Chapter 2 SOURCE OF THE HISTORY OF THE PUNJAB
*Objective Type Questions:-
(Answers in One word or Sentence)
Ques1:
Name any one historical source of Punjab related to the Sikhs?
Ans: Adi Granth Sahib Ji.
Ques2:
Who composed Bachitar Natak?
Ans: Guru Gobind Singh Ji.
Ques3:
What is Zafarnama?
Ans: Zafarnama is a letter of Guru
Gobind Singh Ji written to Aurangzeb.
Ques4:
Who was the author of Tuzak-i-Babari?
Ans: Babar.
Ques5:
Who wrote 'Jang-nama'?
Ans: Qazi Nur Mohammad.
Ques6:
Who was the court historian of Maharaja Ranjit Singh?
Ans: Sohan Lal Suri.
Ques7:
Name the famous work of J.D. Cunningham?
Ans: History of the Sikhs.
* Fill in the blanks
1. Adi Granth Sahib Ji was compiled
by Guru Arjan Dev Ji.
2. Bachitar
Natak is the autobiography of Guru
Gobind Singh Ji.
3. Bhai Gurdas Ji composed a total of
39 Vars.
4. Hukamnamas mean Proclaimations.
5. Gurshoba was written by Sainapat.
6. Tuzak-i-Jahangiri is Jahangir's autobiography.
7. The first Sikh coins were issued
by Banda Singh Bahadur.
* Multiple Choice Questions:-
Ques1:
Who edited Dasam Granth Sahib Ji?
(i)
Guru Gobind Singh Ji (ii) Baba Deep Singh Ji
(iii)
Bhai mani Singh Ji (iv) Guru Arjan Dev Ji
Ans: (ii) Bhai Mani Singh Ji.
Ques2:
Who was the author of Gyan Ratnavali?
(i)
Bhai Bala Ji (ii) Kesar Singh Chhibar
(iii)
Bhai Gurdas Ji (iv) Bhai Mani Singh Ji
Ans: (IV) Bhai Mani Singh Ji.
Ques3:
Who wrote Sri Gursobha?
(i)
Bhai Mani Singh Ji (ii) Rattan Singh Bhangu
(iii)
Sainapat (iv) Giani Gian Singh
Ans: (iii) Sainapat
Ques4:
Who composed the book 'Sikhan Di Bhagatmala'?
(i)
Bhai Mani Singh Ji (ii) Bhai Santokh Singh Ji
(iii)
Bhai Daya Singh Ji (iv) Rattan Singh Bhangu
Ans: (i) Bhai Mani Singh Ji.
Ques5:
In which language Babar wrote Tuzak-i-Babari?
(i)
Persian (ii) Urdu
(iii)
Turkish (iv) Arabian
Ans: (iii) Turkish.
Ques6:
Name the famous book written by Khafi Khan?
(i)
Dabistan-i-Majahib (ii) Knulasat-ut-Twarikh
(iii)
Jang Nama (iv) Muntkhib-u-Lubab
Ans: (iv) Muntkhib-u-Lubab.
Ques7:
Name the famous book of Ganesh Das Wadehra?
(i)
Tawarikh-i-Punjab (ii) Char-Bagh-i-Punjab
(iii)
Tawarikh-i-Sikhan (iv) Ibratnama
Ans: (ii) Char-Bagh-i-Punjab
*True /False
1.
The Adi Granth Sahib is considered as the most Sacred and authentic scripture of
Sikhism - (True)
2.
The Autobiography of Guru Gobind Singh Ji is called 'Zafarnama' — (False)
3.
Puratan Janam Sakhi was edited by Bhai Vir Singh Ji in 1926 A.D. (True)
4.
The writer of Panth Prakash was Giani Gian Singh- (False)
5.
Tuzak-i-Jahangiri was the creation of Shah jahan - (False)
6.
Khalsa Darbar Records are written in Gurumukhi - (False)
7.
History of the Sikhs was written by J.D. cunnigham-(T rue)
3 Marks Question Answer.
1.
Q: What difficulties do we face regarding sources of history of the Punjab?
Ans:
1. The Sources related to the period
of the Gurus are quite incomplete.
2. Muslim writers have deliberately
not presented the Sikh history correctly.
3. Several Books of Sikh history were
destroyed in the 18" century during the invasions of Nadir Shah and Ahmed
shah Abdali.
4. Many sources of Punjab history are
still lying without scrutiny.
5. Many Historical Sources got
destroyed at the time of partition.
2.
Write a short note on Hukamnamas.
Ans:
1. Hukamnamas were the orders of Sikh
Gurus or of their family members.
2. In most of these Hukamnamas, they
were asked to bring ration for community kitchen, money for construction of
religious buildings, horses and arms for battles.
3. 89 Hukamnamas have been compiled
so far.
