The 18th century history of the Khalsa is an inspiration to all peoples struggling against tyranny. The supreme and unparalleled sacrifices made by the Khalsa during this period to end state repression against innocents are noted in the Ardas.

In order to avoid being killed, the Sikhs lived either in the dry areas of southwest Punjab or in the thick forests of northern Punjab, or in other inhospitable places. There they could obtain some respite from pursuit by the state army and police forces, both of which had orders to kill every Sikh on sight. Even the Muslim historians of the time, writing on behalf of the Mughal rulers, praised the character and bravery of the Sikhs. Thus, surprisingly, this era of persecution is called the Golden Period of Sikh history.

Banda Singh Bahadur

The Muslim rulers of the Mughal Empire declared war against the Sikhs, because Sikhs were the only ones making concerted and prolonged efforts to resist the State policy of forcible conversion to Islam.

Guru Gobind Singh, just before his assassination by agents of the Nawab of Sirhind in 1708, deputed Banda Singh Bahadur to liberate Punjab from Mughal rule. Banda was assisted by five Singhs, including Bhai Baj Singh.

When Banda arrived in Punjab in the winter of 1709, he had only a handful of Sikhs with him. However, the most powerful and valuable 'force' he brought with him was a Hukamnama, or edict, from Guru Gobind Singh Ji. It instructed Sikhs to support Banda in order to overthrow the tyrannical government.

As a result, Banda was welcomed in Punjab and a large number of Sikhs offered to serve the cause of the Khalsa. Banda had to fight only minor battles to gain control of Panipat, Samana, Sadhora, and several other places. Soon, he was in a position to challenge the Nawab of Sirhind, only 150 miles from Delhi. The stunning military successes of the Khalsa were so spectacular that many people superstitiously believed Banda had occult powers under his control. Actually, this occult power was the overwhelming support of the public who were weary of being oppressed.

The Mughal army, though much larger and better equipped than Banda's, could not withstand the Sikhs fighting to defend their freedom. Sirhind was captured, and the Nawab deposed. Nearby, there was a Muslim holy place, Sirhind Sharif. This was the burial place of Sheikh Ahmed Sirhindi, who had hatched the conspiracy to arrest Guru Arjun Dev Ji (the fifth Guru) and torture him to death with the support of Emperor Jehangir. The Khalsa, true to its principles, respected the sanctity of this place and did not vandalize or damage it. In contrast, the Mughals routinely destroyed Sikh holy places in their attempts to annihilate the Sikhs.

Shaken by the success of the Khalsa, the Emperor in Delhi issued orders in December, 1710, that all Sikhs should be killed wherever and whenever they were seen. Emperor Bahadur Shah, therefore, personally reorganized all his forces to arrest or kill Banda. He withdrew his army from all other campaigns and also recruited mercenaries for this mission. Even then, the Emperor's efforts were in vain. Banda managed to slip into the hilly areas and remain out of reach of this vast force. The Emperor's failure to catch Banda gave him a severe and disappointing shock. He became mentally ill and soon died. He was succeeded by Farkh Syer.

In 1715, Banda returned and again took over some parts of northern Punjab. A huge army was sent again to capture or kill him at any cost. This time, Banada was encircled by the army in the small village of Gurdas Nangal, near Gurdaspur. Starving and surrounded, Banda and his men continued to fight bravely. A Muslim eyewitness, Mohd. Qasim, gave the following account of the siege:

The brave and daring deeds of the Sikhs were amazing. Twice or thrice every day some 40 or 50 of these infidels came out to gather grass for their animals, and when the combined forces of the Imperialists went to oppose them, they made an end of the Mughals with arrows, muskets, and small swords, and disappeared. Such was the fear of the Sikhs and of the sorceries of the Sikh chief that the commanders of the army prayed that Banda may seek safety by fleeing from the fortress.

Since the Mughals failed to capture Banda by force, they decided to trick him. Under the pretense of arranging peace negotiations between Banda and the Emperor, they asked Banda to agree to a discussion. Banda accepted. The governor of Lahore promised Banda the right to rule Jammu and the adjoining hill areas in return for Banda's reconciliation with the Delhi administration. However, instead of upholding their promise, they captured Banda along with 700 men. They were taken to Delhi under a strong guard. Their journey is described by Mohd. Harisi, an eyewitness:

Not the slightest sign of dejection or humiliation was to be seen on the Sikhs' faces. In fact, most of the unfortunate Sikhs as they passed along could be seen joyfully singing the sacred hymns of their Scriptures.

