How the Sikhs Lost Their Kingdom

How the Sikhs Lost Their Kingdom
Author: Khushwant Singh
Publisher:
Total Pages: 224
Release: 1996
Genre: Religion
ISBN:

Summary: History of undivided Punjab under the Sikh rulers, in 19th century.

Royals and Rebels

Royals and Rebels
Author: Priya Atwal
Publisher: Oxford University Press
Total Pages: 326
Release: 2021-01-15
Genre: History
ISBN: 0197566944

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 Fall of the Kingdom of Punjab

The Fall of the Kingdom of Punjab
Author: Khushwant Singh
Publisher: Penguin UK
Total Pages: 172
Release: 2014-07-15
Genre: History
ISBN: 9351187969

A forgotten classic from India’s favourite storyteller This riveting historical narrative is more full of drama than any fiction. With the death of Maharaja Ranjit Singh, the great Punjab empire he had built was riven by intrigues, betrayals, assassinations and wars until the British finally annexed it, seizing the Kohinoor diamond and sending the young Maharaja Duleep Singh into exile in Britain. Khushwant Singh brings this turbulent period to vivid life in this page-turning account of the collapse of a once-mighty kingdom.

Revenge and Reconciliation

Revenge and Reconciliation
Author: Rajmohan Gandhi
Publisher: Penguin UK
Total Pages: 669
Release: 2000-10-14
Genre: Literary Collections
ISBN: 8184753187

An original, provocative and compelling reading of the subcontinent’s history In this remarkable study, well-known biographer Rajmohan Gandhi, underscoring the prominence in the Mahabharata of the revenge impulse, follows its trajectory in South Asian history. Side by side, he traces the role played by reconcilers up to present times, like the Buddha, Mahavira and Asoka. Encompassing myth and historical fact, the author moves from the circumstances of Drona’s death and Parasurama’s slaying of the Kshatriyas to the burst of Islam in India and Akbar’s success in gaining acceptance for it, the executions of Guru Arjan Dev and Guru Tegh Bahadur, and Shivaji’s achievement of self-rule. His explanation of the 1947 division of India identifies the role of the 1857 Rebellion in shaping Gandhi’s thinking and strategy, and reflects on the wounds of Partition. The survey of post-Independence India, Pakistan, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka also touches upon the tragic bereavements of six of their women leaders. Incisive and finely argued, Revenge and Reconciliation compels us to confront historical and contemporary realities of intolerance, while pointing to possible strategies of mutual accommodation in India and the rest of South Asia at the threshold of the twenty-first century.

Ranjit Singh

Ranjit Singh
Author: Khushwant Singh
Publisher: Penguin Books India
Total Pages: 364
Release: 2009-03-24
Genre: Biography & Autobiography
ISBN: 9780143065432

The Classic Biography Of One Of India&Rsquo;S Greatest Rulers Ranjit Singh Was In Every Way As Remarkable A Man As His Contemporaries, Napoleon And Mohammed Ali. From The Status Of Petty Chieftain He Rose To Become The Most Powerful Indian Ruler Of His Time. His Empire Extended From Tibet To The Deserts Of Sindh And From The Khyber Pass To The Sutlej. His Army Was One Of The Most Powerful Of The Time In Asia And Was The First Indian Force In A Thousand Years To Stem The Tides Of Invasion From The North-West Frontiers Of Hindustan. This Is The First Detailed Biography Of The First And Only Sikh Ruler Of The Punjab By A Sikh Writer Who Has Devoted Many Years Of His Life To Research On Sikh History. In This Classic Work Khushwant Singh Presents Ranjit Singh As He Really Was. Based On Persian, Punjabi And English Sources And Drawing Upon The Diaries And Accounts Of European Travellers Like Moorcroft, Sir Alexander Burne, Masson, Fane And Emily Eden, This Is A Memorable Account Of The Pageantry And Brilliance Of The Sikh Kingdom At The Height Of Its Power, And A Lively Portrait Of One Of The Most Colourful Characters In Indian History. &Nbsp;

The First Anglo-Sikh War

The First Anglo-Sikh War
Author: Amarpal Singh
Publisher: HarperCollins
Total Pages: 368
Release: 2017-08-25
Genre: History
ISBN: 9352770099

During the eighteenth and early years of the nineteenth century, the red tide of British expansion had covered almost the entire Indian subcontinent, stretching to the borders of the Punjab. There the great Sikh ruler Ranjit Singh had developed his military forces to thwart any British advance into his kingdom north of the River Sutlej. Yet on the death of Ranjit Singh, unworthy successors and disparate forces fought over his legacy while the British East India Company seized on the opportunity and prepared for battle. In the winter of 1845, the First Anglo-Sikh War broke out.Amarpal S. Sidhu writes a warts and all tale of a conflict characterized by treachery, tragedy and incredible bravery on both sides. In an innovative approach to history writing, the narrative of the campaign is accompanied by battlefield guides that draw on eyewitness accounts and invite the reader to take a tour of the battlefields, either physically or virtually.

