1469 — Birth of Guru Nanak Dev Ji
The first Sikh Guru is born in Talwandi (now Nankana Sahib, Pakistan), founding the Sikh faith.
From Guru Nanak Dev Ji to the Sikh Empire — the events that shaped the Panth
The first Sikh Guru is born in Talwandi (now Nankana Sahib, Pakistan), founding the Sikh faith.
The third Guru, who would later institutionalize langar and compose Anand Sahib, is born in Basarke, Punjab.
The second Guru, who formalized the Gurmukhi script, is born in Harike, Punjab.
The fourth Guru, founder of Amritsar, is born in Lahore, Punjab.
Guru Nanak Dev Ji passes at Kartarpur after naming Guru Angad Dev Ji as his successor.
The second Guru passes in Khadur Sahib, having strengthened the Gurmukhi script and the langar tradition.
The fifth Guru, compiler of the Adi Granth and builder of Sri Harmandir Sahib, is born in Goindval, Punjab.
The third Guru passes in Goindval, having organized the growing Sikh community into 22 preaching districts.
The fourth Guru passes in Goindval, having founded Amritsar and excavated its sacred pool.
The sixth Guru, who introduced the principle of Miri-Piri, is born in Guru Ki Wadali, Punjab.
The fifth Guru becomes the first Sikh martyr, executed by Mughal Emperor Jahangir in Lahore.
Guru Hargobind Sahib Ji establishes the Akal Takht in Amritsar, embodying the principle of Miri-Piri.
The ninth Guru, later known as "Hind di Chadar," is born in Amritsar.
The seventh Guru, known for compassion and herbal medicine dispensaries, is born in Kiratpur Sahib.
The sixth Guru passes in Kiratpur Sahib, having built the Akal Takht and established Miri-Piri.
The eighth Guru, who would become Guru at age five, is born in Kiratpur Sahib.
The seventh Guru passes in Kiratpur Sahib, naming his young son Har Krishan as successor.
The first of the Panj Pyare, born Daya Ram, is born in Lahore.
One of the Panj Pyare, later a water-carrier serving Guru Ka Langar, is born in Jagannath Puri, Odisha.
One of the Panj Pyare, representing the south of India, is born in Bidar, Karnataka.
One of the Panj Pyare, a calico printer and tailor by trade, is born in Dwarka, Gujarat.
The eighth Guru passes in Delhi at age eight, having served and healed the sick during a smallpox epidemic.
The 10th Guru is born in Patna, Bihar as Gobind Rai.
One of the Panj Pyare, born in the ancient city of Hastinapur, Uttar Pradesh.
The ninth Guru is executed by Emperor Aurangzeb in Delhi for defending the religious freedom of Kashmiri Pandits.
Guru Gobind Singh Ji creates the Panj Pyare and the Khalsa Panth at Anandpur Sahib on Vaisakhi.
After a prolonged siege, Guru Gobind Singh Ji and his family are forced to evacuate the fortress city, separated while crossing the swollen Sarsa river.
The two elder Sahibzaade, sons of Guru Gobind Singh Ji, attain shaheedi fighting at the Battle of Chamkaur Sahib.
A historic battle where the Guru and a handful of Sikhs faced a massive Mughal army. Several Panj Pyare attain shaheedi.
One of the Panj Pyare attains shaheedi at the Battle of Chamkaur Sahib, defending the Khalsa Panth.
One of the Panj Pyare attains shaheedi at the Battle of Chamkaur Sahib, defending the Khalsa Panth.
One of the Panj Pyare attains shaheedi at the Battle of Chamkaur Sahib, defending the Khalsa Panth.
The two youngest Sahibzaade, ages nine and six, are martyred at Sirhind for refusing to renounce their faith.
Guru Gobind Singh Ji sends the Zafarnama, a Persian letter of moral defiance, to Emperor Aurangzeb, carried by Bhai Daya Singh Ji into the Deccan.
At Talwandi Sabo, Guru Gobind Singh Ji recites the entire Guru Granth Sahib Ji from memory to Bhai Mani Singh Ji, adding the bani of Guru Tegh Bahadur Ji.
At Hazur Sahib in Nanded, Guru Gobind Singh Ji declares the Guru Granth Sahib Ji as the eternal, living Guru of the Sikhs.
The tenth Guru passes at Hazur Sahib, Nanded, having declared Guru Granth Sahib Ji the eternal Guru of the Sikhs.
The first of the Panj Pyare passes at Nanded, having remained at Guru Gobind Singh Ji's side until the very end.
One of the Panj Pyare passes at Nanded in the Guru's final days, honoured for a life given fully in service.
At Nanded, the Guru commissions Banda Singh Bahadur to lead the Khalsa into Punjab, giving him five arrows and a hukamnama calling Sikhs to join him.
Banda Singh Bahadur defeats the Mughal governor of Sirhind, avenging the martyrdom of the two youngest Sahibzaade there four years earlier.
Ruling from the hill fort of Lohgarh, Banda Singh Bahadur establishes the first Sikh state, issuing coins and a state seal in the name of Guru Nanak Dev Ji and Guru Gobind Singh Ji.
After a prolonged siege at Gurdas Nangal, Banda Singh Bahadur and hundreds of Sikhs are captured and executed in Delhi rather than renounce their faith.
The head granthi of Sri Harmandir Sahib is executed in Lahore after refusing to pay a tax on a Diwali gathering, a martyrdom widely remembered in Sikh daily Ardaas.
Mughal forces under Lakhpat Rai kill thousands of Sikhs, including many non-combatants, in a sustained campaign across Punjab.
Sikh warrior bands unite into the Dal Khalsa, a confederation of misls (companies) that would defend and govern Punjab through the mid-18th century.
Ahmad Shah Durrani's forces kill tens of thousands of Sikhs, including many women, children, and elders, near Kup Rahira — the deadliest single day in Sikh history.
The confederated Sikh misls capture and level Sirhind, the city where the two youngest Sahibzaade were martyred in 1705.
The 19-year-old leader of the Sukerchakia misl captures Lahore, beginning the process of uniting Punjab under a single Sikh Empire.
On Vaisakhi, Ranjit Singh is formally crowned Maharaja, founding the Sikh Empire that would govern Punjab for the next four decades.
Maharaja Ranjit Singh signs a treaty with the British East India Company, fixing the Sutlej river as the boundary and securing decades of peace for the Sikh Empire.
Under Maharaja Ranjit Singh's patronage, the upper floors of Sri Harmandir Sahib are covered in gold, giving rise to the popular name "Golden Temple."
The "Lion of Punjab" dies in Lahore, leaving behind a unified, prosperous Sikh Empire that would fracture through succession disputes in the years that follow.
Following years of instability after Ranjit Singh's death, war breaks out between the Sikh Empire and the British East India Company.
The Sikh Empire cedes significant territory and pays a war indemnity, and a British Resident is installed at Lahore, sharply curtailing Sikh sovereignty.
A revolt against British-imposed terms escalates into a second war between the Sikh Empire and the East India Company.
Following defeat in the Second Anglo-Sikh War, the British East India Company annexes Punjab, ending five decades of Sikh self-rule.