains 2019 (General Studies Paper 1):

Q: Discuss the significance of the Sikh Empire in the context of Indian history. How did it impact the region during the 19th century?

Explanation: The Sikh Empire under Maharaja Ranjit Singh was a major regional power in the 19th century. The answer should explore Ranjit Singh’s political, military, and cultural achievements, his policies of secularism and modernity, and his strategic importance during the period leading up to British consolidation in India.