Sikhs are a religious community of some 16 million worldwide, centered on N India, mainly in the Punjab. Its founder, the mystic guru teacher Nanak (c.1469-c.1539), taught monotheism and opposed idolatry and the Caste system. He believed in the fundamental identity of all religions and stressed religious exercises and Meditation. Gradually becoming united and developing military power under a series of gurus, the Sikhs were militarized to oppose Islam by Govind Singh (1666-1708), the tenth and last guru, who created a warrior fraternity and introduced the Sikh practices of wearing a turban and never cutting the hair.

In the late 19th cent. conflict with the British led to the subjugation of the Sikh state in the Punjab (established earlier by Ranjit Singh). Following the partition (1947) of British India, the Sikhs fought the Muslims of the Punjab in a fierce holy war, after which some 2.5 million Sikhs moved from W Punjab (now part of Pakistan) to E Punjab, in India.

In the early 1980s Indian Sikhs demanding an independent state resorted to terrorism, leading to turmoil in Punjab. In 1984 the Indian army stormed the Sikhs' Golden Temple, at Amritsar, which had been occupied by Sikh militants. Prime Min. Indira Gandhi was assassinated by her Sikh bodyguards in retaliation, after which mobs attacked Sikhs throughout India. Unrest in Punjab continued into the early 1990s.

Sikh Resources

Cyber Sikh - Learn about Sikhism - also includes a picture gallery.

Hathisoft - Sikhism related resources, Khanda screensaver , graphic art, and punjabi resources

Introduction to Sikhism - Sikhism is a monotheistic faith. It recognizes God as the only One. He who is not subject to time or space.

Khalistan - New Global Reality - Sikh Nation cyber-site, projecting the vision of the future for The Khalsa Panth into the next millenium. Daily news from Khalistan and other political info, as well as history and information on Sikhs, such as Sikh leadership, scholarship, and martyrs.

Sikh Awareness - Brief overview of basic principles of Sikhism and some more detailed articles.

Sikh Religion - Online book of 14 chapters, created by the Sikh Missionary Center of Phoenix, Arizona, with bibliography.

Sikh Search Engine - Sikh-Seek is the first search engine of it's kind! This is your place to find anything related to Sikhism. Sikh-Seek is an index of Sikh related web sites.

The Sikh-Faith Question Answer And Philosophy - The way of religion, as shown by Sikhism, is not a set of views or doctrines, but a way of life lived according to a definite model.

Sikh-History.com - Biographies of Sikh Gurus, Great Sikh Warriors, Sikh martyrs, modern Sikh personalities and information about Sikh Institutes and Gurdwaras.