Sikh History

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Sikhism is a distinct religion that originated in India in 1469 with the birth of Guru Nanak Dev Ji. Guru Gobind Singh Ji created the Khalsa in 1699. In these 537 years, Sikhs have endured through many tough times.
The major time periods in Sikh History are:

Guru's Period

The first Sikh prophet, Guru Nanak Dev Ji was born in 1469 and the 10th and last Sikh prophet, Guru Gobind Singh Ji went to his heavenly abode in 1708. This time period lasted for more than 239 long years. The Sikh religion progressed very well during this time, under the Guru's proper guidance. While Guru Nanak Dev Ji started the Sikh religion by preaching against the caste system, animal sacrifice, and fasting, Guru Gobind Singh Ji completed its form by requiring all Sikhs to get baptized. Many Sikhs, who were very close to Guru Sahib, wrote Rehatnamas based on his teachings, which are called the Sikh code of conduct. All the Gurus preached for service to humanity, sharing with the needy, and praising God. Guru Angad Dev Ji, the 2nd Guru, developed the Gurmukhi script of the Punjabi language. Guru Amar Das Ji, the 3rd Guru, wrote the hymns, which are sung at the death ceremony. Guru Ram Das Ji, the 4th Guru, wrote the hymns which are sung at the time of marriage. Guru Arjan Dev Ji, the 5th Guru, compiled all the hymns of first four Gurus and himself into Adi Granth. Guru Gobind Singh Ji added the 9th Guru's hymns into the Adi Granth and completed Guru Granth Sahib. In 1708, he asked Sikhs to follow Guru Granth Sahib and declared that Guru Granth Sahib will be eternal Guru of the Sikhs in the future. So by the time Guru Gobind Singh Ji went to his heavenly abode, the Sikhs had their own language, own holy Guru Granth Sahib Ji, own religious places, own baptism ceremony, own code of conduct, own marriage, and own death ceremony. The Sikh religion is completely independent from all other religions.

Religious Persecution Era

The religious persecution of the Sikhs started around 1716. They were outlawed by the Government. No laws protected their lands or property. They were attacked and murdered and their houses were looted. Thousands of Sikhs lost their lives like this. The remaining Sikhs retreated into the forests. They survived on vegetables, fruits and even the roots of the trees. But they didn't feel discouraged. They firmly believed in Guru Gobind Singh Ji's prophecy that the Sikhs would rule the country one day. Some time they will come out of the forests to attack the government forces. The Government was getting more frustrated with them. Therefore the Government decided to deal with them once and for all. A proclamation was made that the Sikhs should be wiped out from the face of earth. It was declared that financial sums would be given to the people who will kill the Sikhs and will bring their heads as a proof to the capital. This practice went on for many years. Everyday money was given to the people who brought the heads of the Sikhs. Sikh women and children were arrested and brought to Lahore, the capital. There all children were killed and their body parts were put into their mother’s laps.

Sikh Kingdom Era

As mentioned in the previous section, the Sikhs became strong enough to rule the area of Punjab by 1760s. They even conquered the capital of Lahore in the 1770s. However, they were divided into 12 different groups under the local leaders. They were all independent of each other as there was no main leader.

Maharaja Ranjeet Singh filled that whole. He was born in 1780 and he conquered Lahore in 1799, at the age of 19. He gained more and more territory every year he ruled Punjab for 40 years. He had a vast empire by the time he died in 1839 at the age of 59. His kingdom was so vast that he had to divide his kingdom into 4 different states, and he appointed Governors for those states. He won territory in far away places. In fact, the present day boundaries between Pakistan and Afghanistan and also between Northern India and China were defined his kingdom. He was so strong that invaders from Afghanistan stopped attacking India very year. On the east, the Tibet Government, or present day China, signed a peace treaty with him. In the South, the British also signed a peace treaty with him, which defined his kingdom's boundaries.

He was a very kind and fair ruler and he never gave the capital punishment to anybody during his 40-year rule. He would go to common people in the evening and at night in disguise to find out their problems and their feelings about his kingdom. He would change his policies based on the true feedback from the people. The British were very impressed with his personality. He also had many European Generals, especially French, in his army. Even the Russian Government sent their ministers to his kingdom.

Colonial Era

The sons and advisers of Maharaja Ranjeet Singh started fighting among themselves after his death and many of them were killed. The British bought the Generals of the Army and then attacked the Sikh kingdom. So the Sikh kingdom era ended in 1849, and the British annexed Punjab with the rest of India, where they were already ruling.

