GS Catalyst by ARUN KUMAR AIR 5 SSC CGL 2023

Sikh Movement
 Founder of Sikh Reliogn- Guru Nanak
 Guru Nanak got his enlightenment in Sultanpur in 1496. After enlightenment, he travelled extensively to spread
the message of love and brotherhood.
 Sikhism was est. by 10 ten gurus over period of 1469 to 1708

Guru Nanak (c.1469–1539 CE)

 Founder of the Sikh faith, was born in Talwandi (near Lahore in Pakistan), now known as Nankana Sahib in
Pakistan and belonged to Bedi gotra in 1469.
 He was one of the greatest saints of the Bhakti movement.
 Guru Nanak (1469–1539) was the first Guru.
 He introduced the concept of Langar (a community kitchen)
 There are 947 hymns from Guru Nanak Dev included in the Guru Granth Sahib (Sikh Holy Book)

Guru Angad (c.1539–1552 CE)

 His real name was Bhai Lehna.
 Compiled the Biography of Guru Nanak Dev, Known as Janam Sakhi
 He introudued the Gurumukhi script of the Punjabi language.
 There are 63 hymns from Guru Angad Dev included in the Guru Granth Sahib
 He popularised and expanded the institution of Guru Ka Langar.

Guru Amardas (c.1552–74 CE)

 Divided his spiritual empire into 22 parts called Manjis, each under a Sikh and also Piri system.
 Strengthened the Langar community kitchen system.
 Preached against the Hindu society’s sati system (the act of burning alive of a wife at the pyre of her deceased
husband), advocated widow-remarriage, and asked the women to discard the purdah (veil worn by women).
 Asked Akbar to remove the toll-tax (pilgrim’s tax) for non-Muslims while crossing Yamuna and Ganges rivers.

Guru Ramdas (c.1574–81 CE)

 Guru Ramdas founded Chak Ramdas or Ramdas Pur, now called Amritsar in 1574
 Had very cordial relations with Akbar. Akbar granted him a plot of land where the Harmandir Sahib was later
constructed. Interestingly, the first brick of Harmandir Sahib was laid down by Hazi Mian Mir (a Muslim).
 Composed the four Lawans (stanzas) of the Anand Karaj, a distinct marriage code for Sikhs separate from the
orthodox and traditional Hindu Vedic system.

Guru Arjun Dev (c.1581–1606 CE)

 Built the Golden Temple (Harmandir Sahib)
 Compiled - Guru Granth Sahib, and installed it at Sri Harmandir Sahib.
 Started the practice of daswandh (tithe)-contributing 1/10th of one’s earning for community purpose
 Executed by Jahangir for helping his rebellious son Khusrau, and was thus hailed as the first martyr of the Sikh
religion, and as Shaheedan-de-Sartaj (The crown of martyrs).

Guru Har Govind (c.1606–1644 CE)

 Longest tenure as Guru.
 He transformed Sikhs into a militant community, established the Akal Takht, and fortified Amritsar.
 Waged wars against rulers Jahangir and Shah Jahan, and defeated a Mughal army at Sangrama.
 Took the title of Sachcha Padshah.
 He was the proprietor of the concept of keeping two knives- 1. Miri (secular power) & 2. piri (spiritual power)

Guru Har Rai (c.1644–1661 CE)

 Gave shelter to Dara Shikoh and was persecuted by Aurangzeb

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 GS Catalyst by ARUN KUMAR AIR 5 SSC CGL 2023
Guru Har Kishan (c.1661–1664 CE)
 Became guru at the age of 5 (He was sometimes called the Child Guru)
 Was forcibly summoned to Delhi, the imperial capital of Aurangzeb, under framed charges.
 According to tradition, he died at a young age of 8 years due to smallpox, which he contracted while healing the
sick people during an epidemic.

Guru Tegh Bahadur (c.1665–1675 CE)

 Revolted against Aurangzeb, but was executed by him and was beheaded before the public in Delhi’s Chandni
Chowk in 1675 CE. The Sis Ganj Sahib Gurudwara stands at the site of his martyrdom today.
 He appointed Banda Bahadur as the military leader of the Sikhs.
 Credited with spread Sikhism to Bihar and Assam.
 He referred to himself as “Sachcha Badshah.”

Guru Gobind Singh (c.1675–1708 CE)

 Last Sikh Guru in human form, which passed the Guruship of the Sikhs to the Guru Granth Sahib.
 Was born in Patna and organised the Sikhs as community at warriors and called them Khalsa in c.1699 CE.
 Baptized the Sikhs and created the Khalsa (Pure)- Khalsa- consist of Sikhs who have been baptized and who
dedicate themselves to living by the high standards of the Sikh Gurus at all times
 Insturcted to keep the five K’s – Kesh (uncut hair), Kangha (a wooden comb), Kara (an iron bracelet), Kachera
(cotton underwear), and Kirpan (an iron knife).
 He selected five persons known as the Panj piyare (the five beloved), and requested them to administer the pahul
(amrit chakhha) to him.
 Compiled the supplementary granth of Deswan Padshan Ka Granth.
 He Instructed the Sikhs to follow the Granth Sahib as the Guru after him
 All four sons of Guru Gobind Singh were martyred by the Mughals- Veer BAL Diwas, or "Hero Children's
Day", is a national holiday in India that honors the martyrdom of the younger sons of Guru Gobind Singh Ji. It
is celebrated on December 26th every year
 Instructed Sikh Males to use the last name –Singh (lion) and Sikh Females to use the last name Kaur (Princess)
 Wrote his autobiography- Bichitra Natak
 Was killed by a Pathan-Gul khan in 1708

