Sikhs
a religious sect in Hindustan, which worships one only and invisible God. Its founder was Nanak Shah, born in 1469 in the province of Lahore. He labored to lead the people to a practical religion, to a pure worship of God and love to mankind. He died about 1540. Of his successors, Arjun-mal gave stability and unity to the religion by publishing Nanak's writings in the Adi-Granth, the first sacred book of the Sikhs. The Sikhs had now rejected the authority of the Koran and the Vedas, and thus aroused the enmity both of the Mohammedans and Brahmans. Arjun-mal was thrown into prison, where he died. His son and successor, Har Govind, transformed the Sikhs from peaceful believers into valiant warriors, and under his reign began the bloody contest with the Mohammedans.
The real founder of the Sikh state was Govind Sinh or Singh, the 10th ruler from Nanak. He abolished the system of castes and gave all men e equal rights. His followers, owing to their valor in the protracted contest with the Mohammedans, received the title of Sinhs or lions. Govind Sinh wrote the Dasema Padshah ke Granth, or book of the 10th prince, which, besides treating of religious subjects, contained the history of the author's exploits. The Sikhs hold it in equal veneration with the Adi-Granth. Govind Sinh died in 1708, and the Sikhs gradually yielded to the superior power of the Mohammedans.
A small number of the Sikhs escaped to inaccessible mountains, and preserved the SIKKIM doctrines of their fathers and an inextinguishable hatred toward the Mohammedans. After Nadir Shah's return to Persia they left the mountains and subdued all Lahore. The Sikhs then broke up into a number of independent communities, each governed by a sirdar; but in 1792 Runjeet Singh established himself as despotic ruler of the Sikhs, with the title of Maharajah. After Runjeet Singh's death in 1839 a period of anarchy followed. In 1845 (first sikh war) the sikhs were defeated by by Sir Hugh Gough at Ferozeshah and again in January and February of 1846, by Gough and Sir H. Smith. A treaty was signed by which Great Britain held the city of Lahore, and a British resident took supervision of the government. In 1848 a general revolt broke out, and it was evident that the Sikhs had resolved on a decisive struggle, being assisted by the Afghans. In this the second Sikh war, Lord Gough advanced with an army against them, but received a severe check at Chillianwalla, Jan. 13, 1849.
Both armies were then reinforced, and on Feb. 21, at Gujerat, the power of the Sikhs was completely broken. The Sikh dominion was proclaimed at an end, and the Punjab was annexed to the British Empire in India, the Maharajah Dhulip Singh receiving an annuity of $245,000.
The bulk of the Sikhs are of Jât origin and number over 3,000,000. During the mutiny the Sikhs displayed the utmost loyalty to the British. Bodies of Sikhs did efficient service in France, and in other military areas during the World War.