Sikhism

====Sikh confederacy and the rise of the Khalsa====
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Mehdiana 5.jpg|Sculpture at [[Mehdiana Sahib]] of the execution of [[Banda Singh Bahadur]] in 1716 by the Mughals.
Bodyguard of Ranjit Singh.jpg|Some bodyguards of [[Ranjit Singh|Maharaja Ranjit Singh]] at the Sikh capital, Lahore, Punjab.
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[[Guru Gobind Singh]] inaugurated the [[Khalsa]] (the collective body of all [[Amrit Sanskar|initiated Sikhs]]) as the Sikh temporal authority in the year 1699. It created a community that combines its spiritual purpose and goals with political and military duties.<ref>{{cite book |last=Shani |first=Giorgio |title=Sikh Nationalism and Identity in a Global Age |date=2008 |publisher=[[Routledge]] |location=Abingdon-on-Thames, England |isbn=978-0-415-42190-4 |page=24}}</ref><ref name="granthfinalguru" /><ref name="parrinderp259" /> Shortly before his death, Guru Gobind Singh proclaimed the [[Guru Granth Sahib|Gurū Granth Sāhib]] (the Sikh Holy Scripture) to be the ultimate spiritual authority for the Sikhs.<ref>{{cite book |last=Wolfe|first=Alvin|title=Anthropological Contributions to Conflict Resolution|date=1996|publisher=University of Georgia Press |isbn=978-0-8203-1765-6|page=14}}</ref>

The Sikh Khalsa's rise to power began in the 17th century during a time of growing militancy against Mughal rule. The creation of a [[Sikh Empire]] began when Guru Gobind Singh sent a Sikh general, [[Banda Singh Bahadur]], to fight the Mughal rulers of India and those who had committed atrocities against [[Pir Buddhu Shah]]. Banda Singh advanced his army towards the main Muslim Mughal city of Sirhind and, following the instructions of the Guru, punished all the culprits. Soon after the invasion of Sirhind, while resting in his chamber after the Rehras prayer Guru Gobind Singh was stabbed by a [[Pathan]] assassin hired by [[Mughal Empire|Mughals]]. Gobind Singh killed the attacker with his sword. Though a European surgeon stitched the Guru's wound, the wound re-opened as the Guru tugged at a hard strong bow after a few days, causing profuse bleeding that led to Gobind Singh's death.{{citation needed|date=January 2023}}

After the Guru's death, Baba [[Banda Singh Bahadur]] became the commander-in-chief of the [[Khalsa]].<ref>{{cite book |title=Indian Armed Forces Year Book|date=1959|publisher=the University of California|page=419}}</ref> He organised the civilian rebellion and abolished or halted the [[Zamindar]]i system in time he was active and gave the farmers [[Self-ownership|proprietorship]] of their own land.<ref>{{cite book |last=Jawandha |first=Nahar |title=Glimpses of Sikhism |date=2010 |publisher=Sanbun Publishers |location=New Delhi |isbn=978-93-80213-25-5 |page=81}}</ref> Banda Singh was executed by the emperor [[Farrukhsiyar|Farrukh Siyar]] after refusing the offer of a pardon if he converted to Islam. The [[Sikh Confederacy|confederacy of Sikh warrior bands]] known as ''[[misls]]'' emerged, but these fought between themselves. Ranjit Singh achieved a series of military victories and created a [[Sikh Empire]] in 1799.{{Citation needed|date=May 2023}}

The Sikh empire, with its capital in [[Lahore]], spread over almost {{convert|200000|mi2|km2|abbr=off}} comprising what is now northwestern [[Indian subcontinent]]. The Sikh Empire entered into a treaty with the colonial British powers, with each side recognizing Sutlej River as the line of control and agreeing not to invade the other side.<ref>{{cite book |last=Singh |first=Khushwant |author-link=Khushwant Singh|date=2006|title=The Illustrated History of the Sikhs |publisher=[[Oxford University Press]] |location=New Delhi |isbn=978-0-19-567747-8 |pages=47–53}}</ref> Ranjit Singh's most lasting legacy was the restoration and expansion of the [[Harmandir Sahib]], most revered [[Gurudwara]] of the Sikhs, with marble and gold, from which the popular name of the "[[Golden Temple]]" is derived.<ref>{{cite book |first=Eleanor |last=Nesbitt |title=Sikhism: A Very Short Introduction |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=XebnCwAAQBAJ&pg=PA64 |date=2016 |publisher=[[Oxford University Press]] |isbn=978-0-19-874557-0 |pages=64–65 |access-date=25 October 2017 |archive-date=28 March 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240328172000/https://books.google.com/books?id=XebnCwAAQBAJ&pg=PA64#v=onepage&q&f=false |url-status=live }}</ref> After the death of Ranjit Singh in 1839, the Sikh Empire fell into disorder. Ranjit Singh had failed to establish a lasting structure for Sikh government or stable succession, and the Sikh Empire rapidly declined after his death. Factions divided the Sikhs, and led to [[First Anglo-Sikh War|Anglo-Sikh wars]]. The British defeated the confused and demoralised [[Sikh Khalsa Army|Khalsa forces]], then disbanded them into destitution.<ref name="Oberoi1994p207">{{cite book |first=Harjot |last=Oberoi |title=The Construction of Religious Boundaries: Culture, Identity, and Diversity in the Sikh Tradition |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=dKl84EYFkTsC |date=1994 |publisher=[[University of Chicago Press]] |isbn=978-0-226-61593-6 |pages=207–208 |access-date=25 October 2017 |archive-date=11 November 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231111155406/https://books.google.com/books?id=dKl84EYFkTsC |url-status=live }}</ref> The youngest son of Ranjit Singh, named [[Maharaja Duleep Singh|Duleep Singh]], ultimately succeeded, but he was arrested and exiled after the defeat of Sikh Khalsa.<ref>{{cite encyclopedia |url=http://www.learnpunjabi.org/eos/index.aspx |title=Jind Kaur, Maharani (1817–1863) |last1=Hasrat |first1=B. J. |encyclopedia=Encyclopaedia of Sikhism |publisher=Punjabi University Patiala |access-date=9 April 2016 |archive-date=29 July 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170729230458/http://www.learnpunjabi.org/eos/index.aspx |url-status=live }}</ref>