Sikhism developed its own sacred text, its own sacred city, and its own distinct martial-religious identity. Two of its Gurus were executed for refusing to abandon their faith.
Must Know
The Harmandir Sahib (Golden Temple)
- FactThe Harmandir Sahib, popularly known as the Golden Temple, is Sikhism’s most sacred site.
- HowIt was founded at Amritsar under the guidance of the Sikh Gurus and became the faith’s central place of worship. See ArtnCulture0060 — Harmandir Sahib (Golden Temple) for its full story.
Guru Arjan Dev Compiles the Guru Granth Sahib
- FactGuru Arjan Dev, the fifth Sikh Guru, compiled the Guru Granth Sahib.
- ResultThis collection of hymns became Sikhism’s central scripture.
Guru Arjan Dev’s Martyrdom
- FactGuru Arjan Dev was later executed by Mughal authorities.
- ResultHis martyrdom marked a turning point in Sikh-Mughal relations, hardening the community’s identity.
Guru Tegh Bahadur’s Martyrdom
- FactGuru Tegh Bahadur, the ninth Sikh Guru, was also executed by Mughal authorities.
- WhyHe was martyred for refusing to convert to Islam and for defending others’ religious freedom.
1699: Guru Gobind Singh Founds the Khalsa
- FactIn 1699, the tenth Guru, Guru Gobind Singh, founded the Khalsa Panth at Anandpur Sahib.
- ResultThis created a distinct, initiated Sikh community with its own visible identity and code of conduct.
Good to Know
A Fixed Scripture Early in the Faith’s History
- FactCompiling the Guru Granth Sahib gave Sikhism a fixed, authoritative scripture within its own early history.
- TakeawayThis meant Sikhism did not depend on centuries of separately preserved oral teaching, as some other traditions did.
A Pattern of Rising Tension, Not Easing
- FactThe two Gurus’ martyrdoms, roughly two generations apart, show a clear pattern in Mughal-Sikh relations.
- TakeawayPolitical and religious tension between the two grew rather than easing across the 17th century.
The Khalsa as a Response to Persecution
- FactThe Khalsa Panth’s founding in 1699 came after these two martyrdoms, not before them.
- TakeawayThis timing suggests it was partly a direct response to persecution, not simply an independent religious development.
Miri and Piri: The Two Swords That Set Up the Khalsa
- FactBetween the two martyrdoms sits a step the timeline can easily skip: the sixth Guru, Hargobind, Guru Arjan Dev’s own son, took up two swords upon becoming Guru.
- HowOne sword, Miri, stood for temporal, political authority. The other, Piri, stood for spiritual authority. He explained that one blade was to resist oppression and the other to protect the innocent.
- TakeawayThis doctrine of combined worldly and spiritual authority is the direct ancestor of the Khalsa’s own armed, initiated identity founded decades later. It did not appear out of nowhere at Anandpur Sahib in 1699.
Exam Point of View
Who Founded the Khalsa Panth: The Exam Trap
- PYQNDA & NA (II) 2025 asked which Sikh Guru laid the foundation of the Khalsa Panth, offering Guru Nanak, Guru Arjan, Guru Hargobind, and Guru Gobind Singh as options.
- AnswerGuru Gobind Singh. The correct answer is (d).
- WhyGuru Nanak is the founder of Sikhism itself, which makes him a tempting wrong answer here. Guru Arjan compiled the scripture. Guru Hargobind, the sixth Guru, introduced the concept of armed defence of the faith. Only Guru Gobind Singh, the tenth and last human Guru, actually founded the Khalsa, at Anandpur Sahib on Vaisakhi day.
- LinkVerified against Testbook, Sikh Gurus and the Mughal Emperors.
Two Martyrdoms, Two Different Emperors
- FactGuru Arjan Dev was executed in 1606 under Emperor Jahangir. Guru Tegh Bahadur was executed in 1675 under Emperor Aurangzeb, Jahangir’s own grandson.
- WhyExams sometimes swap the emperor names between the two martyrdoms as a distractor. Keeping the generations straight helps: Jahangir’s reign saw the first Sikh martyrdom, and his grandson’s reign saw the second, decades later.
- LinkVerified against Storytrails, Guru Tegh Bahadur — The Martyr.
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Great to Know
A Community Reshaping Itself Under Pressure
- FactThe sequence from Guru Arjan Dev’s martyrdom, to Guru Tegh Bahadur’s martyrdom, to the Khalsa Panth’s founding shows a religious community actively reshaping its own identity under sustained external pressure.
- TakeawayEach event built directly on the one before it, rather than occurring in isolation.
A Physical and a Textual Anchor
- FactThe Golden Temple’s role as a central pilgrimage site, alongside the Guru Granth Sahib’s role as a fixed scripture, gave Sikhism both a physical and a textual anchor early in its history.
- TakeawayFew faiths establish both so clearly within just a few generations of their founding.
The Five Beloved Ones: A Test of Courage at Anandpur Sahib
- StoryAt Anandpur Sahib on Vaisakhi day, 1699, Guru Gobind Singh stood before a huge gathering, sword drawn, and called for a volunteer willing to give his head. After a shocked silence, one man stepped forward. The Guru led him into a tent. Onlookers heard a blow, and saw blood.
- StoryThe Guru returned and asked again. Four more times, a volunteer stepped forward, and each was led into the tent alone. Then the Guru brought out all five, alive and dressed in fresh robes.
- ResultHe baptised the five with amrit, sweetened water stirred with a double-edged sword, naming them the Panj Piare, the “Five Beloved Ones,” and giving each the name Singh. He then astonished the crowd further by asking these five ordinary men to initiate him in turn.
- TakeawayThe Five Ks, the visible articles of Khalsa identity, trace back to this same ceremony. A test of raw courage became the founding moment of Sikhism’s most distinctive institution.
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