Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in
Palgrave Macmillan

Sicques, Tigers or Thieves

Eyewitness Accounts of the Sikhs (1606-1810)

  • Book
  • © 2004

Overview

Editors:
  1. Amandeep Singh Madra
    View editor publications

    You can also search for this editor in PubMed   Google Scholar

  2. Parmjit Singh
    View editor publications

    You can also search for this editor in PubMed   Google Scholar

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this book

Log in via an institution
Softcover Book USD 159.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Compact, lightweight edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info
Hardcover Book USD 159.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Durable hardcover edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info

Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout

Other ways to access

Licence this eBook for your library

Institutional subscriptions

Table of contents (35 chapters)

  1. Front Matter

    Pages i-xxxiv
    Download chapter PDF

  2. Missionaries

    1. Front Matter

      Pages 1-1
      Download chapter PDF

    2. A Jesuit Account of Gurū Arjan’s Martyrdom, 1606

      • Amandeep Singh Madra, Parmjit Singh
      Pages 3-8

    3. Wendel’s History of the Jats, Pathāns, and Sikhs, 1768

      • Amandeep Singh Madra, Parmjit Singh
      Pages 9-27

    4. Du Perron’s Indian Researches, 1788

      • Amandeep Singh Madra, Parmjit Singh
      Pages 29-40

  3. Company Men

    1. Front Matter

      Pages 41-41
      Download chapter PDF

    2. Execution of Bandā Singh Bahādur in Delhi, 1716

      • Amandeep Singh Madra, Parmjit Singh
      Pages 43-48

    3. Omīchand, the Plassey Protagonist, 1757

      • Amandeep Singh Madra, Parmjit Singh
      Pages 49-57

    4. Of the Seikh’s or Sikhan, c. 1760

      • Amandeep Singh Madra, Parmjit Singh
      Pages 59-61

    5. Warren Hastings’s Memorandum on the Threat of the Sikhs, 1784

      • Amandeep Singh Madra, Parmjit Singh
      Pages 63-66

    6. The Writings of Colonel Polier on the Sikhs, 1776–1802

      • Amandeep Singh Madra, Parmjit Singh
      Pages 67-88

    7. Browne’s Treatise on the Sikhs, 1788

      • Amandeep Singh Madra, Parmjit Singh
      Pages 89-113

    8. Ranjīt Singh’s Correspondence with the British, 1803

      • Amandeep Singh Madra, Parmjit Singh
      Pages 115-117

    9. A Statesman’s Note from the Afghān Frontier, 1809

      • Amandeep Singh Madra, Parmjit Singh
      Pages 119-121

  4. Travelers

    1. Front Matter

      Pages 123-123
      Download chapter PDF

    2. “Sicques, Tigers, or Thieves,” George Forster, 1783

      • Amandeep Singh Madra, Parmjit Singh
      Pages 125-156

    3. “Extraordinary Modern People”: Dominions of the Sikhs, 1794

      • Amandeep Singh Madra, Parmjit Singh
      Pages 157-167

    4. Massacre of Fakīrs, Hardwicke, 1796

      • Amandeep Singh Madra, Parmjit Singh
      Pages 169-176

    5. An Artist’s Impressions of the Sikhs, Balt Solvyns, 1796

      • Amandeep Singh Madra, Parmjit Singh
      Pages 177-181

  5. Military Men

    1. Front Matter

      Pages 183-183
      Download chapter PDF
Back to top

Keywords

About this book

In 1812, Sir John Malcolm, a Lieutenant General in the British Army wrote A Sketch of the Sikhs , commonly believed to be the first account of the Sikhs written by a non-Sikh. In truth, soldiers, travellers, diplomats, missionaries and scholars had provided accounts for many years before. Drawing on this difficult-to-access material, the editors of this volume have compiled a unique source that offers a fascinating insight into the early developments in Sikh history. From the first ever written accounts of the Sikhs by Persian chroniclers of the Moghul Emperor to the travel diary of an Englishwoman, this volume contains material invaluable to those studying the evolution of the Sikh religion as well as to those interested in learning more about this major religion. It also provides an unparalleled look into the growth and solidification of the religious practices of Sikhs. At a time when the misunderstanding of the Sikh religion and those who practise it has reached new and deadly heights, this volume hopes to introduce a wider audience to the roots of its culture. For more detailed information, including examples of illustrations, and selected extracts, go to www.sicques.com

Reviews

"A fascinating account of the Sikhs as seen by foreign travellers in the land which was to become their kingdom. They give us an insight into the macho self-image that Sikhs have to this day - anything you can do I can do better. This spirit of upmanship has sustained the community miniscule in numbers but grand in achievements." - Khushwant Singh, author, A History of the Sikhs

"Better than time travel... a richly-peopled, intimate journey through the dawn of Sikh history." - Christy Campbell, author of The Maharajah's and Fenian Fire: The British Government Plot to Assassinate Queen Victoria

"This is a splendid compilation of documents which should have an appeal beyond the narrowly academic to a range of readers, including many with general interests in the expansion of British rule in northern India as well as those particularly interested in early Sikh history at whom the book is most directly targeted." - Journal of the Royal Asiatic Society

About the authors

AMANDEEP SINGH MADRA is an independent researcher based in London. He co-authored Warrior Saints and is currently contributing to Oxford's New Dictionary of National Biography. He is well connected to Sikh organizations in the UK and US.

PARMJIT SINGH co-authored Warrior Saints with Madra. He is currently involved in a wide-ranging reconstruction of Sikh history.

Bibliographic Information

Publish with us

Policies and ethics

Back to top

Search

Navigation