Sikh Empire: Map & History
The Sikh Empire was a regional power based in the Punjab region of South Asia.
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The Sikh Empire was a regional power based in the Punjab region of South Asia. It existed from 1799, when maharaja Ranjit Singh captured Lahore, to 1849, when it was defeated and annexed by the British East India Company following the Second Anglo-Sikh War. At its peak in the mid-19th century, the empire extended from Gilgit and Tibet in the north to the deserts of Sindh in the south and from the Khyber Pass in the west to the Sutlej in the east, and was divided into 8 provinces. Religiously diverse, with an estimated population of 12 million in 1800, it was the last major region of the Indian subcontinent to be conquered by the British Empire.
Modern Countries Once Part of Sikh Empire
At its mapped extent, Sikh Empire covered territory in 2 present-day countries. The period shown is when the mapped borders include that country, and the note says how much of it.
States and Provinces
Largest Present-Day Cities in Its Territory
Each opens on the live map inside Sikh Empire's borders of that time.
Derived by testing mapped cities against this polity's dated territorial polygons, so the list is indicative and follows the borders in the source dataset.
Sikh Empire in Depth
History
Sikhism originated in the 16th-century Punjab with the teachings of Guru Nanak. Initially a pacifist faith, the followers of Sikhism (known as Sikhs) became increasingly militarised owing to their conflicts with the Mughal Empire and the killing of their gurus, Guru Arjan and Guru Tegh Bahadur, on the orders of Mughal emperors. With the decline of Mughal power after the death of Aurangzeb in 1707, the tenth and last Sikh guru Gobind Singh established a militia known as Khalsa Fauj. The first Sikh state led by Banda Singh Bahadur was short-lived, but by the mid-18th century a confederation of twelve Sikh states, known as misls, was firmly established in central and eastern Punjab.
Sections adapted from Wikipedia: Sikh Empire (CC BY-SA 4.0).
Sikh Empire: Key Facts
| Capitals | Lahore, Gujranwala |
|---|---|
| Official languages | Persian, Punjabi |
| Form of government | federal monarchy, monarchy |
| Founded | 1733 |
| Dissolved | 1849 |
Facts from Wikidata Q83572 (CC0).
Sikh Empire Map Over Time
Dated world maps on which Sikh Empire appears, with the other states of the time.
Sikh Empire Timeline
Key historical inflections from foundation to peak territorial expansion
Expansion to peak recorded area of 397,813 km² in 1844 CE.
Sikh Empire: Frequently Asked Questions
When did the Sikh Empire exist?
The Sikh Empire is dated to 1799 CE – 1848 CE, in the Industrial era.
What was the capital of the Sikh Empire?
The capital of the Sikh Empire was Gujranwala (1799–1802), Lahore (1802–1849).
How large was the Sikh Empire at its peak?
At its peak in 1844 the Sikh Empire covered about 397,813 km².
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