(a) Discuss the transformation of Sikh community from a Nirguna Bhakti sect into a politico-military organization. (15 marks) (b)…

(a) From Nirguna bhakti sect to politico-military organisation

Guru Nanak taught nirguna bhakti: devotion to one formless God, rejection of caste and ritual, with langar and sangat as shared institutions. The sect grew among Khatri traders and Jat cultivators of Punjab. Guru Arjan Dev built the Harmandir Sahib, compiled the Adi Granth (1604) and created a financial network of masands, giving the community a structure. His execution in 1606 under Jahangir marked the shift.

Guru Hargobind adopted miri and piri, building the Akal Takht, raising an armed force and fighting Mughal forces. Guru Tegh Bahadur's execution in 1675 under Aurangzeb deepened the conflict. Guru Gobind Singh founded the Khalsa in 1699, with the five Ks and a martial code, and fought hill chiefs and Mughals; Banda Bahadur then raised an uprising. Causes were Mughal persecution, a growing Jat peasant base with its martial tradition, and the community's wealth. Historians differ on the role of the Jat influence against the Gurus' own design.

(b) Bahlul Lodi and his nobility

Bahlul Lodi (1451–89) founded the Lodi dynasty on Afghan tribal support. His nobles were Afghan tribal chiefs who saw the king as first among equals, so he treated them as kin. He did not sit on the throne in their presence, addressed them as brothers, and consulted them, which made him popular and kept the tribal confederacy intact. He kept Afghan nobles loyal through jagirs, invited more Afghans from Roh, and used them to defeat the Sharqi rulers of Jaunpur and extend Lodi power.

This relationship gave stability to a new dynasty but limited royal authority and the idea of divine kingship of Balban. His son Sikandar asserted authority over nobles, and Ibrahim's attempt at stronger control caused revolts. Bahlul's approach was pragmatic and suited a weak start.

(c) Mughal tomb architecture and the Taj Mahal

Mughal tombs combine a Persian garden plan with Indian materials and craft. Humayun's Tomb (1565–72), by Mirak Mirza Ghiyas for Hamida Banu Begum, set the pattern: a char-bagh, a high platform, a double dome, red sandstone with white marble. Akbar's tomb at Sikandra, with its terraced form, and the Itimad-ud-Daula of Nur Jahan, which first used pietra dura on marble, led to the Taj Mahal.

The Taj (1632–53), built by Shah Jahan for Mumtaz Mahal, probably under Ustad Ahmad Lahori, shows the mature form: white Makrana marble on a raised plinth, a bulbous double dome, four minarets, a char-bagh with water channels, riverfront siting, strict symmetry, inlaid pietra dura and Quranic calligraphy by Amanat Khan. It joins Persian, Timurid and Indian elements in one monument.