Dharamyudh (Sikhism) - Revision history

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	{{Use British English}}{{Use dmy dates}}		{{Short description\|Term in Sikhism}}
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	In [[Sikhism]], '''dharamyudh''', '''dharam-yudh''' or '''dharam yudh''' ([[Gurmukhi]]: ਧਰਮਯੁਧ) is a term which is variously translated as '[[religious war]]',<ref>{{Cite book \|last=Dhavan \|first=Purnima \|title=When Sparrows Became Hawks: The Making of the Sikh Warrior Tradition, 1699-1799 \|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=-7HJ5idB8_QC&pg=PA76 \|location=Oxford \|publisher=[[Oxford University Press]] \|page=76 \|isbn=9780199756551 \|access-date=16 September 2019}}</ref><ref name="Chima">{{Cite book \|last=Chima \|first=Jugdep S. \|title=The Sikh Separatist Insurgency in India: Political Leadership and Ethnonationalist Movements \|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=qJaHAwAAQBAJ&pg=PA70 \|location=New Delhi \|publisher=SAGE Publications India \|page=70 \|isbn=9788132105381 \|access-date=16 September 2019}}</ref> 'war of righteousness',<ref name="Chima"/> 'war in defence of righteousness',<ref name="Fenech">{{Cite book \|last1=Fenech \|first1=Louis E. \|last2=McLeod \|first2=W. H. \|title=Historical Dictionary of Sikhism \|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=xajcAwAAQBAJ&pg=PA99 \|location=Plymouth & Lanham, Maryland \|publisher=Rowman & Littlefield \|pages=99–100 \|isbn=9781442236011 \|access-date=16 September 2019}}</ref> or 'war for justice'.<ref name="Schnabel">{{Cite book \|last1=Schnabel \|first1=Albrecht \|last2=Gunaratna \|first2=Rohan \|title=Wars From Within: Understanding And Managing Insurgent Movements \|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Mdi3CgAAQBAJ&pg=PA194 \|location=London \|publisher=Imperial College Press \|page=194 \|isbn=9781783265596 \|access-date=16 September 2019}}</ref> Though some core tenets in the Sikh religion are understood to emphasise peace and nonviolence, especially before the 1606 execution of [[Guru Arjan]] by [[Mughal Empire\|Mughal]] emperor [[Jahangir]],<ref name="Syan">{{Cite book \|last=Syan \|first=Hardip Singh \|title=Sikh Militancy in the Seventeenth Century: Religious Violence in Mughal and Early Modern India \|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=9RzzxcEL4C0C&pg=PA3 \|location=London & New York \|publisher=I.B.Tauris \|pages=3–4, 252 \|isbn=9781780762500 \|access-date=15 September 2019}}</ref> military force may be justified if all peaceful means to settle a conflict have been exhausted, thus resulting in a ''dharamyudh''.<ref name="Fenech"/>		In [[Sikhism]], '''dharamyudh''', '''dharam-yudh''' or '''dharam yudh''' ([[Gurmukhi]]: ਧਰਮਯੁਧ) is a term which is variously translated as '[[religious war]]',<ref>{{Cite book \|last=Dhavan \|first=Purnima \|date=2011 \|title=When Sparrows Became Hawks: The Making of the Sikh Warrior Tradition, 1699-1799 \|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=-7HJ5idB8_QC&pg=PA76 \|location=Oxford \|publisher=[[Oxford University Press]] \|page=76 \|isbn=9780199756551 \|access-date=16 September 2019}}</ref><ref name="Chima">{{Cite book \|last=Chima \|first=Jugdep S. \|date=2008 \|title=The Sikh Separatist Insurgency in India: Political Leadership and Ethnonationalist Movements \|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=qJaHAwAAQBAJ&pg=PA70 \|location=New Delhi \|publisher=SAGE Publications India \|page=70 \|isbn=9788132105381 \|access-date=16 September 2019}}</ref> 'war of righteousness',<ref name="Chima"/> 'war in defence of righteousness',<ref name="Fenech">{{Cite book \|last1=Fenech \|first1=Louis E. \|last2=McLeod \|first2=W. H. \|date=2014 \|title=Historical Dictionary of Sikhism \|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=xajcAwAAQBAJ&pg=PA99 \|location=Plymouth & Lanham, Maryland \|publisher=Rowman & Littlefield \|pages=99–100 \|isbn=9781442236011 \|access-date=16 September 2019}}</ref> or 'war for justice'.<ref name="Schnabel">{{Cite book \|last1=Schnabel \|first1=Albrecht \|last2=Gunaratna \|first2=Rohan \|date=2015 \|title=Wars From Within: Understanding And Managing Insurgent Movements \|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Mdi3CgAAQBAJ&pg=PA194 \|location=London \|publisher=Imperial College Press \|page=194 \|isbn=9781783265596 \|access-date=16 September 2019}}</ref> Though some core tenets in the Sikh religion are understood to emphasise peace and nonviolence, especially before the 1606 execution of [[Guru Arjan]] by [[Mughal Empire\|Mughal]] emperor [[Jahangir]],<ref name="Syan">{{Cite book \|last=Syan \|first=Hardip Singh \|date=2013 \|title=Sikh Militancy in the Seventeenth Century: Religious Violence in Mughal and Early Modern India \|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=9RzzxcEL4C0C&pg=PA3 \|location=London & New York \|publisher=I.B.Tauris \|pages=3–4, 252 \|isbn=9781780762500 \|access-date=15 September 2019}}</ref> military force may be justified if all peaceful means to settle a conflict have been exhausted, thus resulting in a ''dharamyudh''.<ref name="Fenech"/>

