In a way, this is the first attempt to write a history of the Sikhs from a secular standpoint, to show how the foundation of their character was laid by their Gurus, who were their temporal as well as spiritual guides, how their political institutions grew out of their religious origins and national needs, how suffering intensified their character and moulded their national aim, which was nothing less than the deliverance of their country from the grip of the foreigner, and how the Sikh cause, which was the country’s cause, triumphed after a severe and patient struggle extending over a century and ultimately gave the Sikhs the sovereignty of the Panjab.