Rare Documents on Sikhs and Their Rule in the Punjab

Contents: Foreword. Preface. 1. Origin and making of a nation. 2. Historical and political memoir of transactions in the Punjab. 3. Memoirs of the reign of Runjeet Singh. 4. Thirty-five years in the East. 5. Travels in India, Sinde and the Punjab. Addenda. Index.

"The establishment of sovereign political power of the Sikhs over Northern India as bulwark against constant ferocious invasions on India from the North-West makes a unique history.

The growth of Sikh military and political power in the 18/19 century has perhaps no parallel in history. Transformation of Sikhs from a docile, suppliant and indulgent people into a fearless warrior class of unmatched quality, as if through some divination, their ordeals and sacrifices, their guerrilla warfare and armed struggle against foreign despotic and ruthless rulers have been told vividly in the pages of this book.

This book deals with a period of about three hundred years--from time of Guru Nanak to that of Runjeet Singh and his descendants. Efforts has been made here to present an integrated historical account of the Sikhs based on rare documents including some unpublished ones, of early historians, travellers and courtiers." (jacket)