4. The Sikhs obeyed these Hukamnamas
as the orders from God.
3.
What is meant by Janam Sakhis? Explain briefly the three Janam Sakhis.
Ans:
The stories related to the birth and
life of Guru Nanak Dev Ji are called Janam
Sakhis.
1. Bhai Vir Singh edited Puratan
Janam Sakhi in 1926 A.D. It is the oldest and most trustworthy Janam Sakhi.
2. The Janam Sakhi of Meharban was
written by Meharban, the son of Pirthi
Chand. In it he gave a detailed
description of the Udasis of Guru Nanak Dev Ji.
3. Bhai Balaji’s Janam Sakhi. It is
not trustworthy.
4. Bhai Mani Singh ji’s Janam Sakhi. It
is a very trustworthy source.
4.
Write a note on Bhai Gurdas ji Bhalla?
Ans: Bhai Gurdas ji Bhalla (1558-1635
A.D.) was the son of Datar Chand Bhalla, the brother of Guru Amar Das Ji. He
was the contemporary of third, fourth, fifth and sixth Sikh Gurus. He was a
great poet and writer. He composed 39 Vars. These wars are written in Punjabi. We
get useful information about the first Six Gurus’ lives, teachings of Sikh religion,
names of cities and the lives of saints and bhaktas from these Vars. First and
eleventh Vars are considered important from the historical point of view.
5.
Write short note on Adi Granth Sahib Ji.
Ans:
Adi Granth Sahib Ji is considered the
supreme, sacred and authentic scripture of the Sikhs. Guru Arjan Dev Ji
compiled Adi Granth Sahib Ji in 1604 A.D. The Bani of first five sikh Gurus and
of Guru Teg Bahadur Ji is included in it. Besides, The Bani of many Hindu
Bhagats, Muslim Sufis, Bhats etc. is also included in it. We get valuable
information about political, religious, social and economic life of that time
by studying Adi Granth Sahib Ji.
6.
Write short note on Dasam Granth Sahib Ji.
Ans:
Dasam Granth Sahib Ji is an compilation of the works of Guru Gobind Singh Ji and his court poets. Bhai Mani Singh Ji compiled Dasam Granth Sahib Ji in 1721 A.D. It is the collection of 18 books. Jaap Sahib, Akal Ustat, Chandi Di Var, Shabad Hazare, Shastarnama, Bachitar Natak and Zafarnama are worthy of special mention. Bachiter Natak is the autobiography of Guru Gobind Singh Ji. Zafanama is a letter victory written by Guru Gobind Singh Ji to Aurangzeb.
7.
Discuss about Bachitar Natak.
Ans: It is the autobiography of Guru
Gobind Singh Ji. It explain life of Guru Gobind Singh Ji. It also explains
about the creation of this world and History of Bedis and Sodhis and the
battles of Guru Gobind Singh Ji. In it the objective of Guru Gobind Singh Ji is
also given. It throws light on martyrdom of Guru Teg Bahadur Ji.
8.
Explain any three important Persian sources Which are essential for composing
the History of the Punjab.
Ans:
1. Ain-i-Akbari is the main source of
information regarding Akbar's relations with the Sikh Gurus. It is written by
Abul Fazl.
2. Tuzak-i-Jahangiri is the
autobiography of Jahangir. It explains the reason which led to the martyrdom of
Guru Arjan Dev Ji.
3. Qazi Nur Muhammad wrote Jangnama.
He gave an eye-witness account of warfare of the Sikhs and their character.
9.
Write a brief note on Khalsa Darbar Records.
Ans: Khalsa Darbar Records are the
official Records of Maharaja Ranjit Singh. It is found in Persian language and
its number is more than one lakh.
These records are found in the
Archives Libraries of Lahore and these were also available in the Patiala State
Archives Library. Sita Ram Kohli has the credit to make a list of these records
in 1919.
These records are of great historical
importance as we can find a large amount of information about Maharaja Ranjit
Singh’s period from these records.
10.
Write a short note on the historical importance of records of British Indian Government.
Ans: British Indian Government
Records are the official records of the British and these records bears the
authenticity of the facts of history of not only India history but are the real
sources of Punjab history .Specially during the rule of Maharaja Ranjit Singh's
period to Anglo Sikh wars and including the British regime in Punjab. It
largely gives information about Maharaja Ranjit Singh relations with the
Afghans, the Britishers and with the Aamirs of Sindh.
11.
Throw light on three important sources of information on Punjab History.
Ans:
1. The Court and Camp of Ranjit Singh: In it Captain William Osborne has thrown light on the grandeur of
Maharaja Ranjit Singh’s court and his military administration.
2. History of the Sikhs: |n this book Dr. Mac. Gregor provides useful information about the
battles of Maharaja Ranjit Singh and Sikhs against the English.
