Anglo-Sikh Texts
In the 19th and early 20th centuries, the Sikhs and the British collaborated to produce works related to Sikh history, religion and culture for an English readership. Despite fluctuating relations, notable Anglo-Sikh texts were authored by or produced with the help of indigenous Sikh scholars. It is unclear if these exchanges desired to promote and preserve Sikh heritage, or if they were simply products of British intelligence gathering. This section highlights three works that expose these complexities, each demonstrating the active and collaborative exchange of knowledge between the two empires.
A six-volume translation of Sikh scripture by Max Macauliffe (1838-1913), a British administrator for the Indian Civil Service based in the Punjab. Macauliffe's work was compiled under Sikh patronage with significant help from local intellectuals. His translation became a fundamental text for the colonial administration.
Macauliffe's volumes demonstrate the active role Sikh scholars and patrons played in resisting colonialist misrepresentations. The work was a direct response to Ernst Trumpp, a German Indologist whose 1877 translation is both inaccurate and highly disrespectful to Sikhs. This translation would not have been possible without the contributions of Sikh patrons as the British refused to pay for 'another' translation.
R20197
This English translation of The Travels of Guru Tegh Bahadar is dedicated to the Prince of Wales, and written by Sir Attar Singh, a renowned Punjabi scholar. Attar Singh supported the British administration and was knighted in 1888. He was one of the scholars who assisted Macauliffe, granting him access to his private library.
This text demonstrates how some Sikhs authored scholarly works for a colonial readership.
R54722
Written in English by an unknown author around 1821, this manuscript traces the ancestry of a minor Sikh aristocratic family. 1821 marks the year the British allied with Patiala royalty, where many of Phul's descendants reside. Was this manuscript commissioned by the family to educate their allies and preserve their history, or was it a British attempt to gather information for imperial ends?
This manuscript has been fully transcribed and digitised. Click on highlighted sections to display the transcribed text alongside the original.