Events

Every event on the timeline, in date order.

• Guru Nanak's Prakash at Rai Bhoi di TalwandiApr 15, 1469
• Guru Nanak settles at Kartarpur and founds the sangat and langarc. 1521
• Guru Angad Dev and the Gurmukhi script1539-1552
• Guru Amar Das: the manji system and the Goindwal baoli1552-1574
• Guru Ram Das founds Ramdaspur, later Amritsar1574-1577
• Building of Sri Harmandir Sahib beginsDec 28, 1588 (traditional date)
• Adi Granth compiled and installed at Sri Harmandir Sahib1604
• Shaheedi of Guru Arjan Dev at LahoreMay 30, 1606
• Guru Hargobind Sahib founds Sri Akal Takht Sahib and takes up miri and piriJun 15-24, 1606
• Shaheedi of Guru Tegh Bahadur at DelhiNov 11, 1675
• The Khalsa revealed at Sri Anandpur SahibVaisakhi 1699
• Evacuation of Sri Anandpur SahibDec 5-6, 1705
• Battle of ChamkaurDec 7, 1705
• Martyrdom of the younger Sahibzade at SirhindDec 12, 1705
• Battle of Muktsar and the Forty MuktasDec 29, 1705
• Guru Gobind Singh at Damdama Sahib: the Damdami Bir and the origins of the Damdami Taksal1705-1706
• Guruship passed to Sri Guru Granth Sahib at NandedOct 6-7, 1708
• Banda Singh Bahadur reaches Punjab and wins at SamanaNov 26, 1709
• Lohgarh as capital and the first Sikh seal and coins1710
• Banda Singh Bahadur defeats Wazir Khan and takes SirhindMay 12-14, 1710
• Banda Singh Bahadur captured at Gurdas NangalDec 7, 1715
• Shaheedi of Banda Singh Bahadur and his companions in DelhiJun 9, 1716
• Shaheedi of Bhai Mani Singh at Lahore1737 (some sources give 1734 or 1738)
• Bhai Mehtab Singh and Bhai Sukha Singh avenge the desecration of Sri Harmandir SahibAug 11, 1740
• Chhota GhallugharaMay 1-2, 1746
• Battle of ManupurMar 11, 1748
• The Sarbat Khalsa organises the Dal Khalsa and the mislsMar 29, 1748
• Jassa Singh Ahluwalia's leadership and the Sikhs' rise in Punjab1753-65
• Shaheedi of Baba Deep Singh at AmritsarNov 11, 1757
• Third Battle of PanipatJan 14, 1761
• Vadda GhallugharaFeb 5, 1762
• Ahmad Shah Abdali blows up Sri Harmandir Sahib and the Sikhs rebuild itApr 1762; rebuilt from 1764
• The Sikhs take Lahore and strike coins in the Gurus' nameApr 1765
• Baghel Singh in Delhi and the gurdwaras of DelhiMar 11, 1783
• Ranjit Singh takes LahoreJul 7, 1799
• Ranjit Singh proclaimed Maharaja; the Sarkar KhalsajiApr 12, 1801
• Treaty of Amritsar, 1809Apr 25, 1809
• The Koh-i-Noor comes to LahoreJun 1813
• Conquest of MultanJun 1818
• Conquest of KashmirJul 1819
• Peshawar taken under Hari Singh NalwaMay 1834
• Hari Singh Nalwa killed at JamrudApr 30, 1837
• Death of Maharaja Ranjit SinghJun 27, 1839
• Deaths of Kharak Singh and Nau Nihal SinghNov 5, 1840
• Maharaja Sher Singh assassinated; Duleep Singh made MaharajaSep 15, 1843
• The Anglo-Sikh Wars1845-46; 1848-49
• First Anglo-Sikh WarDec 11, 1845 to Mar 9, 1846
• Battle of SobraonFeb 10, 1846
• Treaty of Lahore (1846)Mar 9, 1846
• Treaty of Bhairowal and British control of the Lahore DarbarDec 16, 1846
• Maharani Jind Kaur imprisoned and exiledAug 1847 to Apr 1849
• Second Anglo-Sikh WarApr 1848 to Mar 1849
• Battle of RamnagarNov 22, 1848
• Battle of ChillianwalaJan 13, 1849
• Battle of GujratFeb 21, 1849
• British annexation of PunjabMar 29, 1849
• Revolt of 1857 and the Punjab1857
• Siege of Delhi and Punjab's part in 1857Jun 8-Sep 21, 1857