3. The Punjab: In this book, Steinbach has given very important details about the army
of Maharaja Ranjit Singh.
12.
Examine the importance of coins in the construction of the History of the Punjab.
Ans:
1. Coins gives us immense information
about the Mughals Period and of course about the times of Banda Bahadur, Who
first time introduced Sikh Coinage naming “Nanak-Shahi” Coins.
2. Coins are great source of times of
Maharaja Ranjit Singh and his administration.
3. Coins introduced by Jassa Singh
Ahluwalia, after 1765 A.D. naming “Gobind- Shahi” coins gives us information
about Dal Khalsa Period.
These coins throw valuable light on
the dates and other important facts about the different rulers .As the facts
provided by these coins are very trustworthy.
LONG QUESTIONS
QUES
1: What problems do historians face while writing the history of Punjab?
ANS: - Historians
faced the following problems while writing the Punjab history:-
1. Punjab had no separate political
identity except during the reign of Maharaja Ranjit Singh (1792-1839).
Otherwise Punjab has always been part of Mughal Empie. As such, no separate
history of the state was ever written.
2. The Punjab was located on the
North-West frontiers of India. So, it had always been a target of foreign
invaders, who destroyed a lot of useful material that would have helped the
historians in creating the historical data.
3. Mainly, we depend upon the
religious literature of the Sikhs for the purpose of writing Punjab History. However,
we have to be cautious while doing so. The religious literature lays more emphasis
on the religious aspect of particular period, mode of worship, sentiments and traditions.
On account of this, one tends to ignore some of the true historical facts or
History gets so much mixed up with religion and mythology that it becomes
difficult to shift out history from religion.
4. Historians face another problem,
Sikh and Muslim writers present the same event or the personality subjectively.
As such truth, which has to be objective, gets lost.
5. Religious fanaticism of muslim
writers poses another problem. They always distort the political events, with a
view either to show their hostility towards Sikh religion or to please their
muslim rulers.
6. For writing the history of Punjab
i.e. 1469 to 1708, we primarily rely on JANAM SAKHI. However, we cannot repose
our full faith in the Sakhis as many miracle stories have been associated with
these Sakhis. Secondly, there is a discrepancy of the time and date of the
occurrence of these stories/events.
7. There have sometimes been disputes
about the succession of the Guru in Sikh religion e.g. Guru Arjun Dev Ji, Guru
Har Rai Ji and Guru Teg Bahadur Ji were respectively opposed by Prithia, Ram
Rai and Dhir Mal. These rivals of Sikh Gurus out of jealousy, wrote many
extraneous things. Historians face problems while judging these distortions
from the historic point of view.
8. During the first half of the
eighteenth century, there was political instability, disorder and disturbance
in Punjab. The Mughal emperor had lost its grip over Punjab. The invasions of
Nadir Shah and Ahmed Shah Abdali further worsened the situations. Sikhs started
organizing themselves into ‘Misals’. A lot of significant historical information
was ruined in this political turmoil.
9. During the partition of india in
1947, West Punjab and Lahore, the centre of political activities, became a part
of Pakistan. A lot of significant historical material was either destroyd in
the holocaust of partition or it was left in Pakistan.
10. Mahants had a monopoly over
gurudwaras before 1920.
They were turned out of the
gurudwaras after the success of Gurudwara Reform Movement and the passing of Gurudwara
Reform Act, 1925. They took away all the religious books and other source
material as if it were their personal property, causing an irrepairable
historical loss.
Similarly, many Sikh families,
landlords and royal families possess many Pattars, documents, personal correspondence,
Vahis, accounts and weapons which can provide vital information but they refuse
to co-operate in this regard.
QUES
2: Briefly study the Sikh religious literature as the source of history of
Punjab.
ANS: - The Adi Granth Sahib: The Adi Granth Sahib or Guru Granth Sahib Ji was compiled
in 1604 A.D. Besides the writings of first five Gurus, the writings of many
Hindu bhagats and Sufi saints, Bhatts and writers have been included in it. Its
main interest, no doubt, is religious but reference to historical events, socio-religious
life of the people along with their traditions, faiths, food habits and dress
are found at many places.
The Dasam Granth: - The Dasam Granth contains the poetic works of Guru Gobind Singh Ji and
many of his court poets. It was compiled by Bhai Mani Singh after the death of
Guru Gobind Singh Ji. It consists of 18 granths out of which Bachitra Natak,
Zafarnama, Jap Sahib, Akal Ustat, Chandi di Vaar are important. It gives a detailed
account of the history of Sodhi and Bedi dynasties, the martyrdom of Guru Teg Bahadur
and the battles of the early life of Guru. The Bachitra Natak tells us about
Guru Gobind Singh Ji’s mission of life, his relations with hilly Rajas and
graphic account of various battles with hilly Rajas and Mughals.
