Introductory - Global Sikh Studies

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to gain or retain feudal power, and the stray reactions of individuals
or groups, the stark reality of Indian history is that, once the Mughal
power was established, the only organized movements directed against
Mughal religious persecution and political domination as such, were
those of the Marathas and the Sikhs. Even the Maratha movement,
though it had an undertone of Hindu national sentiment, was based
primarily on regional Maharashtrian nationalism. Shivaji was
prepared to come to terms with the Mughal rulers provided his
Maratha domain was not challenged. Moreover, the rise of the
Marathas under Shivaji was a middle class movement (i.e. it was
led by them and the political power was captured b the Prabhus
and the Brahmins), and it was favoured by historical and
geographical conditions which could not be reproduced elsewhere.
On the other hand, what distinguishes the Sikh movement
particularly is its pronounced plebian character, and it had to
struggle against more adverse circumstances, being located in the
heart of the Mughal empire. The Sikh movement was also not a
Hindu sectarian movement; and there is no basis to suggest that
the Sikh movement was built upon, or catered to, the Punjabi
regional sentiment. The Sikh ideology was universal and not
sectarian or regional. Of the five Beloved Ones (Panj Pyaras), four
belonged to places outside the Punjab. More than half of the
population of the Punjab and embraced Islam and was moved by
its religious loyalties to support Muslim rule. Also, there is not a
single instance when the people of the Punjab made a common
cause as Punjabies. Therefore, it would be a travesty of facts to
trace the genesis of an exceptional movement solely to such cause
(e.g. the religious persecution by the Mughal government and the
economic distress of the people), which were operative throughout
the country, without taking into account the one special factor that
made all the difference. This was the Sikh ideology and the tenacity
with which it was pursued. The Sikh movement was the product
of the impact of this ideology on the environmental conditions.
The followers of the Gurus were also initially drawn to them purely
from religious motives. It is due to the deep commitment of the Gurus
to the revolutionary cause that they channelized the religious faith in
them of their followers into a course which aimed at achieving political