• Sialkot mutinyJul 9, 1857
• Battle of NajafgarhAug 25, 1857
• Singh Sabha Movement1873-1919
• Singh Sabha Amritsar foundedOct 1, 1873
• Singh Sabha Lahore foundedNov 2, 1879
• Khalsa Vidyarthi Sabha1891
• Khalsa College Amritsar foundation stone laidMar 5, 1892
• Battle of SaragarhiSep 12, 1897
• Colonization Bill and the Pagri Sambhal Jatta agitation1906-1907
• First gurdwara in North America opens, VancouverJan 1908
• Morley-Minto Reforms and the SikhsMay 25, 1909
• Gur Sikh Temple Abbotsford1911
• Gurdwara Sahib Stockton1912
• Ghadar Party founded1913
• The British demolish the Rakab Ganj wall and Sikhs agitate for yearsMay 1913 to 1921
• Komagata Maru incidentMay 23, 1914
• Sikh soldiers in the two World Wars1914-1918 and 1939-1945
• Lucknow Pact and the SikhsDec 1916
• Montagu-Chelmsford Reforms: separate seats for SikhsAug 20, 1917 and 1919
• Khilafat Movement and the Punjab1919-1924
• Rowlatt Act passed over Indian oppositionMar 18, 1919
• Jallianwala Bagh MassacreApr 13, 1919
• Akali movement for gurdwara reform1920-1925
• Nankana Sahib MassacreFeb 20, 1921
• Keys Morcha (Morcha Chabian) over the Golden Temple keysNov 1921-Jan 1922
• Guru Ka Bagh MorchaAug 1922
• Jaito Morcha for the Maharaja of Nabha and the Gangsar akhand pathJul 1923-Aug 1925
• Jaito Morcha: firing at Gurdwara Tibbi SahibFeb 21, 1924
• Sikh Gurdwaras ActJul 7, 1925
• Shaheed Sikh Missionary College1927
• Lahore Congress declares Purna Swaraj and assures SikhsDec 29-31, 1929
• Karachi Congress session after the Bhagat Singh executionsMar 26-31, 1931
• Communal Award of 1932Aug 16, 1932
• Government of India Act 1935 brings provincial autonomyAug 2, 1935
• Ambedkar declares at Yeola that he will not die a HinduOct 13, 1935
• Ambedkar-SGPC talks at AmritsarApr 1936
• Master Tara Singh Partition negotiations1943-47
• Sikh Rehat Maryada standardizedFeb 3, 1945
• Cabinet Mission Plan places Punjab in a Muslim-majority groupMay 16, 1946
• Nehru's "glow of freedom" pledge to the SikhsApr 4 and Jul 6, 1946
• Rawalpindi massacresMarch 1947
• Mountbatten announces the 3 June Plan to partition Punjab and BengalJun 3, 1947
• Partition of IndiaAugust 1947
• Mass Sikh refugee settlementSep-Dec 1947
• Amritsar train massacreSep 22, 1947
• First Kashmir WarOct 27, 1947
• Akali Dal advises its legislators to join the CongressMar 17, 1948
• PEPSU formationJul 15, 1948
• Patel answers the Sikh charge of broken promisesOct 14, 1949
• Indian Constitution; Akali members refuse to signJan 26, 1950
• 1951 census: Hindi or Punjabi as mother tongue1951
• Andhra State formed linguisticallyOct 1, 1953
• Punjabi Suba Morchas1955; 1960-61
• Kairon becomes Punjab CMJan 1956
• Ambedkar converts to Buddhism at NagpurOct 14, 1956
• States Reorganization Act excludes PunjabNov 1, 1956
• Indus Waters Treaty divides the rivers of PunjabSep 19, 1960
• Master Tara Singh's fastAug 15, 1961
• Sant Fateh Singh splits from Tara SinghJul 22, 1962
• Sino-Indian WarOct 20, 1962
• SGPC electionsJan 1965
• Kairon assassinationFeb 6, 1965
• Fateh Singh announces fast with self-immolation threatAug 1965
• India-Pakistan WarSep 1965
• Punjab Reorganization Bill introducedSep 3, 1966
• Punjabi Suba comes into beingNov 1, 1966
• Sant Fateh Singh ends second fastDec 27, 1966
