The Cherished Five in Sikh History

The Cherished Five in Sikh History PDF Author: Louis E. Fenech
Publisher: Oxford University Press
ISBN: 0197532861
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 313

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Book Description
On the 30th of March, 1699, the Sikh Guru Gobind Singh called together a special assembly at the Keshgarh Fort at Anandpur. Following the morning devotions, the Guru asked for a volunteer, saying, "The entire sangat is very dear to me; but is there a devoted Sikh who will give his head to me here and now? A need has arisen at this moment which calls for a head." One man arose and followed the Guru out of the room. When the Guru returned to the assembly with a bloodied sword, he asked for another volunteer. Another man followed. This was repeated three more times, until at last the Guru emerged with a clean sword and all five men alive and well. Those five volunteers would become the first disciples of the Khalsa, the martial community within the Sikh religion, and would come to be known as the Panj Piare, or the Cherished Five. Despite the centrality of this group to modern Sikhism, scholarship on the Panj Piare has remained sparse. Louis Fenech's new book examines the Khalsa and the role that the the Panj Piare have had in the development of the Sikh faith over the past three centuries.

The Cherished Five in Sikh History

The Cherished Five in Sikh History PDF Author: Louis E. Fenech
Publisher: Oxford University Press
ISBN: 0197532861
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 313

Get Book Here

Book Description
On the 30th of March, 1699, the Sikh Guru Gobind Singh called together a special assembly at the Keshgarh Fort at Anandpur. Following the morning devotions, the Guru asked for a volunteer, saying, "The entire sangat is very dear to me; but is there a devoted Sikh who will give his head to me here and now? A need has arisen at this moment which calls for a head." One man arose and followed the Guru out of the room. When the Guru returned to the assembly with a bloodied sword, he asked for another volunteer. Another man followed. This was repeated three more times, until at last the Guru emerged with a clean sword and all five men alive and well. Those five volunteers would become the first disciples of the Khalsa, the martial community within the Sikh religion, and would come to be known as the Panj Piare, or the Cherished Five. Despite the centrality of this group to modern Sikhism, scholarship on the Panj Piare has remained sparse. Louis Fenech's new book examines the Khalsa and the role that the the Panj Piare have had in the development of the Sikh faith over the past three centuries.

The Cherished Five in Sikh History

The Cherished Five in Sikh History PDF Author: Louis E. Fenech
Publisher:
ISBN: 0197532845
Category : Biography & Autobiography
Languages : en
Pages : 313

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Book Description
Despite the centrality of this group to modern Sikhism, scholarship on the Panj Piare has remained sparse. Louis Fenech's new book examines the Khalsa and the role that the Panj Piare have had in the development of the Sikh faith over the past three centuries.

The Sikh Zafar-namah of Guru Gobind Singh

The Sikh Zafar-namah of Guru Gobind Singh PDF Author: Louis E. Fenech
Publisher:
ISBN: 0199931453
Category : Biography & Autobiography
Languages : en
Pages : 332

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Book Description
Louis E. Fenech offers a compelling new examination of one of the only Persian compositions attributed to the tenth Sikh Guru, Guru Gobind Singh (1666-1708): the Zafar-namah or 'Epistle of Victory.' Written as a masnavi, a Persian poem, this letter was originally sent to the Mughal emperor Aurangzeb (d. 1707) rebuking his most unbecoming conduct. Incredibly, Guru Gobind Singh's letter is included today within the Sikh canon, one of only a very small handful of Persian-language texts granted the status of Sikh scripture. As such, its contents are sung on special Sikh occasions. Perhaps equally surprising is the fact that the letter appears in the tenth Guru's book or the Dasam Granth in the standard Gurmukhi script (in which Punjabi is written) but retains its original Persian language, a vernacular few Sikhs know. Drawing out the letter's direct and subtle references to the Iranian national epic, the Shah-namah, and to Shaikh Sa'di's thirteenth-century Bustan, Fenech demonstrates how this letter served as a form of Indo-Islamic verbal warfare, ensuring the tenth Guru's moral and symbolic victory over the legendary and powerful Mughal empire. Through analysis of the Zafar-namah, Fenech resurrects an essential and intiguing component of the Sikh tradition: its Islamicate aspect.

Sikhism

Sikhism PDF Author: Eleanor M. Nesbitt
Publisher: Oxford University Press
ISBN: 0198745575
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 177

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Book Description
An accessible introduction to the world's fifth largest religion, this work presents Sikhism's meanings and myths, and its practices, rituals, and festivals, also addressing ongoing social issues such as the relationship with the Indian state, the diaspora, and caste.

