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Guru Nanak who lived in the Punjab between A.D. 1469 and 1539 founded The Sikh religion. He was very much troubled at the frequent quarrels between Hindus and Muslims. He preached that there was only one God for Hindu and Muslims and tried to work out a synthesis of the two religions. His mission became popular and he very soon had a large following. He traveled extensively going as far as Mecca and was in frequent contact with the leading sages of Hindu and Muslim religions. On his death, his disciples who became Gurus in their turn succeeded him.
The Gurus have built up the modern Sikh community. The fifth Guru, Guru Arjan Dev (1581-1606) compiled the Adi Granth, the first sacred book of the Sikhs. The most famous Guru is Guru Gobing Singh (d. 1708). He organized the Sikhs into a militant community. He instituted Pahul or Baptism in water stirred by a dagger.
Those who were baptized were known as the Khals (pure) with the designation Singh (lion). All members of the Khalsa had to wear the 5 k’s – Kes (long hair), Kangha (comb), Kripan (sword), Kaccha (short drawers) and Kara (steel bracelet). The Khalsa soon emerged as a valorous fighting unit. It enabled the Sikhs to form a state of their own under Maharaja Ranjeet Singh (d. 1839).
The majority of the Sikh population is found in the Punjab state of India and city of Delhi. Their most important sacred place is the Golden Temple at Amritsar.
Sikh painting is a direct offshoot of the Kangra School of painting. In 1810 Maharaja Ranjeet Singh (1780-1839) occupied Kangra Ford and appointed Sardar Desa Singh Majithia as his Governor of the Punjab Hills. In 1813 the Sikh army occupied Haripur Guler and Raja Bhup Singh became a vassal of Sikh Power. With the Sikh Kingdom of Lahore becoming the paramount power, some of the Pahari painters from Guler migrated to Lahore to enjoy the patronage of Maharaja Ranjeet Singh and his Sardars.
The Sikh School of paintings is the adoption of the Kangra Kalam to Sikh needs and ideals. Its main subjects are the ten Sikh gurus and anecdotes from the Janam Sikh. The tenth Guru, Gobind Singh, left a deep impression on the adherents of the new faith because of his reckless bravery and unparalleled sacrifices. Hunting scenes and portraiture are also common in Sikh painting.
