Paper short abstract:

This paper will examine representations of the emperor in the late 18th/early 19th century gurbilas or Sikh historiographical text by Kuir Singh (alongside others) to explore the multiple ways the figure of Aurangzeb has been drawn in this nascent form of Sikh histiorgraphical production.

Paper long abstract:

Aurangzeb is portrayed in Sikh historiographical traditions in association with ongoing conflicts between the Sikh Gurus and the Mughal state in the period, the martyrdom of the Ninth Guru, Guru Tegh Bahadur, and the assault and loss of the Sikh seat of Anandpur during the tenure of the Tenth Guru, Guru Gobind Singh. The Persian zafarnamah, recently explored in a book by Louis Fenech, is said to have been written by Guru Gobind Singh to censure the emperor and make an appeal for justice. This paper will examine representations of the emperor in the late 18th/early 19th century gurbilas or historiographical text by Kuir Singh (alongside others) to explore the multiple ways the figure of Aurangzeb has been drawn in this nascent form of Sikh histiorgraphical production in the period, and how claims for sovereignty are configured around the figure of the emperor in texts of the period.