where do sikhs come from

Sikhs come originally from the Punjab region of the Indian subcontinent, in what is now split between northwestern India and eastern Pakistan.

Geographic origins

• Sikhism began in the Punjab area of South Asia, a fertile region around the Indus and its tributaries that now lies in both India and Pakistan.

• The faith’s founder, Guru Nanak (born 1469), came from Talwandi (now Nankana Sahib) near Lahore, in present‑day Pakistan, anchoring Sikh origins in historic Punjabi lands.

Religious beginnings

• Sikhism arose in the late 15th century as a distinct religious tradition emphasizing devotion to one God, ethical living, and rejection of caste and ritualism.

• Over about two and a half centuries, ten human Gurus shaped the Sikh community, after which authority was vested in the Sikh scripture, the Guru Granth Sahib.

People and identity

• “Sikh” comes from a Punjabi word meaning “disciple” or “learner,” reflecting followers’ identity as students of the Guru’s teachings.

• While Sikhs today live around the world, including large diasporas in the UK, Canada, and the US, their historic ethnic and cultural roots remain Punjabi.

Modern distribution

• Today there are tens of millions of Sikhs globally, with the largest concentration still in India’s Punjab state.

• Major Sikh population centers outside South Asia grew especially in the 19th and 20th centuries through migration linked to trade, empire, and later professional and student mobility.

Quick recap

• Place : Punjab region (now in India and Pakistan).

• Founder : Guru Nanak (1469–1539), from near present‑day Lahore, Pakistan.

• Time : Late 15th century onward, with ten Gurus guiding the early community.