Empire of the Sikhs

Empire of the Sikhs
Author: Patwant Singh
Publisher: Peter Owen Publishers
Total Pages: 343
Release: 2013-08-01
Genre: Biography & Autobiography
ISBN: 0720615240

The definitive biography of Ranjit Singh, contemporary of Napoleon and one of the most powerful and charismatic Indian rulers of his ageRanjit Singh has been largely written out of accounts of the subcontinent's past by recent Western historians, yet he had an impact that lasts to this day. He unified the warring chiefdoms of the Punjab into an extraordinary northern Empire of the Sikhs, built up a formidable modern army, kept the British in check to the south of his realm, and closed the Khyber Pass through which plunderers had for centuries poured into India. Unique among empire builders, he was humane and just, gave employment to defeated foes, honored religious faiths other than his own, and included Hindus and Muslims among his ministers. In person he was a colorful character whose his court was renowned for its splendor; he had 20 wives, kept a regiment of "Amazons," and possessed a stable of thousands of horses. The authors make use of a variety of eyewitness accounts from Indian and European sources, from reports of Maratha spies at the Lahore Durbar to British parliamentary papers and travel accounts. The story includes the range of the maharaja's military achievements and ends with an account of the controversial period of the Anglo-Sikh Wars following his death, which saw the fall of his empire while in the hands of his successors.

Blood for Blood

Blood for Blood
Author: Terry Milewski
Publisher: Harper Collins
Total Pages: 250
Release: 2021-07-13
Genre: Political Science
ISBN: 9354227791

Fifty years ago, the campaign for a sovereign Sikh state - Khalistan - went global, proclaiming the birth of the new nation with an advertisement in The New York Times on 12 October 1971. The ensuing decades saw a bloodbath in which thousands, mainly Sikhs, lost their lives. Today, the campaign has all but fizzled out in its homeland but overseas, a politically plugged-in band of hardcore separatists keeps the cause alive. In Blood for Blood, veteran Canadian journalist Terry Milewski takes a close look at the global Khalistan project, its hunger for revenge and the feeble response of India's Western allies. He traces the rise and fall of diaspora militants like Talwinder Singh Parmar - the Vancouver-based founder of the Babbar Khalsa terrorist group and the man behind the 1985 'Kanishka' bomb plot which killed 329 aboard Air India Flight 182. The book provides startling new information about the Khalistan movement in Canada, the United Kingdom and India, which has been sustained for decades by Pakistan and now threatens to draw in China. Brilliantly researched, Blood for Blood brings new insights to a topic that continues to hold global interest decades after it first came to light.

Confessions of an American Sikh

Confessions of an American Sikh
Author: Gursant Singh
Publisher: Createspace Independent Pub
Total Pages: 428
Release: 2012-12-13
Genre: Religion
ISBN: 9781481172752

Arriving in India to get his teeth fixed, Gursant Singh decides he needs a Punjabi wife and becomes embroiled with Dadaji, Amritsar's notorious marriage broker. When their search for the perfect bride gets them both thrown into Amritsar's Central Jail, Gursant has to look deep within himself and question everything he has been taught about the Sikh path - Sikhi. Gursant's encounters with crooked lawyers, corrupt cops and the enigmatic Indian legal system lead him from the radiant spirituality of Amritsar's Golden Temple, through labyrinthine back streets, chaotic lawyers' offices and the Amritsar Police station to the tranquility of an isolated yoga ashram in the foothills of the Himalayas. On the way, we meet an exotic cast of characters. Some venal and manipulating, others compassionate and generous; all of whom bring to life the contradictions, idiosyncrasies and excitement of 21st Century India. Gursant chronicles his adventures in a fast-moving, warts-and-all style to give the reader a searingly honest picture of his own spiritual loss of innocence. It was during my time in the Amritsar Central Jail that I thought of writing this book. As soon as I had Internet access, I began to research what it might take to create a written record of my experiences. In effect, this book was created as it happened and certainly before I knew how it would finish. My hope was that I could help others to learn from my experiences; not only those in India, but also those within the 3HO spiritual organization to which I devoted thirty years of my life. India can be fun, entertaining and spiritually inspiring; at the same time it can be harsh and unforgiving, especially if you fall foul of the law, as I did. The spiritual path of the seeker can provide endless inspiration and satisfaction. But, like India, it can bring you face to face with your deepest fears and weaknesses. It is my fervent hope that others will learn from my mistakes and perhaps deepen their own spiritual experience by reading about what I had to go through. Thus this book is the story of my spiritual coming of age; my loss of innocence, if you will. I wish to offer my deepest gratitude to Akal Purkh, Waheguru, the Creator and Sustainer of the incredible universe in which we live. Let me also give thanks to Guru Nanak Sahib and his nine illustrious human successors. It is the grace of Guru Nanak that brought me to his teachings and it was his kindness that enabled me to find the true path of Sikhi. Finally I humbly offer obeisance to Siri Guru Granth Sahib, the word of God and living Guru for all Sikhs. Gursant Singh

I Accuse...

I Accuse...
Author: Khushwant Singh
Publisher: Penguin Books India
Total Pages: 177
Release: 2011-12
Genre: History
ISBN: 0143417525

The three days of 1984, when over 3000 Sikhs were slaughtered, have indelibly marked the lives of thousands more who continue to exist in a twilight of bitterness and despair. It was outrage at this state of affairs that led Jarnail Singh - an unassuming, law-abiding journalist - to throw his shoe at Home Minister P. Chidambaram during a press conference in New Delhi. He readily acknowledges that this was not an appropriate means of protest, but asks why, twenty-seven years after the massacres, so little has been done to address the issues that are still unresolved and a source of anguish to the whole community. I Accuse ...is a powerful and passionate indictment of the state's response to the killings of 1984. By exploring the chain of events, the survivors' stories and the continuing shadow it casts over their lives, Singh seeks answers to some relevant questions. Who initiated the pogrom and why? Why did the state apparatus allow it to happen? Why, despite the many commissions and committees set up to investigate the events, have the perpetrators not been brought to book? Because, finally, 1984 was not an attack on the Sikh community alone; it was an attack on the idea at the very core of democracy - that every citizen, irrespective of faith and community, has a right to life, security and justice.