	== Etymology ==		== Etymology ==
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	=== Militarisation of Sikhism (17th century) ===		=== Militarisation of Sikhism (17th century) ===
	{{See also\|Just war theory}}		{{See also\|Just war theory}}
	Sikhism, founded in the late 15th century by [[Guru Nanak]] in the [[Punjab]] region, which was conquered by the [[Mughal Empire]] in the early 16th century, is generally considered to have been pacifist until the early 17th century.<ref name="Syan"/> Perceiving the growth of the Sikhs as a threat, the Mughal authorities began to persecute them, and in 1606 Sikh leader [[Guru Arjan]] was executed by Mughal emperor [[Jahangir]], apparently for refusing to [[Forced conversion\|convert]] to [[Islam]], though this remains disputed.<ref name="Syan"/> Sikhism split into two movements: one led by Guru Arjan's son [[Guru Hargobind]] began to regard Guru Arjan as a martyr, became more political and militaristic, and started organising armed rebellions against the Mughals; the other, the [[Mina (Sikhism)\|''Minas'']] led by Guru Arjan's older brother [[Prithi Chand]], would be concerned with defining themselves as maintainers of the precept of interiorization, rejecting uprisings against the state.<ref name="Syan"/> The militarized Sikhs justified armed conflict as self-defence against Mughal oppression,<ref>Syan, pp. 8–10.</ref> trained themselves to become warriors and ''[[nihang]]s'', and organised themselves in ''[[jatha]]s''. In 1621, the first acts of open rebellion led to the eruption of the [[Mughal-Sikh Wars]].		Sikhism, founded in the late 15th century by [[Guru Nanak]] in the [[Punjab]] region, which was conquered by the [[Mughal Empire]] in the early 16th century, is generally considered to have been pacifist until the early 17th century.<ref name="Syan"/> Perceiving the growth of the Sikhs as a threat, the Mughal authorities began to persecute them, and in 1606 Sikh leader [[Guru Arjan]] was executed by Mughal emperor [[Jahangir]], apparently for refusing to [[Forced conversion\|convert]] to [[Islam]], though this remains disputed.<ref name="Syan"/> Sikhism split into two movements: one led by Guru Arjan's son [[Guru Hargobind]] began to regard Guru Arjan as a martyr, became more political and militaristic, and started organising armed rebellions against the Mughals; the other, the [[Mina (Sikhism)\|''Minas'']] led by Guru Arjan's older brother [[Prithi Chand]], would be concerned with defining themselves as maintainers of the precept of interiorization, rejecting uprisings against the state.<ref name="Syan"/> The militarized Sikhs justified armed conflict as self-defence against Mughal oppression,<ref>Syan, pp. 8–10.</ref> trained themselves to become warriors and ''[[nihang]]s'', and organised themselves in ''[[jatha]]s''. In 1621, the first acts of open rebellion led to the eruption of the Mughal-Sikh Wars.

