ÿþ<HTML><HEAD><TITLE>ITIH&#256S GUR&#362 KH&#256LS&#256</TITLE> <style type="text/css"> .BODY { background-color: #EAF1F7; background-image: url('images/gtbh.jpg'); background-repeat: no-repeat; background-attachment: fixed; background-position: center; color: #0066CC;} .C1{text-align: justify;color: #0066CC;FONT-size: SMALL;FONT-family: Tahoma;} .BIB{text-align: center;color: #000099;FONT-size: SMALL;FONT-family: Tahoma;} .CONT{text-align: right;color: #FF0000;FONT-size: SMALL;FONT-family: Tahoma;} </style><META http-equiv="content-type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8"></HEAD> <BODY class="BODY" oncontextmenu="return false" ondragstart="return false" onselectstart="return false"> <FONT ALIGN="JUSTIFY" FACE="Tahoma"> <p class="C1">&#65279<i>ITIH&#256S GUR&#362 <u>KH</u>&#256LS&#256</i>, by S&#257dh&#363 Gobind Si&#7749gh, whose earlier name was Pa&#7751&#7693it Ga&#7751&#7693&#257 Si&#7749gh, is a historical account, in Hindi, of the Sikhs, beginning with Gur&#363 N&#257nak (1469-1539) and terminating with the post-Band&#257 Si&#7749gh period of much turbulence and trial. S&#257dh&#363 Gobind Si&#7749gh, a Nirmal&#257 scholar, was born in Amritsar district sometime in the third or fourth decade of the nineteenth century. Quite early in life, he became the disciple of Pa&#7751&#7693it Nih&#257l Si&#7749gh. He was at K&#257sh&#299 for many years studying Sanskrit language and literature, philosophy, history and the Pur&#257&#7751as being his favourite subjects. It was there that he did all his creative writing. He passed away in AD 1899. He was not only learned in Sikh letters but was also a devout Sikh. He has written five books in all -- <i>Ny&#257ya Mukt&#257val&#299, Udiyog Kath&#257 Pr&#257rbodh, Vedant Paribh&#257sh&#257, Vairag Shatak</i> and the <i>Itihas Gur&#363 <u>Kh</u>&#257ls&#257</i>. All these books are in Hindi.</p> <p class="C1">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; <i>Itih&#257s Gur&#363 <u>Kh</u>&#257ls&#257</i> is the last work of the author. The book was published posthumously in 1902. The book which depends mainly on Gi&#257n&#299 Gi&#257n Si&#7749gh's <i>Panth Prak&#257sh</i> for its source material, comprises 584 pages (pp 585-603 of the published version contain Gur&#363 Te<u>gh</u> Bah&#257dur's hymns in the Devn&#257gr&#299 script). The book is divided into 72 chapters. The first five chapters refer to the origins of the world, the &#256ryan peoples' settlement in India, the division of Indian society into four-fold caste system and the contemporary Indian milieu. Chapters 6 to 10 deal with the Muslim invasions of India and the consequent hardships undergone by the local population. Chapters 11-37 narrate the life stories of the ten Gur&#363s of the Sikhs : some of these are rather brief whereas others are fairly detailed accounts. Then follow the exploits of Band&#257 Si&#7749gh Bah&#257dur (Ch. 38-53), the turbulent period after the death of Band&#257 Si&#7749gh, and sacrifices made by the Sikhs prior to the establishment of the Sikh rule by Mahar&#257j&#257 Ra&#7751j&#299t Si&#7749gh.</p> <p class="C1">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Besides providing a historical account of the Sikh people, the book is a very useful source on Indian philosophy, Sikh ideology, Sikh way of life and Sikh ethics. The language is simple, the style of writing precise and terse, and the narrative quite smooth. There are in the narrative several obvious historical inaccuracies.</p> </ol><p class="CONT">Rattan Si&#7749gh Jagg&#299<br></p><BR> </font> <img src="counter.aspx" width="1px" height="1px" alt=""> </HTML></BODY>