Jahangir’s Relations with the Sikhs

Anil Chandra Banerjee

Jahangir’s Relations with the Sikhs

Vol. 21 · No. 2June - 1945pp. 135–136English

Summary

This note challenges the view that Emperor Jahangir executed Guru Arjan solely because the Sikh leader supported his rebel son Khusrau. Citing Jahangir’s memoirs, the Tuzuk‑i‑Jahangiri, the author notes that the emperor had resolved to suppress the Guru and crush the Sikh movement long before the Khusrau affair. Jahangir believed Guru Arjan had amassed wealth and followers and was preaching religious ideas contrary to Islamic orthodoxy. The rebellion merely provided a pretext for action. The note argues that Jahangir’s persecution stemmed from religious intolerance as well as political motives and that his decision set a precedent for later Mughal policy towards the Sikhs.

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Conclusion

The note demonstrates, using Jahangir’s own memoirs, that the emperor intended to suppress Guru Arjan and the Sikh community long before Khusrau’s rebellion. Guru Arjan’s execution was thus not simply a political punishment but part of a broader policy of religious persecution. Recognising this context helps explain subsequent Mughal hostility toward the Sikhs.

Key passages

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“It has now been agreed among scholars that he (1.૯. Jahangir ) executed the Sikh Guru Arjun not because he was the head of the Sikh religion but because he acted treasonably in helping Khusrau with money and encouraging him in his rebellious design”
“0 Gobindwal......... there was a Hindu named Arjun, in the garment of sainthood and sanctity, 80 much 50 that he had captured many of the simple-hearted of the Hindus, and even of the ignorant and foolish followers of Islam, by his ways and manners, and they had loudly sounded the drum of his holiness.”
“The Guru's tragic death' is, therefore, a clear instance of religious intolerance, although its immediate occasion was a political offence.”

Works cited in this article

Jahangir's Relations with the Jains
History of Aurangzib
Tuzuk-i-Jahangiri (Rogers and Beveridge, Vol, I, છ. 72)
Macauliffe, The Sikh Religion, Vol. lIl, છ. 85
On Yuan Chwang

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In this issue

Vol. 21 · No. 2

79–85The Age of the Bagh CavesV. V. Mirashi 86–90Some unorthodox marriages in the family of YaduNalinaksha Dutt 91–97Bengali Scholars at Benares (1657 A.D.)Dinesh Chandra Bhattacharya 98–100Rulers of AnhilvadaK. Madhava Krishna Sharma 101–104Administration of Justice in Aurangzeb’s TimeSri Ram Sharma 105–117The North-East Frontier Policy of Sir John Lawrence (1864-1868)Dharm Pal 118–123The Nirukta and the Theory of TransmigrationH. G. Narahari 124–134Monopoly of Grain during the Bengal & Bihar Famine of 1770Nani Gopal Chaudhari 135–136Jahangir’s Relations with the SikhsAnil Chandra BanerjeeCurrent article 136–137Political Status of the Sakyas of KapilavastuU. N. Ghoshal 137–138Bhumara Stone Pillar Inscription of the time of the Imperial GuptasDhirendra Chandra Ganguly 139–140Goddess Pistapuri or Pistapurikidevi — a NoteDilip Kumar Biswas 141–143The Puranas on the Imperial GuptasDhirendra Chandra Ganguly 143–144Asvamedhas celebrated by the Kings of KamarupaDineshchandra Sircar 145–147SamvatsarapradipaDinesh Chandra Bhattacharya 148–152ReviewsSushil Kumar De, Nalinaksha Dutt, Mano Mohan Ghosh, Indubhusan Banerjee 153–157Select Contents of Oriental Journals 158–162Obituary Notice – Jean PrzyluskiMarcelle Lalou

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