	=== Sikh imperialism (1716–1849) ===		=== Sikh imperialism (1716–1849) ===
	[[File:Sikh_Akalis_on_the_March.jpg\|thumb\|right\|alt=5 early [[Nihang\|Akali]] Sikh warriors, one carrying a flag, one on horseback.\|19th-century ''[[Nihang\|Akali]]'' Sikh warriors.]]		[[File:Sikh_Akalis_on_the_March.jpg\|thumb\|right\|alt=5 early [[Nihang\|Akali]] Sikh warriors, one carrying a flag, one on horseback.\|19th-century ''[[Nihang\|Akali]]'' Sikh warriors.]]
	Over the course of several decades, small Sikh states known as [[misl]]s combined to form the [[Sikh Confederacy]] in 1716, that jointly fought against Mughal power. Professionalisation of combat led the last [[Guru Gobind Singh]] to create the [[Khalsa]], a special class of Sikh warriors, in 1699.<ref>Fenech, p. 178.</ref> In 1735, the jathas would be merged into a single army, the [[Dal Khalsa (Sikh army)\|Dal Khalsa]]. During the [[Afghan–Sikh Wars]], the Sikhs expanded even further and in 1799 the [[Sikh Empire]] was founded, which would last until 1849, when it was [[Second Anglo-Sikh War\|defeated]] and annexed by the [[British East India Company]].<ref>Fenech, p. 37.</ref> Sikh ~~warriors~~ would continue to serve in the [[British Indian Army]].		Over the course of several decades, small Sikh states known as [[misl]]s combined to form the [[Sikh Confederacy]] in 1716, that jointly fought against Mughal power. Professionalisation of combat led the last [[Guru Gobind Singh]] to create the [[Khalsa]], a special class of Sikh warriors, in 1699.<ref>Fenech, p. 178.</ref> In 1735, the jathas would be merged into a single army, the [[Dal Khalsa (Sikh army)\|Dal Khalsa]]. During the [[Afghan–Sikh Wars]], the Sikhs expanded even further and in 1799 the [[Sikh Empire]] was founded, which would last until 1849, when it was [[Second Anglo-Sikh War\|defeated]] and annexed by the [[British East India Company]].<ref>Fenech, p. 37.</ref> Sikh soldiers would continue to serve in the [[British Indian Army]].