• The Naxalite movement in Punjab1967 to 1975
• Coalition instability1967-68
• Gurnam Singh becomes CMMar 1967
• Master Tara Singh diesNov 22, 1967
• Gurnam Singh second termFeb 1969
• Guru Nanak's 500th birth anniversary and the founding of Guru Nanak Dev UniversityNov 1969
• Parkash Singh Badal first CMMar 1970
• The 1971 war: Punjab's border, Sikh officers and the Dhaka surrenderDec 3-16, 1971
• Moga agitation: police fire at the Regal Cinema and Punjab's students riseOct 5 to 7, 1972
• Sant Fateh Singh diesOct 30, 1972
• Tohra elected SGPC President1973
• Anandpur Sahib Resolution adoptedOct 16-17, 1973
• Emergency declaredJun 25, 1975
• Akali Save Democracy MorchaJul 9, 1975
• Major General Shabeg Singh dismissed from the ArmyApr 30, 1976
• Bhindranwale's Panthic profile grows1977-78
• Emergency ends; post-Emergency electionsMar 1977
• Parkash Singh Badal second CM termJun 1977
• Bhindranwale becomes Taksal JathedarAug 1977
• Babbar Khalsa founded after the Nirankari clash1978
• Nirankari Amritsar Clash (13 Sikh Shaheeds)Apr 13, 1978
• Dal Khalsa founded (Gajinder Singh)Aug 1978
• Akali conference at Ludhiana endorses the Anandpur Sahib ResolutionOct 28-29, 1978
• Baba Gurbachan Singh acquittedJan 1980
• Baba Gurbachan Singh assassinatedApr 24, 1980
• ISI support cell under Gen. Akhtar Abdur Rahman1981-84
• KGB Operation Kontakt1981-84
• Lala Jagat Narain assassinatedSep 9, 1981
• Chando Kalan raid, then firing at Mehta ChowkSep 20, 1981
• IA Flight 423 hijacked to LahoreSep 29, 1981
• Dharam Yudh Morcha launchedAug 4, 1982
• Bhindranwale moves to Akal TakhtDec 15, 1983
• Satwant and Kehar Singh trial1984-1989
• Shahbeg Singh acquitted by a special courtFeb 13, 1984
• Final negotiations collapseApr-May 1984
• Indian Army buildup beginsLate May 1984
• Pre-assault final positioningMay 30-Jun 3, 1984
• Operation Wood RoseJun 1984 onward
• Sikh Regiment mutiniesJun 1984
• Operation Blue StarJun 1-10, 1984
• Indira Gandhi assassinatedOct 31, 1984
• Tesra Ghallughara: Delhi PogromOct 31-Nov 4, 1984
• Gudha-Kanina: Sikh families besieged and driven out of MahendragarhNov 1984
• Bokaro Carnage: Sikhs attacked in Bokaro Steel CityNov 1, 1984
• Delhi Cantonment Massacre: Raj Nagar and Palam ColonyNov 1-2, 1984
• Kanpur MassacreNov 1984
• Pul Bangash MassacreNov 1, 1984
• Sultanpuri MassacreNov 1-3, 1984
• Trilokpuri MassacreNov 1-3, 1984
• Tughlakabad and Nangloi killingsNov 1-2, 1984
• Gurgaon MassacreNov 2, 1984
• Hondh Chillar MassacreNov 2, 1984
• Pataudi MassacreNov 2, 1984
• Air India Flight 182 bombingJun 23, 1985
• Rajiv-Longowal Accord signedJul 24, 1985
• Lalit Maken assassinatedJul 31, 1985
• Sant Longowal assassinatedAug 20, 1985
• Sarbat Khalsa at Sri Akal Takht SahibJan 26, 1986
• Vaisakhi Sarbat KhalsaApr 13, 1986
• Declaration of Khalistan, Sri Akal Takht SahibApr 29, 1986
• General Vaidya assassinatedAug 10, 1986
• Peak Kharku period1987-1993
• Avtar Singh Brahma killed; Labh Singh killed1988
• Operation Black Thunder: the 1988 siege of Sri Harmandir Sahib ends in surrenderMay 9 to 18, 1988
• Satwant Singh and Kehar Singh hangedJan 6, 1989
• Punjab polls postponed a day before votingJun 21, 1991
• Disturbed Areas Act; three lakh security personnelNov 1991
• Sukhdev Singh Babbar killed; Talwinder Singh Parmar killed1992
