Volume 1 delves deep into the social, religious, and political milieu of the fifteenth century to unravel the story behind the formation of the Sikh faith. Drawing on original documents in Persian, Gurmukhi, and English, the author traces the growth of Sikhism and brings to light the compilation of its sacred scriptures in the Granth Sahib. This work also focuses on several contentions issues-such as the transformation of the Sikhs from a pacifist sect to a militant group called the Khalsa led by Guru Granth Singh and the relationship of the Sikhs with the Mughals and the Afghans-and concludes with a discussion on the consolidation of Sikg power under Maharaja Ranjit Singh during the eighteenth century. 
 
Volume 2 picks up the thread at the death of Maharaja Ranjit Singh in 1839 and focuses on the Sikhs’ continuing struggle for survival as a separate community. The author chronicles the years after India’s independence, marked by the demand for a Sikh state, and presents the events leading up to and following ‘Operation Blue Star’, when the Indian Army entered the Golden Temple.