	=== Modern period (1970s–1995) ===		=== Modern period (1970s–1995) ===
	{{Main\|Dharam Yudh Morcha\|Khalistan movement\|Punjab insurgency}}		{{Main\|Dharam Yudh Morcha\|Khalistan movement\|Punjab insurgency\|Kharku}}
	The Dharam Yudh Morcha ("righteous campaign";<ref name=bakke/> ''morcha'' meaning "agitation"<ref name="Schnabel"/>) was a political movement launched in 1982<ref name="Chima"/> by the Sikh political party [[Akali Dal]] in partnership with [[Jarnail Singh Bhindranwale]], with its stated aim being the fulfillment of a set of devolutionary objectives based on the [[Anandpur Sahib Resolution]] (1973).<ref name=bakke>{{cite book \|last1=Bakke \|first1=Kristin \|title=Decentralization and Intrastate Struggles: Chechnya, Punjab, and Québec \|publisher=Cambridge University Press \|location=Cambridge, United Kingdom \|isbn=9781107094383 \|edition=illustrated \|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ipfwCAAAQBAJ \|page=143 }}</ref> While this movement advocated for more autonomy for Punjab within India, the more radical separatist [[Khalistan movement]] also emerged, demanding a fully independent Sikh state.<ref name="Enc Sikhs"/><ref name="Schnabel"/> As the protest movement gained momentum, the government began to run out of room in jails for the over 25,000 peaceful volunteer protestors.<ref name=grewal>{{cite book \|last1=Grewal \|first1=J. S. \|title=The Sikhs of the Punjab (The New Cambridge History of India II.3) \|publisher=Cambridge University Press \|location=Cambridge, United Kingdom \|isbn=9781316025338 \|page=222 \|edition=Revised \|url=https://archive.org/details/sikhsofpunjab0000grew \|author1-link=J. S. Grewal}}</ref> Over 150,000 protestors would be arrested over the course of the ''morcha''.<ref>Chima, p. 83.</ref> The central government, instead of preempting the agitation regarding [[Punjab, India\|Punjab state]] by constitutionally referring all the legal issues to the ~~nation's~~ Supreme Court as demanded, played up the threat to law and order, and was ineffective in resolving the issues politically.<ref name=pettigrew>{{cite journal \|last1=Pettigrew \|first1=Joyce \|title=In Search of a New Kingdom of Lahore \|journal=Pacific Affairs \|volume=60 \|issue=1 \|page=20, 24 \|doi=10.2307/2758827 \|jstor=2758827}}</ref> Extrajudicial killings by police forces of orthodox Sikh youth in rural areas during the summer and winter of 1982 and early 1983 resulted in retaliatory violence.<ref name=pettigrew/> Progressively, violent actions by Sikh militants to achieve their demands also took place.<ref>Chima, p. 71.</ref> In June 1984, the movement reached its zenith during [[Operation Blue Star]], when Indian security forces stormed the holiest Sikh site, the [[Golden Temple]] in [[Amritsar]], where militants had set up their headquarters.<ref name="Enc Sikhs">Encarta-encyclopedie Winkler Prins (1993–2002) s.v. "Sikhs. §3. Autonomie". Microsoft Corporation/Het Spectrum.</ref> In retaliation, the two Sikh bodyguards of Prime Minister [[Assassination of Indira Gandhi\|Indira Gandhi assassinated her]] in October 1984.<ref>Encarta-encyclopedie Winkler Prins (1993–2002) s.v. "Gandhi, Indira".</ref> The killing was followed by many [[1984 anti-Sikh riots\|~~anti-Sikh~~ massacres]] as well as more Sikh militant attacks which cost dozens of lives.<ref>Encarta-encyclopedie Winkler Prins (1993–2002) s.v. "India. §5.5 Tweede regeerperiode Indira Gandhi".</ref> In the end, Sikh militancy did not bring about a separate state, and the Indian Government achieved victory in 1995.<ref>{{cite web\|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=5sSXCwAAQBAJ\|title=Unconventional Warfare in South Asia: Shadow Warriors and Counterinsurgency\|first1=Scott\|last1=Gates\|first2=Kaushik\|last2=Roy\|publisher=Routledge\|access-date=10 October 2017\|via=Google Books\|pp=163}}</ref>
			The Dharam Yudh Morcha ("righteous campaign";<ref name="bakke" /> ''morcha'' meaning "agitation"<ref name="Schnabel" />) was a political movement launched in 1982<ref name="Chima" /> by the Sikh political party [[Akali Dal]] in partnership with [[Jarnail Singh Bhindranwale]], with its stated aim being the fulfillment of a set of devolutionary objectives based on the [[Anandpur Sahib Resolution]] (1973).<ref name="bakke">{{cite book \|last1=Bakke \|first1=Kristin \|title=Decentralization and Intrastate Struggles: Chechnya, Punjab, and Québec \|date=2015 \|publisher=Cambridge University Press \|location=Cambridge, United Kingdom \|isbn=9781107094383 \|edition=illustrated \|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ipfwCAAAQBAJ \|page=143 }}</ref> While this movement advocated for more autonomy for Punjab within India, the more radical separatist [[Khalistan movement]] also emerged, demanding a fully independent Sikh state.<ref name="Enc Sikhs" /><ref name="Schnabel" /> As the protest movement gained momentum, the government began to run out of room in jails for the over 25,000 peaceful volunteer protestors.<ref name="grewal">{{cite book \|last1=Grewal \|first1=J. S. \|title=The Sikhs of the Punjab (The New Cambridge History of India II.3) \|date=1998 \|publisher=Cambridge University Press \|location=Cambridge, United Kingdom \|isbn=9781316025338 \|page=222 \|edition=Revised \|url=https://archive.org/details/sikhsofpunjab0000grew \|author1-link=J. S. Grewal}}</ref> Over 150,000 protestors would be arrested over the course of the ''morcha''.<ref>Chima, p. 83.</ref> The central government, instead of preempting the agitation regarding [[Punjab, India\|Punjab state]] by constitutionally referring all the legal issues to the [[Supreme Court of India]] as demanded, played up the threat to law and order, and was ineffective in resolving the issues politically.<ref name="pettigrew">{{cite journal \|last1=Pettigrew \|first1=Joyce \|title=In Search of a New Kingdom of Lahore \|journal=Pacific Affairs \|date=1987 \|volume=60 \|issue=1 \|page=20, 24 \|doi=10.2307/2758827 \|jstor=2758827}}</ref> Extrajudicial killings by police forces of orthodox Sikh youth in rural areas during the summer and winter of 1982 and early 1983 resulted in retaliatory violence.<ref name="pettigrew" /> Progressively, violent actions by Sikh militants to achieve their demands also took place.<ref>Chima, p. 71.</ref> In June 1984, the movement reached its zenith during [[Operation Blue Star]], when Indian security forces stormed the holiest Sikh site, the [[Golden Temple]] in [[Amritsar]], where militants had set up their headquarters.<ref name="Enc Sikhs">Encarta-encyclopedie Winkler Prins (1993–2002) s.v. "Sikhs. §3. Autonomie". Microsoft Corporation/Het Spectrum.</ref> In retaliation, the two Sikh bodyguards of [[Prime Minister of India\|Prime Minister]] [[Assassination of Indira Gandhi\|Indira Gandhi assassinated her]] in October 1984.<ref>Encarta-encyclopedie Winkler Prins (1993–2002) s.v. "Gandhi, Indira".</ref> The killing was followed by many [[1984 anti-Sikh riots\|massacres of Sikhs]] as well as more Sikh militant attacks which cost dozens of lives.<ref>Encarta-encyclopedie Winkler Prins (1993–2002) s.v. "India. §5.5 Tweede regeerperiode Indira Gandhi".</ref> In the end, Sikh militancy did not bring about a separate state, and the [[Indian Government]] achieved victory in 1995.<ref>{{cite web\|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=5sSXCwAAQBAJ\|title=Unconventional Warfare in South Asia: Shadow Warriors and Counterinsurgency\|first1=Scott\|last1=Gates\|first2=Kaushik\|last2=Roy\|date=17 February 2016\|publisher=Routledge\|access-date=10 October 2017\|via=Google Books\|pp=163}}</ref>

