A History of the Sikhs, Volume 1

This is the standard and well established book on its subject, accessible to a general non scholarly audience, while being based on scholarly archival research. Singh exhaustively covers the genesis and development of Sikhism and the Sikh community, up to the time of Maharaja Ranjit Singh. The new second edition volume one 1469-1839 is updated to the present recounts the return of the community to the mainstream of national life. Written in Khushwant Singh's trademark style to be accessible to a general, non-scholarly audience, the book is based on scholarly archival research. This volume covers the social, religious and political background which led to the formation of the Sikh faith in the fifteenth century. Basing his account on original documents in Persian, Gurmukhi and English, the author traces the growth of Sikhism and tells of the compilation of its sacred scriptures in the Granth Sahib. The transformation of the Sikhs from a pacifist sect to a militant group called the Khasla led by Guru Gobind Singh is portrayed in detail.

Pages: 434, Edition: 2. ed., Paperback, Oxford University Press