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Though Sikhism is a relatively young religion (500 years old), it is a very influential faith, with over 26 million Sikhs living all around the world. It is the fifth largest religion in the world and forms 2% of India’s population. With over 1 million Sikhs living in America alone and close to 200 Gurudhwaras in Britain, Sikhism is one of the geographically wide spread religions of today.
Origin of Sikhism
Sikhism was founded by Guru Nanak in the year 1469, in the Punjab region of today’s India. Born into a Hindu family Guru Nanak was an influential social leader of his times. He was deeply saddened by the continuous religious tension that prevailed between the Hindu and the Islam community and preached to his followers that both religions are two different paths to reach the same God. In the age of twenty eight, Guru Nanak went as usual to a nearby river for his ritualistic meditation and did not return back for 3 days. And when he returned he was an enlightened man and uttered the now famous words of "nā kōi hindū nā kōi musalmān" which means there are no Hindus or Muslims.
Guru Gobind Singh was the last of the 10 Gurus and he decided that there was no need for any more mortal men to lead the Sikhs and declared the Adi Grant, the holy book, to be the eternal leader of the Sikhs. He also formed the Khalsa, a group of enlightened men, during a famous meeting held in 1699. In that meeting he called out to the Sikhs assembled, with blood dripping sword in his hands and asked them to sacrifice their head for the cause of their religion. He got five volunteers who readily offered their life and he took them to the nearby tent. But instead of sacrificing them, he gave them the holy water and baptized them as ‘beloved five’.
The 5 Ks which are essential for Sikhs
Following the tradition of baptism initiated by Guru Gobind, all Sikhs are baptized with 5 Ks on the day of Vaisakhi. These 5 Ks serves as religious identifiers of the Sikh faith and they are
- Kesh -meaning hair and the Sikhs maintain long uncut hair and beard
- Kirpan- meaning a sword or a long knife, their symbol of defense
- Kangha- meaning a wooden comb, which the Sikhs wear in their hair for neatness
- Katchera- meaning a cotton underwear which denotes purity
- Kara – a metal bangle which symbolizes freedom
Central idea of the religion
Guru Nanak combined the devotional element of Hinduism and monotheistic belief of Islam in his Sikhism. His preaching condemned the blind superstitions followed by both the religions and emphasized on the importance of love and understanding among human beings. Sikhism was at its peak under Ranjit Singh’s rule over Sikh state and with his decline (in 1839) faced much oppression, in particular from the Mughal Emperor Aurangzeb. This is the period when they started training in Martial arts and were known for their military service both under the British raj and in the army of independent India. The Golden Temple in Amristar, Punjab, is considered their most sacred place.
Sikhism believes in equality among all people and their temples called ‘Gurudhawara’, treats all kind of people, men or women, rich or poor, equally. The religion strongly advocates that God is present in all aspects of life though we cannot see him. Sikhism generally requires a Sikh to lead a life guided by the principles of truth and justice.
REFERENCES
BBC Religions. (Septemeber, 2009). Origin of Sikhism. Retrieved from http://www.bbc.co.uk/religion/religions/sikhism/history/history_1.shtml
Khushwant Singh, (2006). The Illustrated History of the Sikhs. India: Oxford University Press.
Kwintessential. A Brief Introduction to Sikhism. Retrieved from http://www.kwintessential.co.uk/resources/religion/sikhism.html