Founder of the Khalsa

Founder of the Khalsa PDF Author: Amardeep S. Dahiya
Publisher: Hay House, Inc
ISBN: 9381398615
Category : Biography & Autobiography
Languages : en
Pages : 290

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Book Description
This book encapsulates the exceptionally eventful and vibrant life of the guru that will provoke thought and debate even in today’s times. Guru Gobind Singh – Founder of the Khalsa; saint; warrior par excellence; poignant poet; philosopher; soulful human being – was the illustrious Tenth Guru of the Sikhs. This extensively researched book goes beyond the established events that broadly include the untimely assassination of Guru Teg Bahadur; Guru Gobind Singh’s coronation; the battles of Bhangani and Nadaun; his stay in Paonta and Anandpur; and the historic creation of the Khalsa. The book talks about other events that sought to widely establish the Khalsa including the battle of Nirmohgarh; the siege and evacuation of Anandpur; the battles of Chamkaur, Khidrana and Muktsar; his Zafarnama to Aurangzeb and subsequent meeting with Bahadur Shah Zafar in Agra. Most importantly, it provides some unknown facts about the anointment of the holy book of the Sikhs – the Guru Granth Sahib as the eternal guiding light. Guru Gobind Singh’s prowess as a warrior of immense distinction is well-recorded, besides his understanding of military strategy and execution; the book brings to light his love for literature, scriptures and languages, his philosophical, judicious and humane thought, and is a tribute to the great saint and seeks to outline the historical life, times and events of Guru Gobind Singh in intricate details.

Sikh History from Persian Sources

Sikh History from Persian Sources PDF Author: J. S. Grewal
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : Sikhs
Languages : en
Pages : 252

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Book Description
This Volume Presents Translations Of All Major Persian Sources Of Sikh History Upto 1765, When Sikh Power Was Established Over The Punjab. These Sources Offer Details That Are Not Otherwise Available, And Richly Supplement The Information Preserved In The Punjabi (Gurmukhi) Traditions.

The Road to Empire

The Road to Empire PDF Author: Satnam Singh
Publisher: Univ of California Press
ISBN: 0520399382
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 346

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Book Description
From the late seventeenth century to the late eighteenth century, the Sikh community transformed from a relatively insignificant religious minority to an elevated position of kingship and empire. Under the leadership of Guru Gobind Singh (1661–1708), Sikh elites and peasants began to align themselves with discourses of power and authority, and within a few decades Khalsa Sikh warriors conquered some of the wealthiest provinces of the Mughal and Afghan empires. In this book, Satnam Singh argues that the Sikhs’ increasing self-assertion was not simply a reaction to Mughal persecution but also a result of an active program initiated by the Guru to pursue larger visions of scholarship, conquest, and political sovereignty. Using a vast trove of understudied court literature, Singh shows how Sikhs grappled with Indo-Islamic traditions to forge their own unique ideas of governance and kingship with the aim to establish an independent Sikh polity. The Road to Empire offers an impressive intellectual history of the early modern Sikh world.

Global Sikhs

Global Sikhs PDF Author: Opinderjit Kaur Takhar
Publisher: Taylor & Francis
ISBN: 1000847357
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 402

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Book Description
This book brings a broad, holistic approach to the study of the phenomena of the global Sikh community referred to collectively as the Panth. With contributions by an interdisciplinary range of experts, the volume provides insight into current debates and discussions around Sikh identity in the twenty-first century. It examines the terms Sikh, Sikhism and ‘Sikhi’ and considers how those ‘outside of the margins’ fit into larger definitions of the wider Panth. Both the secular and religious dimensions of being a Sikh are explored and lived experience is a central theme throughout. The chapters engage with issues of authority and diversity as well as representation as Sikhs become increasingly settled and active within their diasporic locales. The book includes a variety of case studies and makes a valuable contribution to the growing field of Sikh studies.

Royals and Rebels

Royals and Rebels PDF Author: Priya Atwal
Publisher: Oxford University Press
ISBN: 0197566944
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 326

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Book Description
In late-eighteenth-century India, the glory of the Mughal emperors was fading, and ambitious newcomers seized power, changing the political map forever. Enter the legendary Maharajah Ranjit Singh, whose Sikh Empire stretched throughout northwestern India into Afghanistan and Tibet. Priya Atwal shines fresh light on this long-lost kingdom, looking beyond its founding father to restore the queens and princes to the story of this empire's spectacular rise and fall. She brings to life a self-made ruling family, inventively fusing Sikh, Mughal and European ideas of power, but eventually succumbing to gendered family politics, as the Sikh Empire fell to its great rival in the new India: the British. Royals and Rebels is a fascinating tale of family, royalty and the fluidity of power, set in a dramatic global era when new stars rose and upstart empires clashed.

The Oxford Handbook of Sikh Studies

The Oxford Handbook of Sikh Studies PDF Author: Pashaura Singh
Publisher: OUP Oxford
ISBN: 0191004111
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 673

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Book Description
The Oxford Handbook of Sikh Studies innovatively combines the ways in which scholars from fields as diverse as philosophy, psychology, religious studies, literary studies, history, sociology, anthropology, political science, and economics have integrated the study of Sikhism within a wide range of critical and postcolonial perspectives on the nature of religion, violence, gender, ethno-nationalism, and revisionist historiography. A number of essays within this collection also provide a more practical dimension, written by artists and practitioners of the tradition. The handbook is divided into eight thematic sections that explore different 'expressions' of Sikhism. Historical, literary, ideological, institutional, and artistic expressions are considered in turn, followed by discussion of Sikhs in the Diaspora, and of caste and gender in the Panth. Each section begins with an essay by a prominent scholar in the field, providing an overview of the topic. Further essays provide detail and further treat the fluid, multivocal nature of both the Sikh past and the present. The handbook concludes with a section considering future directions in Sikh Studies.