World Religions › Medieval
Sikhism
From c. 1499 (Nanak's calling) – today· Religion or tradition· Hindu, Buddhist, Jain & Sikh
Historical recordConfirmed by archaeology, outside sources or contemporary records.
A monotheistic religion founded in Punjab by Guru Nanak, teaching devotion to one God, equality and service.
See it on the World Religions map →What it is
Sikhs ('learners') follow ten human Gurus, from Nanak (1469–1539) to Gobind Singh (1666–1708), and now the scripture Guru Granth Sahib as their living Guru. Sikh teaching holds that God is one, formless and present in all; liberation comes through remembering God's name (naam), honest work and sharing. Caste and gender distinctions are rejected. Worship centers on the gurdwara, which runs a free kitchen (langar) open to all. There are about 25–30 million Sikhs, most in Punjab, with large communities in Canada, Britain and the US.
Why it matters
Often counted as the world's fifth-largest organized religion, it shapes Punjab's culture and politics, and turbaned Sikhs are among the most visible religious minorities worldwide.
Sources and history
The Guru Granth Sahib; janamsakhis and later Sikh chronicles; Mughal records; and censuses, such as India's 2011 count of about 21 million Sikhs.
Questions and debates
Scholars debate how far early Sikhism was a new religion or a reform within North India's Sant devotional movement, and how Sikh identity sharpened over time.
Inside this (4)
Connections (6)
▸Sikhism arose amid Hinduism and IslamMostly agreed by scholars
The connection
Sikhism arose in Punjab, where Hindu and Muslim cultures met under Muslim rule. Guru Nanak's strict monotheism and rejection of idol worship resemble Islam, and the Sikh scripture includes the Sufi poet Sheikh Farid. Later, Mughal emperors executed Gurus Arjan (1606) and Tegh Bahadur (1675), which pushed Sikhs toward armed self-defense.
When and where
Punjab, from c. 1500 under the Lodi Sultanate and then the Mughal Empire; Guru Nanak's lifelong companion Mardana was Muslim.
How do we know?
Nanak's hymns address Muslims and Hindus alike; the Guru Granth Sahib includes Farid's verses; Mughal sources, including Emperor Jahangir's memoir, record Arjan's execution.
Questions and debates
Scholars reject the old view of Sikhism as a simple Hindu–Muslim blend; how much Islam shaped Nanak, compared with Hindu devotional traditions, is debated.
▸Guru Nanak founded SikhismHistorical record
The connection
Guru Nanak's hymns, his teaching of one God, equality and honest work, and his community at Kartarpur, with its shared kitchen, laid the foundation of Sikhism. By naming his disciple Angad, not one of his sons, as successor, he began the line of Gurus who carried the message on. Sikhs regard each later Guru as bearing Nanak's same light.
When and where
Punjab, c. 1499–1539; Nanak's calling at Sultanpur Lodhi and the community he founded at Kartarpur, near today's India–Pakistan border.
Historical evidence
Nanak's hymns in the Guru Granth Sahib; janamsakhi life stories; and the continuous line of Gurus and Sikh communities from his time.
Questions and debates
Whether Nanak meant to found a separate religion or to reform devotion within existing traditions is debated by scholars.
▸Guru Granth Sahib is the eternal Guru of SikhismHistorical record
The connection
Before his death in 1708, Guru Gobind Singh declared that no human would succeed him: the scripture, together with the Khalsa community, would be the Guru. Since then Sikhs bow before the Guru Granth Sahib, open it at random for guidance and to choose children's names, and treat it with the respect due a living Guru.
When and where
Nanded, in today's Maharashtra, India, 1708; Guru Gobind Singh, the tenth Guru.
Historical evidence
Sikh chronicles and early rahit-namas (codes of conduct) record the declaration; gurdwara practice has followed it continuously since.
Questions and debates
Historians discuss how the shared authority of scripture (Guru Granth) and community (Guru Panth) was balanced in early practice.
▸Golden Temple (Harmandir Sahib) is the holiest shrine of SikhismHistorical record
The connection
Harmandir Sahib is the spiritual center of the Sikh world, and the adjoining Akal Takht ('throne of the timeless'), founded by the sixth Guru in 1606, is its highest seat of community authority. Sikhs aim to visit, bathe in the sacred pool and eat at its langar, and the shrine's fate in 1984 shaped modern Sikh politics.
When and where
Amritsar, Punjab, from c. 1588 to today; Gurus Ram Das, Arjan and Hargobind; managed by the elected Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee under a 1925 law.
Historical evidence
Sikh chronicles, the continuous history of pilgrimage, and the shrine's central role in events like 1984's Operation Blue Star.
Questions and debates
Debate continues over 1984: how many died, whether the government's assault was necessary, and the political grievances it left behind.
▸Founding of the Khalsa gave a defined identity to SikhismHistorical record
The connection
Before 1699 Sikhs were united by devotion but had no single visible identity. The Khalsa gave them an initiation rite, a code of conduct, the five Ks and the shared names Singh and Kaur, making Sikhs instantly recognizable. Initiated Sikhs are a minority today, but the turban and uncut hair became symbols of the whole faith.
When and where
Anandpur Sahib, Punjab, Vaisakhi 1699; Guru Gobind Singh and the Panj Pyare (Five Beloved).
Historical evidence
Sikh chronicles and rahit-namas; the continuous amrit initiation ceremony; and the Sikh Rehat Maryada, the code of conduct published in 1950.
Questions and debates
How quickly the Khalsa identity spread, and the standing of uninitiated Sikhs, such as Sahajdharis, are debated.
▸Partition of India and Pakistan split the Punjab heartland of SikhismHistorical record
The connection
The 1947 border between India and Pakistan cut straight through Punjab, the Sikh homeland. Nanak's birthplace, Nankana Sahib, and Kartarpur fell in Pakistan. Amid mass killing among Hindus, Muslims and Sikhs, almost all Sikhs in western Punjab fled east to India. The loss fed later Sikh demands for a Punjabi-speaking state, created in 1966.
When and where
Punjab, August 1947, along the Radcliffe Line; 10–20 million displaced and several hundred thousand to 2 million killed across partition (estimates vary).
Historical evidence
Government records, refugee testimony, newspaper reports and oral history archives such as the 1947 Partition Archive.
Questions and debates
Death tolls remain uncertain, and responsibility for the violence is debated. Since 2019 the Kartarpur Corridor has let Indian pilgrims visit visa-free, though India–Pakistan tensions have interrupted it.