States PCS: Punjab GK Questions for PPSC Examinations

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In 1710, Firuz Khan Mewati defeated Binod Singh at Thanesar, recaptured key towns, and was appointed Faujdar of Sirhind for this victory by the Mughal emperor. He won all encounters and executed captured Sikhs.

Notes:
Jassa Singh Ahluwalia led Sikh forces in the 1748 Sodhra and Badra battles, defeating Mughal commanders Raja Gurdit Mal and Adina Beg. These victories consolidated Sikh power in Punjab and preceded the formation of the Dal Khalsa in 1748, significantly impacting Sikh military history.

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Bhai Bala, a childhood companion of Guru Nanak, is traditionally credited with authoring the Bhai Bale Wali Janam Sakhi, an early biography of Guru Nanak. This Janam Sakhi forms one of the major sources on Guru Nanak’s life, though its historicity is debated among scholars.

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Guru Har Rai ji appointed his younger son, Guru Har Krishan ji, as his successor before his death at Kiratpur in 1661. Guru Har Krishan ji became the eighth Sikh Guru at the age of five, making him the youngest Guru in Sikh history.

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Guru Gobind Singh (1666–1708) was the tenth and last human Guru of Sikhs, founder of Khalsa. He introduced the Five Ks and declared the Guru Granth Sahib as the eternal Guru. He was born in Patna, Bihar.

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Maharaja Ranjit Singh, known as Sher-e-Punjab, founded the Sikh Empire with Lahore as its capital in 1799. His empire spanned from Khyber Pass to Kashmir, Sindh, and Western Tibet. He invaded Kasur in 1807; no confirmed capture of Ludhiana in 1806.

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The Nirankari movement was founded by Baba Dayal Das in Punjab in 1851. It aimed to revive Sikhism by advocating a return to spiritual purity and rejecting ritualism. Other notable Punjab reformers included Guru Ram Singh (Namdhari), while Dayanand Saraswati and Raja Rammohan Roy led reforms elsewhere.

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Raja Rammohan Roy established the Brahmo Samaj in 1828 in Kolkata, aiming at religious and social reform. Debendranath Tagore became its leader in 1848. The Brahmo Samaj promoted monotheism, equality, and opposed idol worship, caste system, and orthodox Hindu rituals in colonial India.

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The Sikh Khalsa Army was the military force of the Sikh Empire and fought the Anglo-Sikh Wars (1845-1849) against the British. Its commanders were Sikh officials who resisted British annexation. The force was dissolved after Punjab’s annexation in 1849.

Notes:
Shiwalik Range deforestation created Punjab’s 300-400m upland zone with rocky soil, dry forests, and thorny vegetation. This zone covers Pathankot, Hoshiarpur, Nawanshahr, Ropar, and Gurdaspur districts and suffers frequent soil erosion due to seasonal Chos streams. The Changar area is most notable in Anandpur Sahib, Ropar.