The British knew that Sikhs are great warriors so they rewarded the Sikhs with jobs in their army and won over them. The Sikhs proved to very beneficial to the British in many wars that they fought in. The British also gave lands to the Sikhs who retired from the Army. This induced more Sikhs into the army. By the time British left India and the country became independent, Sikhs constituted about 80 percent of the Army.

The British sent Sikhs to many battles far and near. The Sikhs fought for the British in the two world wars at places like Germany, Belgium, Italy, North Africa, Iraq, Burma, Singapore and China. 83,000 Sikh soldiers died and 146,000 were wounded while fighting in the 2 world wars. Some Sikhs were decorated with the "Victoria Cross Medal" -- the highest wartime medal. Sikh soldiers were also part of the victory parade in London after the second world war.

Punjab made a lot of progress during the colonial era. Many cities were connected by railroads and by paved roads. Schools were opened in all the towns, where English was also taught, which helped Sikhs when they started immigrating to western countries. The big cities had colleges also. The British generally tried not to interfere in the Sikhs' religious affairs.

The Indians' struggle for independence started in the 1920s and continued till 1947, when the British left India. The Sikhs were at the forefront of the independence struggle also. The British tried many freedom fighters, and hanged hundreds of them. They sent thousands to lifetime imprisonments at a prison on an island thousands of miles in the ocean. The vast majority of them (80 to 90 percent) were Sikhs.

Ultimately, the British left India in 1947. But they divided the country into two parts before leaving. The Muslim majority area became Pakistan and the Sikh and Hindu majority area became India. Punjab also got divided. The West portion was included in Pakistan and the east portion became part of India. Religious riots broke out immediately and there was a mass migration of the population. About one million people lost their lives in the next two months. Millions more were displaced and were left without homes.

Sikh Immigrants

Sikhs started immigrating to the United States in 1897. Some Sikhs came straight from India, while others came from the far east, where they had immigrated decades ago. There were thousands of Sikhs living in California and the other western states by the end of the first decade of the 20th century. But the vast majority of them were singles because they couldn't bring their families due to the strict immigration laws. They couldn't buy property and land due to the immigration laws either. So the majority of them either returned to India after a few years, or married women of Mexican ancestry. Early Sikhs mainly worked on agricultural or railroad construction jobs. Some of them worked in mines and lumber mills also. They built their first US Gurdwara in Stockton, California in 1912, which is still in operation today.
Immigration of the Sikhs almost stopped after 1915 due to the strict immigration laws. The population of the Sikhs dwindled. There were only few hundred Sikhs living in California at the end of second world war. When the immigration laws changed in 1965, a new wave of Sikhs started coming. Most of them were educated and they got jobs in almost every profession. Wherever they settled, they also built Gurdwaras. There are hundreds of Gurdwaras in the United States today. Some of them joined the US Army and proudly served. The Police forces in New York, Los Angeles, and the California National Guard have turbaned Sikh police officers. Since pioneer Sikhs got jobs in agriculture, they settled in California's central valley. Due to that, 10% of Yuba City's population is Sikh. Sikhs get together on the first Sunday of every November to celebrate the anniversary of the first installation of Guru Granth Sahib Ji. There are an estimated 40 to 50 thousand Sikhs in the parade, which gives a big boost to Yuba City's economy.

Present Era

Sikhs are thriving in India in the post-independence period. Sikhs can be seen in all the high posts in every aspect of the country. The present Prime Minister of India, Man Mohan Singh, is a Sikh. Gen. J.J. Singh, the Indian Army Chief, is also a Sikh. The Sikhs have served in very high posts of the Government and the private industry as well. 60% of the population in Punjab is Sikh, and Punjab is the most prosperous state in India. Sikhs have started immigrating to Western countries in the post-independence period. They generally have migrated to the US, Canada, UK, and Australia. One million Sikhs live in North America. 2% of Canada's population is Sikh, as well as 10 of its Parliament members. Canada's ex-health Minister and ex-premier of British Colombia are also Sikhs. In America, Sikh Americans continue to contribute to all facets of the US economy. The first Asian American Congressman was a Sikh. The “father of Fiber Optics”, the chief marketing officer of Palm Inc, and America’s largest peach grower are all Sikhs. The largest Federal Court security contractor for the US Marshals service is Sikh owned. Sikhs are seen in most of the professions in America today.