Upon their arrival in Delhi, 100 of them were executed each day, day after day. Not one gave up the Sikh religion. According to a letter dated March 18, 1716 from the British representative of the Mughal court of Delhi, who was an eyewitness, the killing of Banda's men began on March 5, 1716, in the following manner:

About 100 Sikhs were murdered every day in the space now attached to the Harding Library near Fountain, in Chandni Chowk. It is not a little remarkable with what patience they undergo their fate and, to the last, it has not been found that one apostatized from this new-formed religion.

The Muslim historian Khafi Khan, who also observed the massacre, noted that even a Sikh teenage boy refused to accept the offer of amnesty in exchange for giving up his religion. According to Khan, the boy's mother appealed to the Emperor that her son should be set free because he was not a Sikh, but the boy replied that his mother was lying, that he was indeed a Sikh, and that he must be executed in the same way as the rest.

Execution of Bhai Mani Singh

The 1710 Delhi order that all Sikhs should be murdered on sight was renewed in 1716 and implemented even more vigorously, if possible. Sikhs were forced to retreat to forests, deserts, and along riverbeds densely overgrown with sedges and brush. For 50 years, Sikhs suffered in this way. Roving bands of the Mughal army spread far across the countryside, hunting for Sikhs. Financial rewards were given to anyone who killed a Sikh or provided information leading to the execution of a Sikh. To remain a Sikh meant to risk death for one's entire family. Sikh sacrifices are now recalled in daily Sikh prayers:

Let us remember and respect the holy sacrifices made by those who offered themselves for martyrdom, who were cut to pieces; who preferred to have their skulls sliced open rather than violate their faith; who were sawed alive into two pieces; who were crushed between rotating spiked wheels; who as mothers, watched their children being cut into pieces and then were forced to wear those pieces tied as necklaces around their necks, remaining hungry, suffering indescribable tortures but uttering not a word of pain; who bore all this gladly to keep to their faith, maintaining their beloved symbols and their uncut hair as long as there was breath in their bodies, and uttering God's Name no matter what was done to them. Hail the Lord, Almighty!

After the execution of Banda Singh Bahadur, Sikhs began meeting at Amritsar twice a year, on Baisakhi and Diwali. This gathering was called Sarbat Khalsa, or All-Combined Khalsa. They were able to become a strong enough force to press for negotiations, although they were still opposed by the government. In 1721, Bhai Mani Singh became the Granthi Sahib (equivalent of head priest) of Amritsar. In order to organize a general gathering of the Sikhs on Diwali Day in 1738, Bhai Mani Singh approached the government and asked for permission. The Mughals agreed to allow the gathering if Bhai Mani Singh paid a fee of 5,000 rupees. This was agreed to, and accordingly, messages were sent to Sikhs hiding in far off places that it was safe to visit Amritsar.

When Diwali aproached, the Sikhs noticed that the state army had arrived around Amritsar. This created doubts in their minds regarding the sincerity of the government. A revised message was sent out to Sikhs to cancel their plans to visit Amritsar, lest they be trapped by the army.

Following the failure of their plan to trap the Sikhs, the Mughals arrested Bhai Mani Singh and ordered that he either pay the Rs. 5,000 fee agreed to or become a Muslim. Bhai Mani Singh refused both, stating that the government had broken its promise to allow Sikhs to gather by sending the army to Amritsar. As the Mughals did not permit the peaceable gathering of the Khalsa, no fee was due to them. Upon hearing Bhai Mani Singh's statement, the Mughals ordered that he be hacked into pieces, joint by joint. This order failed to intimidate Bhai Mani Singh in the slightest. When the executioner prepared to begin the process by chopping off his hand at the wrist, Bhai Mani Singh reminded him that the orders were to make the execution as lengthy and excruciating as possible by cutting him at every joint, and advised him to begin with each individual finger. This unflinching stand against tyranny awed everyone who witnessed it, but the execution continued.

Bhai Mani Singh was a universally revered, holy man. When news of the murder reached the Sikhs, the Khalsa became even more determined to overthrow Mughal rule, and thus efforts towards that end were intensified.

The Small Holocaust

The Mughals decided to prevent Sikhs from visiting the Harimandar Sahib in Amritsar. The state army blocked access to the Gurdwara. Those caught traveling to Amritsar were killed. According to the eyewitness Muslim historians, none of those caught could be induced to convert to Islam.

While these events were occurring, Nadir Shah of Persia invaded India. The Emperor surrendered himself to Nadir without any resistance, who proceeded to loot the capital of Delhi. He took possession of the Kohinoor, the world's largest diamond. He made thousands of people his slaves and ordered them to march to his home country. While he was returning through Punjab, the Khalsa made a series of surprise attacks against the cavalcade procession and managed to free many of the prisoners.

Nadir Shah, upon experiencing Sikh military prowess pitted against his army, stated:

I sense in the Sikhs the power to rule. Keep an eye on them.