Vars of Bhai Gurdas: Bhai Gurdas Bhalla, the nephew of Guru Amardas was a contemporary of the
4", 5" and 6 Gurus. He wrote 39 vars. Three of his vars (first,
eleventh and twenty sixth) are very important from historical point of view.
Janam-Sakhis: A janam-Sakhi is known as a testimony on the birth and life of Guru Nanak
dev Ji and these were generally written in 17 and 18 century. The Puratan Janam
Sakhi, Janam Sakhi Meherban, Bhai Bala’s Janam Sakhi, Bhai Mani Singh’s Janam
Sakhi are very important from historical point of view. They give a detailed
account of Guru Ji’s birth, udasis and time spent at Kartarpur.
Hukumnamas: The orders or instructions issued from time to time by Gurus, the members
of their families or from the Akal Takht have been called ‘Hukumnamas’. Many of
these have been lost but famous historian Dr. Ganda Singh, with great effort,
has compiled 89 such Hukumnamas and the Punjabi University has published it.
Out of these, Guru Gobind Singh Ji issued 34; Mata Sundri and Mata Sahib Kaur issued
18; Guru Teg Bahadur Ji issued 23; one each issued by 5th 7th and 8th Guru
Sahib and two issued by Banda Bahadur.
QUES
3:- Give a brief account of the Persian Sources of history of The Punjab.
ANS 3:- Many books written in Persian
language throw significant light on the history of the Punjab. Most of these books
were written by Muslim writers.
1. Tuzuk-i-Babari: Tuzuk-i-Babari or Babar Nama is an autobiography of the Mughal emperor
Babar. It is in Turkish language. It throws significant light on the political,
social and economic condition of the Punjab in the beginning of th 16th
century.
2. Ain-i-Akbari and Akbarnama: - Abul Fazal was the chief advisor of Akbar and author of these two books.
These books provide important material regarding some events of the Punjab
during Akbar’s reign and his administration of the region.
3. Tuzuk-i-Jahangiri: - The autobiography of Jahangir highlights the real cause of the martyrdom
of Guru Arjun Dev Ji.
4. Dabistan-i-Mazahib: - It was writthen by Zulfikar Ardistani, a Parsi and a contemporary of Guru
Hargobind Ji and Guru Har Rai Ji. It is an important source of information on
the lives of these Gurus.
5. Muntkhib-ul-Lubab: Khafi Khan, the court historian of Aurangzeb has written this book. The book deals with Guru Tegh Bahadur Ji and Guru Gobind Singh Ji but it makes a special reference to the atrocities committed on Banda Bahadur and his companions.
6. Jang Nama:-Jang Nama written by Qazi Noor Muhammad beautifully describes the several invasions of Ahmed Shah Abdali and the bravery exhibited by the Sikhs in the Afghan-Sikh struggle.
7. Umdat-ul-Tawarikh: - It was written by Maharaja Ranjit singh’s Vakil Munshi Sohan Lal Suri. As
such it is the most well-known book which gives comprehensive information about
the reign of Maharaja Ranjit Singh.
8. Zafar-Nama-i-Ranjit Singh: The book written by Diwan Dina Nath describes the events connected with
the reign of Maharaja Ranjt Singh up to 1836 A.D.
QUES
4:- Write a note on Janam Sakhis.
ANS 4:- A janam-Sakhi is known as a
testimony on the birth and life of Guru Nanak dev Ji and these were generally
written in 17 and 18" century. Following four janamsakhis are prominent:-
1. Puratan Janam Sakhi: It is believed to be the oldest and
is based on Walayat Wali Janam-Sakhi and Hafizabad Wali janam-Sakhi. It was
edited by Bhai Vir Singh in 1926. It is considered to be more reliable as
compared to other Janam-sakhis since it does not contain many miraculous
events.
2. Janam Sakhi Meherban: Meherban was the son of Prithia, the
elder brother of Guru Arjun Dev Ji. As such he had direct links with the Guru’s
family and Sikh religion. This Sakhi gives a detailed account of Guru Nanak Dev
Ji’s udasis and his stay at Kartarpur Sahib. It is considered reliable and authentic.
3. Bhai Bala’s Janam Sakhi: It is believed that
Bhai Bala accompanied Guru Nanak Dev Ji in some of his ‘udasis’, but some historians
believe that Bhai Bala was never a companion of Guru Nanak Dev Ji. Thus it is
less authentic as certain new stories were added to it.
4. Gian Ratnawali or Bhai Mani Singh’s Janam Sakhi: Bhai Mani Singh was the contemporary of Guru Gobind Singh Ji. Thus his
account is accurate to a great extent but his Sakhi is mainly based on the first
var of Bhai Gurdas. It gives a graphic account of many traditions and stories
related to the life of Guru Nanak Dev Ji which were prevalent during the lifetime
of ten Gurus.
