The Cherished Five in Sikh History

The Cherished Five in Sikh History PDF

Author: Louis E. Fenech

Publisher: Oxford University Press

Published: 2021-01-14

Total Pages: 313

ISBN-13: 0197532861

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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, USA

Published: 2021

Total Pages: 313

ISBN-13: 0197532845

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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:

Published: 2013-01-31

Total Pages: 332

ISBN-13: 0199931453

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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.

Five Centuries of Sikh Tradition

Five Centuries of Sikh Tradition PDF

Author: Reeta Grewal

Publisher:

Published: 2005

Total Pages: 414

ISBN-13:

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These Pathbreaking Essays By Historians, Geographers, Economists And Scholars In Sikh Religion And Punjabi Literature Cover The Whole Span Of Sikh History And Nearly All Its Important Aspects. The Study Covers Sikhism And The Martial And Political Culture Of The Khalsa. Sikh Patronage Of Painting, Journalism, Demographic Change, And Spatial Dispersal Along With The Diaspora Have Also Been Dealt With In This Volume. Contributors Who Have Made This Volume Possible As A Tribute To Professor Indu Banga Include J.S. Grewal, Iqtidar Alam Khan, Joginder Singh, Darshan Singh Tatla, Shinder Singh Thandi, And Gurinder Singh Mann Among Many Others.

Sikh History and Religion in the Twentieth Century

Sikh History and Religion in the Twentieth Century PDF

Author: University of Toronto. Centre for South Asian Studies

Publisher: South Asia Books

Published: 1988

Total Pages: 514

ISBN-13:

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Some fourteen million Sikhs worldwide are heirs today to a tradition of faith recalling the devotional spirituality of Guru Nanak, who lived in the Punjab five hundred years ago. The twentieth century has witnessed a heightening of Sikhs' self-awareness as a community with an identity and aspirations distinct from their Hindu as well as their Muslim neighbours. Overseas migration to countries such as Canada has also produced new challenges to Sikhs to think through the question of what the core of their tradition is and what aspects of their heritage are central in times far removed from Guru Nanak's and places distant from the Punjab. Twenty-four authoritative studies by scholars on four continents range across the contemporary Sikh experience in India and overseas. The contributors include experts on history, religion, literature, linguistics, politics, sociology and anthropology.

The Oxford Handbook of Sikh Studies

The Oxford Handbook of Sikh Studies PDF

Author: Pashaura Singh

Publisher: OUP Oxford

Published: 2014-03-27

Total Pages: 656

ISBN-13: 0191004111

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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.

Founder of the Khalsa

Founder of the Khalsa PDF

Author: Amardeep S. Dahiya

Publisher: Hay House, Inc

Published: 2014-04-14

Total Pages: 364

ISBN-13: 9381398615

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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.