Chief Khalsa Diwan was established in Amritsar on October 30, 1902. The Chief Khalsa Diwan was an amalgamation of the two existing Khalsa Diwan of Amritsar and Lahore which had formed in the early 1980s. The objective of Chief Khalsa Diwan was to promote the interest of the Sikh community in colonial politics and to expand upon socioreligious reform begun by its predecessors. It was for this reason that the leadership of the Chief Khalsa Diwan was drawn from the landed Sikh gentry, who had long been viewed by the “ Punjab School “ of administration as the “natural “ bodies of Sikh Society and the backbone of rural life in Punjab. The Chief Khalsa Diwan served as the preeminent religious and political body of the Sikhs between 1902 and 1920, and it was overshadowed by the Gurdwara Reform Movement (1920-1925). The secretary of the Chief Khalsa Diwan and chief contact with officialdom during this period was Sir Sunder Singh Majithia and Bahai Arjan Singh was elected President. As early as 1873 a movement was started in Punjab for protecting the rights of the Sikhs and for maintaining the prestige and purity of the Sikh faith. It was originally part of the Singh Sabah Movement. Khalsa Diwan Amritsar was established at Amritsar on April 11, 1883, to oversee and provide direction to the work of the Singh Sabhas. This reform movement had originated in Amritsar with the formation of the first Singh Sabha on October 1, 1873. Singh Sabhas began springing up in other places, the one at Lahore being formed on November 2, 1879. Amritsar and Lahore Singh Sabhas joined heads to evolve a common platform under the name of General Sabha set up at Amritsar on April 1880. The General Sabha turned itself into Khalsa Diwan on April 11, 1883, the central body to which 36 Singh Sabhas were initially affiliated. The Lieutenant Governor of Punjab and Raja Bikram Singh of Faridkot were its patrons with Baba Khem Singh Bedi as President and Bhai Gurmukh Singh as Chief Secretary. The aim of Khalsa Diwan was as given below:
To promote the social, economic and moral uplift of the Sikhs.
To promote the message of Sikhism.
To remove illiteracy.
To protect the political rights of the Sikhs and ensure the redress of their grievances, by constitutional means.
Chief Khalsa Diwan wanted to protect Sikhism from the dangers of the missionary activities of various other religious communities. It was responsible for the opening of many schools, colleges, orphanages all over Punjab. The organization laid the necessary infrastructure for Sikhs to be able to continue their heritage as a totally separate community from others. The opening session of the new society, designed as Chief Khalsa Diwan, was held in the Malva Bunga on Diwali day October 30, 1902. Bahai Arjan Singh was elected president, Sunder Singh Majithia was elected secretary. A total of 29 Singh Sabhas included those of Amritsar, Rawalpindi, Agra, Bhasuar, Badbar, Multan, Dakha and Kairon affiliated themselves with the Diwan, and the number increased to 53 in one year's time. The main function of the Chief Khalsa Diwan was the enrichment of the cultural, educational, spiritual, and intellectual life of the Sikhs, preaching the tenets of the Guru Granth Sahib, and protecting the rights of the Sikhs by putting up memorandums and memorials to the Government. The opening of the schools and institutions for the spread of education among men and women, the publishing the books on Sikh history, the translating into Punjabi of works from other languages. Membership in the Diwan was open to all amritdhari Sikhs. At present, Chief Khalsa Diwan has over 55 institutions, including schools, colleges, hospitals, and an orphanage. Nearly 40000 students are enrolled in its institutions.
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