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Difficulty: EasyThe Development and Spread of Sikhism

Source: Bhai Gurdas, Sikh scholar and scribe, *Varan* (Odes), early seventeenth century.

'The Guru [Nanak] established Kartarpur and built a dharamsala [place of worship] as a home for congregation. He sang hymns of praise, and the light of true knowledge arose. The community kitchen (langar) was started, where people of all castes sat together to eat as equals. He gave his followers a single teaching, removing the barriers of caste and division between high and low.'

Based on the passage, the establishment of the early Sikh community at Kartarpur best demonstrates which of the following historical developments in South Asia?

  1. A
    An imperial effort by the Mughal rulers to merge Islam and Hinduism into a unified state religion.
  2. B
    The adaptation of East Asian Neo-Confucian ideas to reform traditional South Asian state governance.
  3. The development of Sikhism as a distinct monotheistic faith that challenged existing social hierarchies.Answer
  4. D
    The implementation of European feudal practices to organize agricultural labor in the Punjab.

Answer

The development of Sikhism as a distinct monotheistic faith that challenged existing social hierarchies.
The correct answer is correct because the source describes the creation of the early Sikh community, emphasizing that Guru Nanak's teachings and institutions, such as the langar (community kitchen), promoted social equality by removing caste barriers. This demonstrates the development of Sikhism as an independent, distinct monotheistic religion that rejected the traditional Hindu caste hierarchy.

Step-by-Step Solution

1
Analyze the primary source passage for key details about the early Sikh community at Kartarpur.
The text describes the early community participating in shared worship and the communal kitchen (langar) where all castes ate as equals, explicitly rejecting traditional caste divisions.
This establishes the historical context of Sikhism's social practices and its focus on egalitarianism.
2
Connect the findings of the source analysis to the options to identify the correct historical development.
A community rejecting caste barriers is a direct challenge to existing South Asian social hierarchies, identifying Sikhism as a distinct and independent monotheistic religion.
This identifies the correct answer that matches the pedagogical objective of the question.

Key Concept

Sikhism arose in the Punjab region of South Asia during the early modern period as a distinct, independent monotheistic religion founded on the revelations of Guru Nanak, rejecting the traditional caste system and promoting social equality.
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The Development and Spread of Sikhism

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