	== References ==		== References ==
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	[[Category:Sikhism and violence]]		[[Category:Sikhism and violence]]
	[[Category:Sikh ~~Empire]]~~		[[Category:Sikh military]]
	~~[[Category:Sikh terminology~~]]

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2023-03-20T19:38:06Z

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{{Use British English}}{{Use dmy dates}}
{{Sikhism sidebar}}

In [[Sikhism]], '''dharamyudh''', '''dharam-yudh''' or '''dharam yudh''' ([[Gurmukhi]]: ਧਰਮਯੁਧ) is a term which is variously translated as '[[religious war]]',<ref>{{Cite book |last=Dhavan |first=Purnima |title=When Sparrows Became Hawks: The Making of the Sikh Warrior Tradition, 1699-1799 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=-7HJ5idB8_QC&pg=PA76 |location=Oxford |publisher=[[Oxford University Press]] |page=76 |isbn=9780199756551 |access-date=16 September 2019}}</ref><ref name="Chima">{{Cite book |last=Chima |first=Jugdep S. |title=The Sikh Separatist Insurgency in India: Political Leadership and Ethnonationalist Movements |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=qJaHAwAAQBAJ&pg=PA70 |location=New Delhi |publisher=SAGE Publications India |page=70 |isbn=9788132105381 |access-date=16 September 2019}}</ref> 'war of righteousness',<ref name="Chima"/> 'war in defence of righteousness',<ref name="Fenech">{{Cite book |last1=Fenech |first1=Louis E. |last2=McLeod |first2=W. H. |title=Historical Dictionary of Sikhism |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=xajcAwAAQBAJ&pg=PA99 |location=Plymouth & Lanham, Maryland |publisher=Rowman & Littlefield |pages=99–100 |isbn=9781442236011 |access-date=16 September 2019}}</ref> or 'war for justice'.<ref name="Schnabel">{{Cite book |last1=Schnabel |first1=Albrecht |last2=Gunaratna |first2=Rohan |title=Wars From Within: Understanding And Managing Insurgent Movements |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Mdi3CgAAQBAJ&pg=PA194 |location=London |publisher=Imperial College Press |page=194 |isbn=9781783265596 |access-date=16 September 2019}}</ref> Though some core tenets in the Sikh religion are understood to emphasise peace and nonviolence, especially before the 1606 execution of [[Guru Arjan]] by [[Mughal Empire|Mughal]] emperor [[Jahangir]],<ref name="Syan">{{Cite book |last=Syan |first=Hardip Singh |title=Sikh Militancy in the Seventeenth Century: Religious Violence in Mughal and Early Modern India |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=9RzzxcEL4C0C&pg=PA3 |location=London & New York |publisher=I.B.Tauris |pages=3–4, 252 |isbn=9781780762500 |access-date=15 September 2019}}</ref> military force may be justified if all peaceful means to settle a conflict have been exhausted, thus resulting in a ''dharamyudh''.<ref name="Fenech"/>

