After the fall of the Sikh Empire and death of its king Maharaja Ranjit Singh, the British conquered this large territory with much difficulty as it was the last kingdom in India to be taken over by the British, and began recruiting Sikhs into their army in large numbers.
The annexation of Punjab led to the employment of the Sikhs into the British Indian Army. This led to the Sikhs becoming part of many British campaigns, including their major contributions in the First and Second World Wars.
The contribution of the Sikh community to our armed forces continues to this day. Sir Frank Messervy, quoted in “The Sikh Regiment in the Second World War” by F. T. Birdwood, said: “In the last two world wars 83,005 turban wearing Sikh soldiers were killed and 109,045 were wounded, fighting for the British Empire.
They were defeated in the four bloody and hard-fought battles of Mudki, Firozpur, Aliwal, and Sobraon. The British annexed Sikh lands east of the Sutlej and between it and the Beas River; Kashmir and Jammu were detached, and the Sikh army was limited to 20,000 infantry and 12,000 cavalry.
In total the Khalsa army could count on approximately 153,000 regular and irregular soldiers. It was however led by Lal Singh who, with Tej Singh, betrayed the Sikhs during the course of the war.
Gulab Singh and the Creation of Jammu & Kashmir. The state of Jammu and Kashmir was created in 1846 through two treaties – the Treaty of Lahore between the British East India Company and the Sikhs, and the Treaty of Amritsar between the Company and Gulab Singh, the Dogra ruler of Jammu.
Michael Polak, acting for the family of Sikh activist Avtar Singh Khanda, has formally requested the West Midlands coroner to open an inquest into Mr Khanda's death, raising concerns about possible poisoning and inadequacies in the initial investigation. Mr Khanda died four days after hospital admission in Birmingham.
Why did Sikhs originally leave the Punjab to come to the UK?
The first Sikh migration came in the 1950s. It was mostly of men from the Punjab seeking work in British industry, which had a shortage of unskilled labour.
Sikhs served in the British Indian Army throughout the British Raj. Sikh units fought at the Battle of Saragarhi; in the First World War, as the "Black", as well as during the Second World War in Malaya, Burma and Italy.
Battle of Aliwal. This battle was fought on 28 January 1846 during the First Sikh War (1845-46). A British-Indian force took on the Sikh army of the Punjab, known as the Khalsa (literally 'the pure'). It ended in a decisive British victory and is seen by some as a 'near perfect battle'.
Intoxicants – A Sikh must not take hemp (cannabis), opium, liquor, tobacco, cocaine, narcotics, etc. In short, any intoxicant is not allowed. Cannabis is generally prohibited, but ritually consumed in edible form by some Sikhs.
➢ Is Sikhism a blend of Islam and Hinduism or a sect of Hinduism? It is only due to a shared geographic culture that some ideas or methods of these different religions may seem similar. Sikhism is in fact a unique revealed religion. It is not derived from any other religion.
Two in every three British Sikh households (66%) have pre-tax incomes in excess of £40,000, and over a third (34%) have an income in excess of £80,000, giving a value for the Sikh Pound of 7.63 billion.
After the death of Maharaja Ranjit Singh in 1839, the empire was weakened by the British East India Company stoking internal divisions and political mismanagement. Finally, in 1849, the state was dissolved after its defeat in the Second Anglo-Sikh War.
In 1845-46, the British fought a war against the powerful Sikh Empire in the Punjab. After several bitterly fought battles, the conflict ended with the British taking partial control of the Sikh territories.
The Afghan–Sikh wars spanned from 1748 to 1837 in the Indian subcontinent, and saw multiple phases of fighting between the Durrani Empire and the Sikh Empire (and its predecessors), mainly in and around Punjab region.
Over 400,000 served in World War One and Two, and there were many regiments of Sikhs who won battle honours and multiple Victoria Cross'. Over 84,000 died and over 100 thousand were injured during the two conflicts.
Sikhs also believe that treaties and cease-fires must be honoured, places of worship (of any faith) should not be damaged, and soldiers who surrender should not be harmed. The crucial difference from Just War theory is that Sikhs believe that, if a war is just, it should be undertaken even if it cannot be won.
Tens of thousands of Muslims fought for the Nazis in World War Two. DW spoke with historian David Motadel about whether pragmatism or anti-Semitism drove Adolf Hitler's overtures and why some Muslim leaders backed him.
The letters and diary entries from Sikh soldiers during this time reflect their sense of duty and loyalty to the British Empire. They saw their service as a way of upholding their honour and repaying the Empire for its benevolence.
Despite the fact that Many Muslims and Sikhs view each other as inveterate enemies, these two communities have a long and complex relationship characterised, at times by very friendly relationships. Many scholars tend to focus their attention on studying the more confrontational aspects of this special relationship.
Baba Deep Singh had vowed to avenge the desecration of the Golden Temple by the Afghan army. In 1757, he led an army to defend the Golden Temple. The Sikhs and the Afghans clashed in the Battle of Amritsar on 13 November 1757, and in the ensuing conflict Baba Deep Singh was decapitated.
Who found against the British in the Second Anglo-Sikh War?
The British troops were led by Gough, who had finally advanced into the Punjab. The Sikhs were commanded by Sirdar Sher Singh, whose troops had established strong positions on both sides of the main river crossing.
