This superbly illustrated landmark work charts the hidden history of the Sikhs of Hazoor Sahib (literally Master s Presence ). This shrine in the Deccan, India's southern region, marks the spot where Guru Gobind Singh found his final resting place in 1708 after spending much of his life battling against the oppressive policies of the Mughal Empire.
Separated from the traditional Sikh heartlands of Punjab by hundreds of miles, the Sikhs of Hazoor Sahib were spared the post-annexation upheaval that transformed the mindset of Punjabi Sikhs from fierce independence to loyal servants of the Raj. The proud and defiant Hazoori Sikhs steadfastly maintained ancient religious traditions and a fascinating oral history, which today uncovers an aspect of Sikh history that appears so astonishing and at odds with modern rhetoric that it is almost considered heresy.
Since some of the most far-reaching events in Sikh history centred on Hazoor Sahib, which is regarded as the fourth Sikh throne of temporal and spiritual authority (takht), it rapidly assumed great importance in Sikh tradition. However, despite its sacred status, history has been singularly unkind to the Hazoori Sikhs. While bookshops are crammed full with tomes on virtually every facet of Sikh history centred round the Punjabi experience, very little by way of a connected narrative is available on the Sikhs of the Deccan; even less published material exists in terms of early photographs or paintings. This is the gap that this book, the first of a two-volume work, aims to fill.
The authors have drawn upon years of painstaking research, a wealth of written materials drawn from public and private archives from around the world and extensive oral tradition collected over multiple field trips, to evoke a vivid and often startling account of the empires, events and characters whose lives are intertwined with the fate of the tenth Guru's final resting place. The constant traffic of humanity, lavish gifts and coded messages carried on between Punjab and the Deccan by courtly agents, itinerant Sikh warriors, naked ascetics, rogue spies and jobless mercenaries, all contributed to the rich tapestry of intrigue and mystery that colours the account.
Review:"immensely readable" -- Susan Stronge, Senior Curator, Asian Department, Victoria & Albert Museum
"comprehensive research" -- The Tribune
"Nidar Singh and Parmjit Singh do remarkable work in cataloguing the history of Deccani Sikhs..." --World Sikh News. --World Sikh News
"a beautiful production... a precious collector's item which I will treasure a treasure-chest of a book! ...combines fascinating and deeply informed text with an abundance of superbly reproduced images ...This aesthetically and historically rich volume celebrates an important and under-acknowledged strand of Sikh tradition at a time when it is at risk as never before" --Professor Eleanor Nesbitt, author of 'Sikhism: A Very Short Introduction
"A fabulous achievement ...Hazoor Sahib takes us into a lost world of Sikh history. We are in the presence not only of the Master but of world class scholarship and research" --Christy Campbell, author of The Maharajah's Box