11th Sikh Guru

 The Sikh holy book is considered the 11th Sikh Guru and eternal.
 Compiled by Guru Arjun Dev
 It consist of 5867 hymns in 1430 pages

Baba Banda Singh Bahadur

 Baba Banda Singh Bahadur was a great Sikh warrior.
 He was a commander of the Khalsa army who defeated the Mughals and liberated a large part of North India
from the oppressive Mughal rule and established the Khalsa rule in Punjab.
 He abolished the Zamindari system and granted property rights to the tillers of the land.
 He introduced the Nanak Shahi coins.
He was captured by Mughal ruler Farrukhsiyar and his martyrdom took place in Mehrauli in 1715
Takhts
 The worship places of Sikhs are known as the Takhts which literally means ‘the seat of the divine power’.
 There are only five Takhts- are places where various social and political settlements were done by the Gurus.
The Five Takhts Description
Akal Takht Sahib It is founded by Guru Hargobind Singh.
Takht Sri Keshgarh Sahib It is a place where Khalsa Panth originated.
Takht Sri Damdama Sahib It is a place where the complete version of Guru Granth Sahib was written by Guru
Gobind Singh.
Takht Sri Hazur Sahib It is a place where Guru Gobind Singh last breathed. It is located on the bank of
River Godavari in the ‘Sanctified City’ of Nanded in Maharashtra.
Takht Sri Patna Sahib It is situated on the banks of the River Ganga.
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 GS Catalyst by ARUN KUMAR AIR 5 SSC CGL 2023
Gurdwaras
 Gurudwara stands for ‘the doorway to the master’.
 Two popular Gurudwaras in India are:
1. Golden Temple in Amritsar, Punjab
 It is called the Golden Temple owing to the gilded dome that adorns the crown of the Gurudwara.
 It is the most sacred for the Sikhs.
 The town was founded by Guru Ram Dass, the fourth Sikhs Guru in 1577 on the land gifted by Akbar.
 The fifth Guru Arjun Dev completed the temple.
 When Maharaja Ranjit Singh covered the upper half of the temple, first with copper and then with pure gold
leaf, it came to be known as the Swarna Mandir.
2. Bangla Sahib in Delhi- It is one of the most impressive and fascinating edifices in India and is intricately linked
with the history of Sikhism.
 The other Sikh shrines in India include:
1. Gurudwara Paonta Sahib, Himachal Pradesh
2. Gurudwara Rakab Ganj Sahib, New Delhi
3. Gurudwara Sis Ganj Sahib, Delhi
4. Hemkund Sahib, Uttarakhand
 Sikh Festivals- Hola Mohalla, Vaisakhi, Guru Nanak Jayanti ('Gurupurab), Maghi, Bandi Chhor Divas, Teeyan

Sikh Empire
 Maharaja Ranjit Singh established the Sikh Empire (1801–1849) by uniting several separate Sikh misls
(sovereign states of the Sikh Confederacy) into a single political force.
 Maharaja Ranjit Singh was part of the Sukkarchakkia misl
 The empire stretched from Khyber Pass in west to Kashmir in north, Sindh in south, & Tibet in east.
Maharaja Ranjit Singh (1780-1839)
 He earned title Sher-e-Punjab (Lion of Punjab) after liberating his capital city of Lahore from Afghan invaders.
 He covered Harimandir Sahib in Amritsar in gold, transforming it into the Golden Temple.
 Ranjit Singh was declared the 'Maharaja of Punjab' on 12 April 1801 (at the age of 21), Father - Maha Singh
 Ranjit Singh was acknowledged as the sole sovereign ruler of Punjab by the English through the Treaty of
Amritsar in 1809
 Capital was Lahore
 Died in 1839, Kharak Singh son of Ranjit Singh succeeded him in 1839
 Title of Raja to Ranjit Singh was given by Zaman Shah (Afgan ruler)
 Ranjit Singh was also known as Sher-e-Punjab or the "Lion of Punjab

Anglo Sikh Wars

 Anglo-Sikh wars began after the death of Ranjit Singh in 1839
First Anglo-Sikh War (1845-46)
 The Sikhs were defeated in Five battles were fought in the First Anglo-Sikh War
 Treaty of Lahore ended the war
Second Anglo-Sikh War (1848-49)
 Dalhousie annexed Punjab- This war led to the complete control of Punjab by the British
 The Koh-i-Noor diamond was surrendered to the British crown after the Second Anglo-Sikh War
 Sir John Lawrence became the first Chief Commissioner of the Punjab