Therefore, efforts to eliminate the Sikhs were expanded. Copies of Guru Granth Sahib were rounded up and burnt. Police stations handed out money in exchange for Sikh heads. Cart loads of severed Sikh heads were sent to Lahore by local authorities as proof of achieving their objectives. Sikhs who were captured alive were taken to Lahore in chains, starved, torture, and finally executed in public at a place later name Shaheed Ganj. A Gurdwara now stands there in memory of those who lost their lives.

The Khalsa decided to retreat to the hills for safety, but they were pursued amidst the sedges along the Beas river in the Kahnuwan area of the district Gurdaspur. About ten thousand Sikhs were caught and massacred there in what became known as the Chhota Ghalughara, or Small Holocaust.

Reorganization of the Khalsa

Up to this point, the Sikhs were operating in Jathas, or small groups, which usually functioned independent of each other. In April, 1748, at the Akal Takhat in Amritsar, Nawab Kapur Singh reorganized the Khalsa into five Misls, or divisions. Jassa Singh Ahluwalia had overall command. Later, the number of Misls was increased to eleven. The 12th Misl of Phulkian, which ruled the Malwa region, was not a composite part of the Dal Khalsa. One of the Misls' first decisions was to agree that Punjab would be defended by the cooperative might of the Sikhs.

In 1748, Mir Mannu became the governor of Punjab. At first, he refrained from unnecessarily antagonizing the Sikhs. Minister Kaura Mal played an integral role in bringing about these peaceful relations. However, Mannu later decided to ally himself with Ahmed Shah Abdali, the king of Afghanistan. Abdali advised him to repress the Sikhs. Hence, once again, the persecution of Sikhs began all over Punjab. But the Sikhs refused to submit to Mannu's tyranny. This gave rise to a popular saying:

Sikhs are the plants, and Mannu, the sickle, all know.
The more he cuts them, the more they grow.

Mir Mannu died in 1753 and Punjab fell into the hands of the Khalsa. They parceled the state among the Misls and became its de facto rulers.

Initial Defeat of Ahmed Shah Abdali

In 1756, Abdali attacked Delhi for the fourth time and toppled the Mughal government. He looted the whole of North India, including Delhi, Mathura, and Agra. While he was returning home with a caravan loaded with gold, valuables, and thousands of male and female prisoners, the Sikhs attacked and defeated him. The prisoners were all freed and each one was personally escorted back to their homes. Most of the looted treasure was also recovered.

Naturally, Ahmed Shah was stunned by this last-minute thwarting of his entire invasion plan. In anger, he redirected his military machine to tear down the Harimandir Sahib and fill the Sarovar, or Sacred Pool, with debris. He deployed 10,000 Afghan soldiers under the command of General Jahan Khan to make an end to the Sikhs. He made his son Temur the governor of Punjab.

Baba Deep Singh, who was at Damdama Sahib near Bhatinda, set out for Amritsar with a few thousand men as soon as he learned of these events. The Sikhs vowed to liberate the city and rebuild Harimandar Sahib. They fought bravely against the well-supplied and well-trained military occupying the city. Jahan Khan forced all able-bodied men to join him to check the advance of the Sikhs, yet fighting columns of the determined Sikhs still reached the location of the Harimandar Sahib. Baba Deep Singh, however, was one of many Sikhs who were killed in order to achieve this.

When he heard of this, Jathedar Jassa Singh sent for all Sardars, or Sikhs, to join him. The Sikhs then defeated the Afghan army near Hoshiarpur. Temur made several attempts to project the image of himself being the governor, but the Afghans suffered one defeat after another and would not dare to come out of Lahore to face the Sikhs. The Sikhs thus gained control of the Punjab administration.

Eventually, Temur and Jahan Khan decided to vacate Lahore. While heading towards their country, some of the Afghans and their guns were intercepted by the Sikhs near the Chenab river. The Afghans were brought to Amritsar as prisoners and made to undo what they had done some months earlier in filling the Amrit Sarovar with trash. After the Afghans had cleaned the Sarovar and removed all the debris, they were freed without any other punishment. Historians of all religions have a lot of praise for Sikh character, as they say Sikhs never tortured or murdered their prisoners. This was totally unlike the Mughals or Afghans, who were always ready to persecute and publicly kill their captives, not even sparing civilians, women, or children.

The Misls extended their control over more areas of the Punjab. Their numbers also increased greatly after these successes.

The Big Holocaust

After regrouping, Abdali invaded India again in early 1761. He defeated the Marhattas after a heavy battle and proceeded to plunder Delhi. While he was returning to his country, the Sikhs attacked him and soundly defeated him. 2,000 female prisoners were released, and much of Abdali's stolen treasures were recovered. Constantly harassed by Sikh forces, Abdali left Punjab dejected and extremely angry. After suffering heavy damage and huge losses of men at the hands of the Marhattas, for the second time he was returning to his home empty-handed.

