SKETCH OF THE SIKHS, subtitled "A Singular Nation who inhabit the Province of the Punjab situated between the Rivers Jumna and Indus," by Lt.Col. John Malcolm, was originally published in the Asiatick Researches in 1810, and was published in book form in 1812 and reprinted in 1981 by Vinay

WAZIRKHAN, NAWAB (d. 1710), a resident of Kuhjpura, near Karnal, now in Haryana, was the faujdar of Sirhind under the Mughals in the opening years of the eighteenth century. The hill chiefs who held territories in the Sivalik ranges often sought his help against Guru Gobind Singh, then living in

AMRIT RAI, son of Chhail Rai, a Bhatt of Lahore, and pupil of Chatar Das, a noted poet, had completed his Ras Ratnakar and Chitra Bilas ( the latter in 1679) before he came under the patronage of Guru Gobind Singh at Anandpur. What is left of his compositions

BASALI, village about 20 km southwest of Kiratpur (31° ll`N, 76° 35`E) in Ropar district of the Punjab, has a historical shrine, Gurdwara Guru Chaunki Jhira Sahib, dedicated to Guru Gobind Singh who after the battle ofNirmohgarh in October 1700 stayed here for several days at the invitation of

BHIM CHAND, ruler of Kahlur (Bilaspur), a princely state in the Sivaliks, from 1665-92. The family claimed descent from Chandel Rajputs of Bundelkhand. Bhim Chand`s father, Dip Chand, was a tributary of the Mughals and he was allowed to exercise nominal authority over twenty-two states in the hills including

CHANDRA SAIN SAINAPATI, commonly referred to as Sainapati and counted among the "fifty-two poets" of Guru Gobind Singh (1666-1708), was the son of Bal Chand, an educated Man Jatt of Lahore. His original name was Chandra Sain, Sainapati being the pseudonym he had taken. Chandra Sain, taught by one

DHILVAN KALAN, village 5 km southeast of Kot Kapura (30° 35`N, 74° 49`E) in Faridkot district of the Punjab, was the abode of Sodhi Kaul, shortened from Kaulnain, a descendant of Guru Arjan`s elder brother, Prithi Chand, and thus a collateral relation of Guru Gobind Singh. According to Bhai

GHULAL, an old village in Ludhiana district, 8 km west of Samrala (30°50`N, 76°ll`E), claims a historical shrine dedicated to Guru Gobind Singh. This Gurdwara is not included in older lists of Sikh historical shrines, but local tradition indicates that Guru Gobind Singh, on his way from Machhivara to the

GURPURB, a compound of two words, i.e. guru, the spiritual preceptor, and purb, parva in Sanskrit, meaning a festival or celebration, signifies in the Sikh tradition the holy day commemorating one or another of the anniversaries related to the lives of the Gurus. Observance of such anniversaries is a

IALL KALAN, village 10 km west of Samrala (30"50`N, 76"11`E) in Ludhiana district possesses a shrine called Gurdwara Guru Sai. commemorating the visit of Guru Gobind Singh. When Guru Gobind Singh, disguised as the Pir of Uchch and carried in a palanquin, was passing by this village, the commander of

KALE KHAN, one of the Pathan officers who had joined service under Guru Gobind Singh at Paonta Sahib after their dismissal from the Mughal army. He is said to have remained steadfast in his devotion to the Guru and his troops fought on his side in the battle of