Warrior Saints ─ Four Centuries of Sikh Military History

When the Mughal Empire began persecuting the Sikhs in the 1600s, this community of North Indian devotees was forced to take up arms or face extinction. Warrior Saints (Vol. 1) compellingly told the remarkable story of how they fought back to establish a powerful modern-day empire, stretching from the borders of Tibet to Afghanistan, which they then lost to the Honourable East India Company in two of its toughest 19th-century military conflicts.
Warrior Saints (Vol. 2) continues that fascinating story. The British were so impressed by the military prowess of their conquered foe – representing a curious mix of ancient Indian warfare combined with modern Napoleonic methods – they recruited Sikhs into Queen Victoria’s Indian Army.
Initially mobilised to protect the borders and outposts of the British Empire in distant lands including China, Ethiopia, Somaliland, Cyprus, Afghanistan, Egypt and Burma, thousands of Sikhs went on to lay down their lives in the Two World Wars. With the emergence of an independent India, the Sikhs opened a fresh chapter in the saga of their fighting tradition.

Amandeep Singh Madra and Parmjit Singh are independent historians and curators who co-founded the UK Punjab Heritage Association (ukpha.org), a charity dedicated to promoting Punjab's rich cultural heritage. They have co-authored several highly acclaimed books on Sikh history and are leading global players in showcasing the culture, history, art and heritage of the Sikhs and Punjab. They have lectured extensively on the subject as well as having contributed to several television documentaries, radio programmes, exhibitions and publications. Most recently they curated two major exhibitions at the Brunei Gallery, SOAS, London, covering the Golden Temple of Amritsar and Sikhs in World War One. They continue to work as special consultants for various organisations including the BBC, The Discovery Channel, Victoria & Albert Museum, British Museum, British Library and Wallace Collection.