In February 1762, Abdali returned with a large, organized force. This time he went straight for the Sikhs, with the goal of crushing them once and for all. Learning of his approach, the Sikhs decided to vacate Lahore. While 60,000 Sikh men, women, and children were slowly moving to safety in Malwa, Abdali decided to make a lightning march to intercept them. He crossed two rivers and covered a distance of more than 100 miles in just two days.

His cavalry took the Sikhs by surprise when they were near the village of Kup, about thirty miles south of Ludhiana. 30,000 Sikhs were then slaughtered, with the rest escaping further to the south towards the town of Barnala. In addition, Abdali again blew up the Harimandar Sahib and filled the Sarovar with refuse and dead animals in order to intentionally desecrate it.

But the Sikhs recouped their strength within months. By May, 1762, they had taken over Sirhind, and by October, 1762, on Diwali day, they had pushed Abdali out of Amritsar.

Final Defeat of Ahmed Shah Abdali

Abdali invaded India for a seventh time in December, 1764, but he was again forced to leave. The Sikhs began regular Kirtan at Harimandar Sahib, and arrangements for Guru Ka Langar were expanded to keep pace with the increasing number of visitors who came to pay homage at the holy city.

Unfortunately, the greed for Indian wealth was too strong for Abdali to resist. He crossed the Indus for the eighth time in November, 1766. As soon as he entered Punjab, the Sikhs vacated Lahore, as they had no standing army in place. They were ruling Lahore with just the goodwill of the populace. When Abdali entered Lahore, he found to his surprise that the local people had great respect and regard for the Sikhs. A deputation of the residents convinced him that offering the governorship of Punjab to the Sikhs was the only means to peace.

Abdali, therefore, sent an invitation to Bhai Lehna Singh to rule Punjab in his stead. The Sikhs declined the offer. The Khalsa was the independent ruler of the state due to the support of the people. It had no reason to become subordinate to the Kabul regime. Abdali was forced to leave Punjab with only a token representative in place, constrained within the city of Lahore.

In 1769, during a ninth attempt to take over Punjab, Abdali's forces were halted and defeated almost immediately. Abdali was not even allowed to cross the river Jhelum. Abdali, a man who terrified the Emperor of Delhi into submitting without resistance, was thus rendered a helpless and pathetic figure before the Khalsa. Abdali was forced to return to his country bitterly disappointed and to give up forever his dream of annexing Punjab. This weighed very heavily on his heart. He died in 1772, just three years later.

Having soundly defeated the Afghans, who to this day never returned to the Punjab again, the Sikhs attacked the Emperor of Delhi, Shah Alam II, and defeated him in 1783 under the leadership of Baba Baghel Singh. In order to help Shah Alam save face, the Sikhs allowed him to give his concessions as gifts rather than as tributes. In thanks, Shah Alam honored the Sikhs and allocated government revenues for the building of Gurdwaras at several Sikh historical places in Delhi.

It is evident that the Sikhs had much power at that time. Had they all united and organized themselves under one command, they might have ruled all of northern India and prevented the British from colonizing India up through Delhi. Unfortunately, Baghel Singh had to leave Delhi to return to the administration of his own region. There are many places in Delhi today, in addition to the historical Gurdwaras, which are connected with Baghel Singh. Tis Hazari, or Thirty Thousand, is a well-known place in Delhi where Baghel Singh camped with 30,000 of his men. Pul Mithhai, or Bridge of Sweets, is a name derived from the general's sweet tooth. He held sweets competitions there.

Rule of Maharaja Ranjit Singh

Misls ruled Punjab until Maharaja Ranjit Singh united them many years later through a mixture of reason and force. He was declared Maharaja on April 12, 1801 by Sahib Singh. Most of the credit goes to his mother-in-law, Rani Sada Kaur of the Kanhya Misl. Maharaja Ranjit Singh eventually expanded his rule as far as Sutlej in the east, Jammu and Kashmir including Ladakh in the north, and Multan province in the south. For the first time, Punjabis managed to capture Afghan territory by taking Attock in July, 1813. In 1819, the Sikhs entered Peshawar in the west. Maharaja Ranjit Singh established a secular administration. Members of every religion held responsible and key posts. Ranjit Singh's generosity and broadmindedness are widely acknowledged by historians. To cite just one example, there was no capital punishment during his rule in Punjab. After Maharaja Ranjit Singh's death, the British finally managed to conquer Punjab by obtaining key tactical information through their spies, the Dogras. The British reinstated the death penalty and used it extensively. The secular administration was disbanded, and missionaries were appointed by the government with the task of converting as many people as possible to Christianity.