Author: A S Bhalla
Publisher: Rupa
Year: 2008
Language: English
Pages: 336
ISBN/UPC (if available): 9788129113337
Description
Guru Nanak Dev founded the Sikh religion when Mughal rule in India was flourishing. Against much resistance and violence, he influenced many Hindus to convert to the new religion largely through its doctrine of caste equality. The third Guru, Amar Das Bhalla, took his legacy forward and introduced reforms for the emancipation of women and the lower castes. In Search of Roots traces the lineage of the Kharti Bhallas (Sikhs and Hindus) to the third Guru and examines whether his teachings, and those of the earlier Gurus, were followed in practice by his descendants.
One if the novel features of the book is its integrated analysis of history, religion, biography and genealogy. It compares and contrasts the religious policies of pre-Mughal and Mughal rulers and analyses the history and economy of many towns and cities of the Punjab rarely found in existing literature. These places were quite prosperous during the Lodi and Mughal rule.
The industrious Bhallaas traveled far and wide and their emigration to Kenya, Canada, the UK and the US in the early and middle twentieth century is discussed in the context of a broader Indian Diaspora. This unique research should spark of similar studies in genealogy within the subcontinent.
Contents
Illustrations
Tables
Preface
Acknowledgements
Abbreviations
Lodis, Mughals and the Gurus
Caste, Education and Women
Places and People