Sikh means "learner".

The religion founder was Shri Guru Nanak Dev Ji (1469-1538) who was born in the Punjab area of what is now Pakistan. It is related that he received a vision to preach the way to enlightenment and God. He is responsible for the saying "There is no Hindu, there is no Muslim" which is one of the pillars of Sikhism.

Until 1708 the movement was lead by a succession of nine Gurus, seen as reincarnations of Guru Nanak. At that time, the functions of the Guru passed to the Panth (the followers) and to the holy text, considered the 11th Guru.

Mogul emperors attempted to convert the Sikhs to Islam, without success.

In 1801, the Sikh state of Punjab was founded in Northern India by Maharaja Ranjit Singh. An invasion by Great Britain lead to the Sikh Wars (1845-1849). The British successfully gained control over all of India. After independence in 1947, occupied India was divided on religious grounds into a mostly Muslim Pakistan and mostly Hindu India. There was a mass migration of Sikhs from Pakistan to India and a reverse migration of Muslims. The Sikhs have been seeking an independent homeland since the late 1940's.

Sikhs are estimated as 22.5 million worldwide, most of them living in the Punjab.