When did the Sikhs exist?

The Sikhs existed 1699–1716. On this map they are drawn 1709–1717.

How large were the Sikhs?

At their greatest extent drawn on this map, the Sikhs covered about 25,000 km². That is the largest area the border data gives them across the years they are drawn, not necessarily their greatest extent in history.

South Asia · Mughals and successors

Sikhs

Revolutionary theocratic-military movement evolving into a… · 1699–1716

In 1699 Guru Gobind Singh, the tenth Sikh Guru, founded the Khalsa, an initiated martial community bound by the Five Ks and the code of the Guru. After the Guru was assassinated in 1708, he invested the former Vaishnavite ascetic Madho Das (Banda Singh Bahadur, born Lachman Dev at Rajouri in 1670) with political and military authority as Jathedar of the Khalsa, sending him north with hukamnamas summoning the Sikhs to war against Mughal tyranny.

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Type: Revolutionary theocratic-military movement evolving into a short-lived sovereign Sikh state
Existed: 1699–1716
Shown on the map: 1709–1717
Peak area: peak territory roughly 25,000 km² centred on the Sirhind province of the Punjab (between the Sutlej and Yamuna rivers).
Region: South Asia

Origins and founding

Capitals and territory

Banda Singh carved out a state covering the whole province of Sirhind with its 28 parganas — from the Sutlej to the Yamuna and from the Shivalik hills to Karnal and Kaithal, yielding about 3.6 million rupees annually. He developed the fort of Mukhlisgarh, renamed Lohgarh ("Fortress of Iron"), as his capital and mint.

Major rulers and key events

Beginning with the sack of Samana in November 1709, Banda's forces took Sonipat, Kaithal, Sadhaura and Mustafabad, then destroyed the army of Wazir Khan, the executioner of the Guru's two young sons, at the Battle of Chappar Chiri (12 May 1710) and sacked Sirhind. Emperor Bahadur Shah I marched in person with a vast army, recaptured Sirhind and besieged Lohgarh in December 1710; Banda escaped and, exploiting Mughal succession wars after 1712, recaptured Lohgarh and Sadhaura, defeated Raja Ajmer Chand, and extracted tribute from the hill rajas.

Government, economy and culture

Banda's regime was marked by social revolution: he abolished the zamindari feudal system and granted land ownership to the tillers, struck his own coinage (e.g., the Amritsar-mint rupee dated Year 2 / 1711), and appointed Sikh governors such as Baj Singh at Sirhind. A later factional split between his followers (Bandais) and the Tat Khalsa — over his red robes, vegetarianism and the "Fateh Darshan" salutation — cost him perhaps 15,000 followers, though the historicity of his excommunication is disputed by modern historians.

Decline and end

In March 1715 Abd al-Samad Khan besieged Banda at Gurdas Nangal; after eight months the starving garrison fell on 7 December 1715. Paraded to Delhi with 780 prisoners and cartloads of Sikh heads, Banda was tortured and executed on 9 June 1716, his four-year-old son killed before him.

Legacy and significance

Banda's six-year struggle created the first Sikh state, shattered Mughal prestige in Punjab, proved that peasant armies could destroy imperial armies, and laid the psychological and territorial foundation for the later Misl confederacy and Ranjit Singh's empire.

Common questions

What were the Sikhs?: In 1699 Guru Gobind Singh, the tenth Sikh Guru, founded the Khalsa, an initiated martial community bound by the Five Ks and the code of the Guru. After the Guru was assassinated in 1708, he invested the former Vaishnavite ascetic Madho Das (Banda Singh Bahadur, born Lachman Dev at Rajouri in 1670) with political and military authority as Jathedar of the Khalsa, sending him north with hukamnamas summoning the Sikhs to war against Mughal tyranny.
When did the Sikhs exist?: The Sikhs existed 1699–1716. On this map they are drawn 1709–1717.
How large were the Sikhs?: At their greatest extent drawn on this map, the Sikhs covered about 25,000 km². That is the largest area the border data gives them across the years they are drawn, not necessarily their greatest extent in history.
Where were the Sikhs?: Banda Singh carved out a state covering the whole province of Sirhind with its 28 parganas — from the Sutlej to the Yamuna and from the Shivalik hills to Karnal and Kaithal, yielding about 3.6 million rupees annually. He developed the fort of Mukhlisgarh, renamed Lohgarh ("Fortress of Iron"), as his capital and mint.
Who ruled the Sikhs?: Beginning with the sack of Samana in November 1709, Banda's forces took Sonipat, Kaithal, Sadhaura and Mustafabad, then destroyed the army of Wazir Khan, the executioner of the Guru's two young sons, at the Battle of Chappar Chiri (12 May 1710) and sacked Sirhind.
How did the Sikhs end?: In March 1715 Abd al-Samad Khan besieged Banda at Gurdas Nangal; after eight months the starving garrison fell on 7 December 1715. Paraded to Delhi with 780 prisoners and cartloads of Sikh heads, Banda was tortured and executed on 9 June 1716, his four-year-old son killed before him.
How were the Sikhs governed?: Banda's regime was marked by social revolution: he abolished the zamindari feudal system and granted land ownership to the tillers, struck his own coinage (e.g., the Amritsar-mint rupee dated Year 2 / 1711), and appointed Sikh governors such as Baj Singh at Sirhind.
Why do the Sikhs still matter?: Banda's six-year struggle created the first Sikh state, shattered Mughal prestige in Punjab, proved that peasant armies could destroy imperial armies, and laid the psychological and territorial foundation for the later Misl confederacy and Ranjit Singh's empire.

Sources

Every source below was consulted while writing this entry.

Wikipedia: Banda Singh Bahadur en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Banda_Singh_Bahadur

This entry was written from the sources above and last updated 10 September 2026.

This entry was researched and drafted with AI from the sources above, and has not been reviewed by a historian. How entries are made

Text available under CC BY-SA 4.0: reuse it with a credit to The World Through Time and a link to this page. Passages drawing on the Wikipedia articles listed above are also licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 by their contributors.

Border geometry for the map itself comes from Cliopatria v0.12 (Seshat Global History Databank, CC-BY-4.0).

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