ABSTRACT
T he Sikhs, who are to be found chiefly in the Punjab, have a romantic history of their own which has been told in story and song. They form a com munity based on religion which traces back its origin to Guru Nanak, who was born in the Punjab in a.d. 1469. He was a devotee of the Bhakti school of religious devotion and also a social reformer. His followers were given the name of “ Sikh,” which means “ disciple.” During the persecutions of this new religion by the Moghul Emperors at Delhi, the community was welded together and grew in strength and also in political importance. This came to a head in the martyrdom at Delhi of the ninth Guru, Tegh Bahadur, and the organizing ability of his son, Guru Govind Singh, who transformed the Sikhs into a militant body called the “ Khalsa.” He gave to every member the name Singh, which means Lion, and constituted sacraments which bound the re ligious members in one brotherhood. The body of scriptures called the Granth Sahib was completed and a central shrine was built at Amritsar, which was named the Golden Temple. The city of Am ritsar thenceforward became the centre of the new faith.