• Punjab Assembly election of 1992: a boycott, a 22 percent turnout and a Congress governmentFeb 19, 1992
• Rataul Operation: Manochahal killedFeb 1993
• Raisina Road car bomb in Delhi and the Bhullar caseSep 11, 1993
• Jaswant Singh Khalra documents cremation grounds1994-1995
• Beant Singh assassinated by Dilawar SinghAug 31, 1995
• Khalra abductedSep 6, 1995
• Khalra killed in police custodyOct 1995
• Moga Declaration1996
• Kanshi Ram wins Hoshiarpur in the 1996 Lok Sabha electionMay 1996
• SAD-BJP alliance; Badal becomes CM1997
• Surrey Vaisakhi Parade begins and grows into a Khalsa Day crowd of hundreds of thousands1998 onward
• Chattisinghpora massacreMar 20, 2000
• Manmohan Singh becomes Prime Minister2004
• Burail Jail escape: four undertrials tunnel outJan 22, 2004
• Akal Takht edict against the RSS and Rashtriya Sikh SangatJul 2004
• Six police officials convicted in Khalra case2005
• Manmohan Singh apologises in Parliament for 1984Aug 2005
• Dera Sacha Sauda imitation controversy2007
• Khalra case sentences enhanced to life2007
• Second and third Badal governments2007, 2012
• Oak Creek gurdwara shooting, WisconsinAug 5, 2012
• Campaign to have the 1984 killings recognised as genocide2012 onward
• Sikhs file 1984 genocide petition at the UN in GenevaNov 1, 2013
• Cobrapost sting records Delhi Police officers on November 1984Apr 22, 2014
• Saroop stolen, Burj Jawahar Singh WalaJun 2015
• Akal Takht pardons Gurmeet Ram RahimSep 24, 2015
• Bargari Beadbi: torn angs foundOct 2015
• Behbal Kalan police firing: 2 shaheedOct 14, 2015
• Sedition FIR names 20 organisers; SGPC voids resolutionsNov 2015
• Sarbat Khalsa at ChabbaNov 10, 2015
• Supreme Court opinion against Punjab on the SYL canalNov 10, 2016
• Wall of Truth memorial opens at Gurdwara Rakab GanjJan 15, 2017
• Ontario legislature passes Motion 46 on the 1984 Sikh genocideApr 6, 2017
• Jagtar Singh Johal arrested in JalandharNov 2017
• Bargari Insaaf Morcha: a 192-day sit-in for justice over the 2015 beadbi and the Behbal Kalan firingJun 1 to Dec 9, 2018
• Sajjan Kumar convicted for 1984Dec 17, 2018
• Kartarpur Corridor opens, giving visa-free access to Guru Nanak's Kartarpur SahibNov 9, 2019
• Attacks on Kabul gurdwaras, 2020 and 2022Mar 25, 2020 and Jun 18, 2022
• 328 saroops of Sri Guru Granth Sahib missing from SGPC recordsJun 2020 onward
• Three farm laws passedSep 2020
• Farmers' morcha at Delhi bordersNov 2020
• Christian conversion among Dalits in Punjab's border villages2021 onward
• Nishan Sahib at the Red FortJan 26, 2021
• Afghan Sikhs flee after the Taliban takeoverAug 2021 onward
• Lakhimpur Kheri: farmers killed at a protest, a minister's son on trialOct 3, 2021
• First Khalistan Referendum vote held in LondonOct 31, 2021
• Farm laws repealedNov 2021
• Khalistan Referendum vote held in Brampton, CanadaSep 18, 2022
• Khalistan Referendum vote held in Melbourne, with clashesJan 29, 2023
• Ajnala police station incidentFeb 23, 2023
• Internet shutdown; NSA detentions; DibrugarhMar 2023
• Hardeep Singh Nijjar killed in SurreyJun 18, 2023
• Khalistan Referendum votes held at Nijjar's Surrey gurdwaraSep 10 and Oct 29, 2023
• Canada and India fall out over the Nijjar killingSep 2023 to Jun 2025
• US indictment in Pannun plot unsealedNov 2023