== Etymology ==
The first part of the term ''dharamyudh'' comes from [[Punjabi language|Punjabi]] ''dharm'' or ''dharam'' ([[:wikt:ਧਰਮ#Punjabi|ਧਰਮ]]), which is usually translated as 'religion',<ref name="Fenech"/> although it is said to 'encapsulate a wider understanding of appropriate conduct, moral order, and bodily discipline' than the words 'religion' and 'religious practice' in English do.<ref name="Dhavan14-15"/> It is derived from [[Sanskrit]] ''dhárma'' ([[:wikt:धर्म#Sanskrit|धर्म]]),<ref name="Dhavan14-15">Dhavan, pp. 14–15.</ref> which has various possible meanings<ref name="Fenech"/> including 'morality', 'justice', 'law', 'religion', 'devotion' and 'sacrifice'. The second part is a cognate of [[Hindi]] ''yuddh'' ([[:wikt:युद्ध#Hindi|युद्ध]], meaning 'war'), derived from Sanskrit ''yuddhá'' ([[:wikt:युद्ध#Sanskrit|युद्ध]], meaning 'battle', 'fight' or 'war'). The meaning of the term ''dharamyudh'' appears to have been somewhat ambiguous in the writings of the early Sikh Gurus, ranging from 'an interior, individual, spiritual struggle' to 'a war to defend one's beliefs', but by the 18th century, it was increasingly interpreted as 'a religiously sanctioned war against Muslims in particular', which scholars attribute to the changing political circumstances that the Sikhs found themselves in, or moved themselves into.<ref name="Dhavan14-15"/>

[[Hinduism]] also has a similar concept called ''[[dharma-yuddha]]'' that appears several times in the ''[[Mahabharatha]]''.

== History ==
=== Militarisation of Sikhism (17th century) ===
{{See also|Just war theory}}
Sikhism, founded in the late 15th century by [[Guru Nanak]] in the [[Punjab]] region, which was conquered by the [[Mughal Empire]] in the early 16th century, is generally considered to have been pacifist until the early 17th century.<ref name="Syan"/> Perceiving the growth of the Sikhs as a threat, the Mughal authorities began to persecute them, and in 1606 Sikh leader [[Guru Arjan]] was executed by Mughal emperor [[Jahangir]], apparently for refusing to [[Forced conversion|convert]] to [[Islam]], though this remains disputed.<ref name="Syan"/> Sikhism split into two movements: one led by Guru Arjan's son [[Guru Hargobind]] began to regard Guru Arjan as a martyr, became more political and militaristic, and started organising armed rebellions against the Mughals; the other, the [[Mina (Sikhism)|''Minas'']] led by Guru Arjan's older brother [[Prithi Chand]], would be concerned with defining themselves as maintainers of the precept of interiorization, rejecting uprisings against the state.<ref name="Syan"/> The militarized Sikhs justified armed conflict as self-defence against Mughal oppression,<ref>Syan, pp. 8–10.</ref> trained themselves to become warriors and ''[[nihang]]s'', and organised themselves in ''[[jatha]]s''. In 1621, the first acts of open rebellion led to the eruption of the [[Mughal-Sikh Wars]].

=== Sikh imperialism (1716–1849) ===
[[File:Sikh_Akalis_on_the_March.jpg|thumb|right|alt=5 early [[Nihang|Akali]] Sikh warriors, one carrying a flag, one on horseback.|19th-century ''[[Nihang|Akali]]'' Sikh warriors.]]
Over the course of several decades, small Sikh states known as [[misl]]s combined to form the [[Sikh Confederacy]] in 1716, that jointly fought against Mughal power. Professionalisation of combat led the last [[Guru Gobind Singh]] to create the [[Khalsa]], a special class of Sikh warriors, in 1699.<ref>Fenech, p. 178.</ref> In 1735, the jathas would be merged into a single army, the [[Dal Khalsa (Sikh army)|Dal Khalsa]]. During the [[Afghan–Sikh Wars]], the Sikhs expanded even further and in 1799 the [[Sikh Empire]] was founded, which would last until 1849, when it was [[Second Anglo-Sikh War|defeated]] and annexed by the [[British East India Company]].<ref>Fenech, p. 37.</ref> Sikh warriors would continue to serve in the [[British Indian Army]].

