Start here
This site maps the lives and times of the Sikh Gurus and those around them, in plain language, and shows where each claim comes from. Choose a question to begin.
Who were the Gurus?
Begin with the ten Gurus, then read the life of Sri Guru Nanak Dev Ji, the founder of the Sikh faith.
What do Sikhs believe?
One God, honest work, sharing with others and remembrance of the Name. These pages explain the ideas and the daily practice.
What is the scripture?
Sri Guru Granth Sahib Ji is the living Guru of the Sikhs. See how it is organised, who wrote it, and read short passages.
What are the best stories?
The sakhis are how many people first meet the Gurus. Each one here says where it comes from.
What happened after 1708?
Banda Singh Bahadur, the misls, the Sikh Empire, colonial rule, the reform of the gurdwaras, Partition and modern times.
Where did it happen?
Maps of the events and of the historic gurdwaras, with the history of each place.
How to read this site
Sikh history comes to us through scripture, records from the time, later traditions and modern scholarship. They do not always agree, so every episode carries one of four labels.
- Well attested
- A close source supports it, and a second independent source agrees.
- Agreed in tradition
- Several traditional accounts agree, without close independent support.
- Single account
- Only one account reports it.
- Disputed
- Sources conflict, or scholars doubt it.
A label describes how a story has come down to us. It does not judge its spiritual meaning. Small marks after a sentence link to the source, and every disagreement between sources is gathered on one page. Where sources disagree.
Do not know a word? Try the Glossary.
Cite this page
"Start here: a guide to Sikh history". Sikh History: lives of the Gurus. https://sikh-history.co.uk/start-here/