• Khalistan Referendum rounds in 2024 and 2025Jan 2024 to Nov 2025
• Second farmers' morcha, Shambhu & KhanauriFeb 13, 2024
• Four men charged with murder in Hardeep Singh Nijjar's killingMay 3, 2024
• Amritpal Singh wins Khadoor Sahib from jailJun 2024
• Hoshiarpur elects AAP's Raj Kumar Chabbewal to the Lok SabhaJun 4, 2024
• Amritpal Singh disowns his mother's remark on KhalistanJul 5-7, 2024
• Akal Takht declares Sukhbir Badal tankhaiya, then pronounces his tankhahAug 30 and Dec 2, 2024
• Grenade attacks on Punjab police posts and the BJP office in ChandigarhNov 2024-Apr 2026
• Jagjit Singh Dallewal begins fast unto deathNov 26, 2024
• US military deportation flights land at AmritsarFeb 5-16, 2025
• Fake letter in Amritpal's name claims a Sikh-BJP allianceFeb 14, 2025
• Jagtar Singh Johal acquitted in his first caseMar 4, 2025
• Punjab extends Amritpal Singh's NSA detention by a yearApr 18, 2025
• Dal Khalsa holds a Sikh Raj seminar at AmritsarApr 29, 2025
• India-Pakistan confrontation of May 2025 and its toll on PunjabMay 7-10, 2025
• Punjab's worst floods since 1988Aug-Sep 2025
• Canada lists the Bishnoi gang under its anti-terror lawSep 29, 2025
• Newsom vetoes California's transnational repression training billOct 13, 2025
• Tarn Taran by-election: AAP holds the seat as the Panthic vote splitsNov 14, 2025
• CM Mann's 169 saroops claim at Muktsar and the government's U-turnsJan 14-20, 2026
• Nikhil Gupta pleads guilty in the plot to kill Gurpatwant Singh PannunFeb 13, 2026
• Canada and India reset ties as Carney visits Delhi, with Nijjar unmentionedFeb 27-Mar 2, 2026
• Seattle holds a Khalistan Referendum voteMar 22, 2026
• Record anti-Sikh hate crime figures reported for the United States in 2025Apr 9, 2026
• Punjab passes a stricter sacrilege law, the Jaagat Jot Satkar Amendment ActApr 13-19, 2026
• Waris Punjab De pitches jailed MP Amritpal Singh as chief minister for 2027Apr 14, 2026
• UN experts say Jagtar Singh Johal's detention is psychological tortureApr 22, 2026
• Amritpal Singh's NSA detention ends and Punjab Police arrest him in Dibrugarh jailApr 22-23, 2026
• Supreme Court gives the Centre a last two weeks on Rajoana's mercy pleaApr 22, 2026
• Seven AAP Rajya Sabha MPs merge with the BJPApr 24, 2026
• Fortieth anniversary of the Khalistan Declaration marked at Sri Akal Takht SahibApr 29, 2026
• Panthic Ekta alliance of Waris Punjab De and SAD (Punar Surjit) breaks apartApr 18-May 20, 2026
• AAP wins Punjab's civic polls while SAD and BJP trailMay 29, 2026
• Akal Takht declares CM Mann Guru Dokhi and anti-Khalsa PanthJun 15, 2026
• Maharashtra clears repeal of the 1956 Hazur Sahib Act, then puts it on holdJun 24-30, 2026
• Punjab farmers protest power cuts and a sugar mill transfer, June 2026Jun 2026
• Akal Takht summons every Sikh MLAJun 29, 2026
• Satluj film on Khalra released, pulled in India by Jul 5Jul 3, 2026
• Rajoana writes to the Akal Takht to summon the BJP's Sikh leaders over his mercy petitionJul 22, 2026
• Cockroach Janta Party student protest ends with the Education Minister's resignation, and Punjab's farm unions join inJul 25, 2026
• Anti-drug activist Parvinder Singh Jhota killed in MansaOct 13, 2026
• Punjab Vidhan Sabha election 2027Feb 2027 (expected)