=== Modern period (1970s–1995) ===
{{Main|Dharam Yudh Morcha|Khalistan movement|Punjab insurgency}}
The Dharam Yudh Morcha ("righteous campaign";<ref name=bakke/> ''morcha'' meaning "agitation"<ref name="Schnabel"/>) was a political movement launched in 1982<ref name="Chima"/> by the Sikh political party [[Akali Dal]] in partnership with [[Jarnail Singh Bhindranwale]], with its stated aim being the fulfillment of a set of devolutionary objectives based on the [[Anandpur Sahib Resolution]] (1973).<ref name=bakke>{{cite book |last1=Bakke |first1=Kristin |title=Decentralization and Intrastate Struggles: Chechnya, Punjab, and Québec |publisher=Cambridge University Press |location=Cambridge, United Kingdom |isbn=9781107094383 |edition=illustrated |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ipfwCAAAQBAJ |page=143 }}</ref> While this movement advocated for more autonomy for Punjab within India, the more radical separatist [[Khalistan movement]] also emerged, demanding a fully independent Sikh state.<ref name="Enc Sikhs"/><ref name="Schnabel"/> As the protest movement gained momentum, the government began to run out of room in jails for the over 25,000 peaceful volunteer protestors.<ref name=grewal>{{cite book |last1=Grewal |first1=J. S. |title=The Sikhs of the Punjab (The New Cambridge History of India II.3) |publisher=Cambridge University Press |location=Cambridge, United Kingdom |isbn=9781316025338 |page=222 |edition=Revised |url=https://archive.org/details/sikhsofpunjab0000grew |author1-link=J. S. Grewal}}</ref> Over 150,000 protestors would be arrested over the course of the ''morcha''.<ref>Chima, p. 83.</ref> The central government, instead of preempting the agitation regarding [[Punjab, India|Punjab state]] by constitutionally referring all the legal issues to the nation's Supreme Court as demanded, played up the threat to law and order, and was ineffective in resolving the issues politically.<ref name=pettigrew>{{cite journal |last1=Pettigrew |first1=Joyce |title=In Search of a New Kingdom of Lahore |journal=Pacific Affairs |volume=60 |issue=1 |page=20, 24 |doi=10.2307/2758827 |jstor=2758827}}</ref> Extrajudicial killings by police forces of orthodox Sikh youth in rural areas during the summer and winter of 1982 and early 1983 resulted in retaliatory violence.<ref name=pettigrew/> Progressively, violent actions by Sikh militants to achieve their demands also took place.<ref>Chima, p. 71.</ref> In June 1984, the movement reached its zenith during [[Operation Blue Star]], when Indian security forces stormed the holiest Sikh site, the [[Golden Temple]] in [[Amritsar]], where militants had set up their headquarters.<ref name="Enc Sikhs">Encarta-encyclopedie Winkler Prins (1993–2002) s.v. "Sikhs. §3. Autonomie". Microsoft Corporation/Het Spectrum.</ref> In retaliation, the two Sikh bodyguards of Prime Minister [[Assassination of Indira Gandhi|Indira Gandhi assassinated her]] in October 1984.<ref>Encarta-encyclopedie Winkler Prins (1993–2002) s.v. "Gandhi, Indira".</ref> The killing was followed by many [[1984 anti-Sikh riots|anti-Sikh massacres]] as well as more Sikh militant attacks which cost dozens of lives.<ref>Encarta-encyclopedie Winkler Prins (1993–2002) s.v. "India. §5.5 Tweede regeerperiode Indira Gandhi".</ref> In the end, Sikh militancy did not bring about a separate state, and the Indian Government achieved victory in 1995.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=5sSXCwAAQBAJ|title=Unconventional Warfare in South Asia: Shadow Warriors and Counterinsurgency|first1=Scott|last1=Gates|first2=Kaushik|last2=Roy|publisher=Routledge|access-date=10 October 2017|via=Google Books|pp=163}}</ref>

== References ==
{{Reflist}}
{{Sikhism}}

[[Category:Sikhism and violence]]
[[Category:Sikh Empire]]
[[Category:Sikh terminology]]