This is the first-ever exhaustive and authoritative history of the Sikhs based on original records, both published and unpublished, available in India or abroad. It however steers clear of the hagiographic myth-making, as much as the prophets of doom who look upon the Sikh phenomenon as a momentary historical upsurge whose authenticity $nd potential will soon be exhausted.On almost every page, the reader will come across fresh information and ideas such as have not been provided by any single publication before. Almost every question raised with regard to the Sikh faith or historical events have been authoritatively answered by the celebrated author, whose first-ever English translation of the entire corpus of the Sikh Scripture has won him world-wide acclaim.Though written by a man of faith, the author"s outlook especially with regard to th6 Hindu-Muslim-Sikh relations throughout the past 500 years would be found highly balanced and revealing.Having been himself a participant in the fateful political drama over the past fifty years, his eyewitness account throws much fresh light on the eventful years of the partition of India and what led to this gruesome tragedy.And, it is a highly readable book whose style has an easy flow but whose intensity of feeling and sincerity of utterance cannot fail to move the reader.The book, first published in 1979, has been brought up-to-date and its balanced judgements and the fresh information offered, may lead to a better appreciation of the Sikh situation by all concerned.