The rise of Sikhism as a religious to political identity

In the 15th and 16th century a series of reformist movements revitalized the Indian religious belief systems. In the midst of these movements, a new order of Sikhism was born in the Punjab. The founder of this newly emerging sect was Guru Nanak who named his followers as Sikhs, which literally means the learner or disciple. In course of time as the new cult spread, the name Sikh became the descriptive title of the people a designation not ethnic, but religious. Guru Nanak’s religious movement was peaceful, non-sectarian and motivated towards reconciliation with secular life.

Guru Nanak was succeeded by a long line of Nine Gurus, who in a period of about 200 years, not only organised and strengthened the Sikh brotherhood, but built it up as a powerful fighting force to face the challenges of the Mughal emperors and their governors. Thus,

(i) Guru Angud developed the script Gurumukhi,

(ii) Guru Ram Das laid the foundations of Amritsar temple,

(iii) Guru Aijun Dev compiled the Adi Granth,

(iv) Guru Har Govind trained the Sikhs in military art and warfare tactics,

(v) Guru Govind Singh organised the Sikhs into a well organised fighting force with Khalsa as its organisational focus.

After Guru Govind Singh’s death the institution of Guruship ended and the leadership of the Sikh brotherhood passed to his trusted disciple Banda Bairagi, Popularly known as Banda Bahadur. He carried a vigorous struggle against the Mughal forces for nearly eight years. In 1715 he was captured and executed. After Banda’s execution for more than a decade the Mughal authorities tried to the rebellious Sikhs under control. But this attempt was not successful.

A number of factors helped the Sikhs to organise and establish themselves as the most powerful political force in the Punjab. These were:

i) The weakening of the Mughal imperial authority since the early decades of the 18th century,

ii) The invasions of Nadir Shah and Ahmad Shah Abdali,

iii) The Maratha incursion,

iv) Lack of cohesion and coordination in the provincial administration, and

v) The defiance of imperial authority by various local chiefs and Zamindars. All these created a very fluid situation in the Punjab in the 18th century and from this the Sikhs emerged as the most powerful. The death of Ahmad Shah Abdali sounded the death knell of the Afghan hegemony in Northern India. With the collapse of the Afghan power, the Sikh confederacies assumed a predominant role in the Punjab and succeeded in carving out independent principalities under their respective chiefs.

In the face of the repression by the Mughal authorities the Sikhs organised themselves into numerous small and highly mobile bands called Jathas, each commanded by a Jathedar. Realising the need for a united course of action the jathedars tried to form a confederation and they met in a group on the occasion of the Baisakhi and Diwali festivals.

Although these could not be organised regularly, these promoted solidarity among the various groups. The defeat of the Mughals and the Marathas by the Afghans was an added advantage for the Sikhs to consolidate their base in the Punjab. So the period from 1765 onwards showed a steady development of Sikh political power this culminated in the establishment of an autonomous state in the early 19 th century. In the second half of the 18th century the numerous small Sikh groups had regrouped themselves into 12 larger regional confederacies or Misls under the leadership of various local chiefs. Thus,

i) The Bhangis had control over territories between Jhelum and the Indus and on Lahore and Amritsar.

ii) The Ramgarhias had command over the Jalandhar Doab.

iii) The Kanhayas had control over the Raikri tract.

iv) The Singhpurias had control over the regions east and west of the river Sutlej.

v) The Ahluwalias had command over Raikot and Kapurthala.

vi) The Sukerchakias had control over Gujranwals and Wazirabad.

vii) The Phulkias controlled Malwa and Sirhind.

These Misls were based originally on the principle of equality, wherein each member had an equal say in deciding the affairs of the respective Misls and electing the Chief and other officers of the organisation. The unity and the democratic character that the Misls had at the initial stage gradually with the removal of the threat of the Afghan invasion. In course of time this democratic character ended with the emergence of powerful chiefs, their mutual bickering and internecine warfare.

This internal conflict sapped the vitality of the Misls. Ultimately Ranjit Singh, the leader of the Sukerchakia Misl, emerged as the most powerful among other chiefs and by force of arms he brought unity among the Sikhs.