Sikhs: Difference between revisions

{{Use dmy dates|date=June 2020}}

|founder    = [[Guru Nanak Dev]]

|population = {{circa|25-30}} million {{increase}}<br /> (0.40% of the global population)<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.globalreligiousfutures.org/explorer#/?subtopic=15&chartType=bar&year=2020&data_type=number&religious_affiliation=all&destination=to&countries=Worldwide&age_group=all&gender=all&pdfMode=false|title=Religion Information Data Explorer &#124; GRF|website=www.globalreligiousfutures.org}}</ref><ref name="Britannica">{{cite encyclopedia |url = https://www.britannica.com/topic/Sikhism |title=Sikhism |encyclopedia= [[Encyclopædia Britannica]] |access-date=6 October 2022|quote= In the early 21st century there were nearly 25 million Sikhs worldwide, the great majority of them living in the Indian state of Punjab.}}</ref><ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.hindustantimes.com/cities/chandigarh-news/us-officials-probing-claims-of-turbans-of-sikhs-being-confiscated-at-mexico-border-101659642161937.html | title=US officials probing claims of turbans of Sikhs being confiscated at Mexico border | date=5 August 2022 }}</ref><ref>{{cite web | url=https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/times-fact-check/news/fake-alert-sidhu-wrongly-quotes-sikh-population-as-14-crores/articleshow/72003044.cms | title=Fake Alert: Sidhu wrongly quotes Sikh population as 14 crores - Times of India | website=[[The Times of India]] }}</ref><ref>{{cite web | url=https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/blogs/mind-the-gap/sikhs-and-hindus-at-the-crossroads/ | title=Sikhs and Hindus at the crossroads | website=[[The Times of India]] | date=23 November 2019 }}</ref>

|region1    = {{flag|India}}  

|pop1      = 24,000,000-28,000,000

|ref1      = <ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.censusindia.gov.in |title= Office of the Registrar General & Census Commissioner, India |access-date = 4 April 2008}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/blogs/mind-the-gap/sikhs-and-hindus-at-the-crossroads/|title= The source state: Out of approximately 30 million Sikhs in the world, the majority of them, 22 million, live in India. Half a million Sikhs have made Canada their home, and even though they constitute just 1.4% of the total population.

|website=Times of India|date= 23 November 2019

}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.findeasy.in/sikh-population-in-india/|title=Sikh Population in World &#124; Sikh Population in India 2022|date=22 December 2021}}</ref><ref name="indianexpress.com">{{cite web|title=Why Sikhism As Registered Religion in Austria Matters |url=https://indianexpress.com/article/explained/explained-who-are-nanak-naam-lewa-and-why-kartarpur-corridor-cant-be-limited-to-sikhs-6100351/|website=Indian Express|date= 10 November 2019}}</ref>

|region2    = {{Flag|Canada}}

|pop2      = 771,790

|ref2      = <ref name="canadareligion2021">{{Cite web |last=Government of Canada |first=Statistics Canada |date=2022-10-26 |title= Religion by visible minority and generation status: Canada, provinces and territories, census metropolitan areas and census agglomerations with parts |url=https://www150.statcan.gc.ca/t1/tbl1/en/tv.action?pid=9810034201 |access-date=2022-12-01 |website=www12.statcan.gc.ca}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Government of Canada |first=Statistics Canada |date=2022-10-26 |title=The Daily — The Canadian census: A rich portrait of the country's religious and ethnocultural diversity |url=https://www150.statcan.gc.ca/n1/daily-quotidien/221026/dq221026b-eng.htm |access-date=2022-10-26 |website=www150.statcan.gc.ca}}</ref>

|region3 = {{flag|United Kingdom}}

|pop3       = 524,000

|ref3       =<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.ons.gov.uk/peoplepopulationandcommunity/culturalidentity/religion/bulletins/religionenglandandwales/census2021|title=Religion, England and Wales - Office for National Statistics|website=www.ons.gov.uk}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.scotlandscensus.gov.uk/documents/censusresults/release2a/rel2A_Religion_detailed_Scotland.pdf|title=Religion (detailed): All people|publisher=National Records of Scotland |access-date=8 April 2017}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.ninis2.nisra.gov.uk/Download/Census%202011/QS218NI.ods|title=Religion - Full Detail: QS218NI|publisher=Northern Ireland Statistics and Research Agency |access-date=8 April 2017}}

</ref>

|region4   = {{flag|United States}}

|pop4       = 500,000

|ref4       = {{refn|The United States does not measure religion during its censuses. However, the 2021 [[American Community Survey]] found that 318,588 Americans spoke Punjabi at home.<ref>{{Cite web|title=B16001{{!}}Language Spoken at Home by Ability to Speak English for the Population 5 Years and Over|url=https://data.census.gov/table?q=punjabi&tid=ACSDT1Y2021.B16001|access-date=2022-11-23|website=data.census.gov|language=en-US}}</ref> The [[2021 Canadian census]] found that 520,390 Canadians spoke Punjabi at home, and 771,790 were Sikhs.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Census Profile, 2021 Census of Population|url=https://www12.statcan.gc.ca/census-recensement/2021/dp-pd/prof/details/page.cfm?Lang=E&DGUIDList=2021A000011124&GENDERList=1,2,3&STATISTICList=1&HEADERList=0&SearchText=Canada|access-date=2022-11-23|website=statcan.gc.ca|language=en-CA}}</ref> Thus, it can be roughly estimated that there are around 472,498 Sikhs in the United States, using the ratio of Punjabi speakers to Sikhs. |name="Population"|group="nb"}} <ref>https://www.washingtonpost.com/outlook/2021/04/26/sikh-american-tradition-resilience/</ref>

|region5   = {{flag|Australia}}

|pop5       = 210,400

|ref5       = <ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.abs.gov.au/articles/religious-affiliation-australia|title=Religious affiliation in Australia &#124; Australian Bureau of Statistics|date=7 April 2022|website=www.abs.gov.au}}</ref>

|region6  = {{flag|Italy}}

|pop6      =150,000

|ref6      = <ref>{{Cite web|url=https://thewire.in/external-affairs/sikhs-in-italy|title=The Continuing Struggle for Religious Freedom by Italy's Sikh Community|website=The Wire}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|url=https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/magazines/panache/how-the-recent-punjabi-migration-to-spain-and-italy-is-a-departure-for-the-diaspora/articleshow/65180012.cms?from=mdr|title=How the recent Punjabi migration to Spain & Italy is a departure for the diaspora|newspaper=The Economic Times}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.globalindian.com/story/global-indian/parmesans-indian-connect-how-sikhs-saved-the-italian-cheese-industry/|title=How Sikhs saved the Italian cheese industry}}</ref>

|ref7      =<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.msu.com.my/|title=Homepage|website=Malaysian Sikh Union}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.malaysiakini.com/news/598203|title=Outsized contributions of Malaysian Sikhs|first=Ranjit Singh|last=Malhi|date=7 November 2021|website=Malaysiakini}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|url=https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/nri/nris-in-news/sikh-man-gobind-singh-deo-becomes-malaysias-first-minister/articleshow/64268155.cms?from=mdr|title=Gobind Singh Deo is Malaysia's first Sikh minister|newspaper=The Economic Times}}</ref>

|region10   = {{flag|UAE}}

|pop10     = 52,000

|ref10     =<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.khaleejtimes.com/uae/sikhs-in-uae-hail-countrys-year-of-respect-inclusion|title=Sikhs in UAE hail country's year of 'respect, inclusion'|first=Dhanusha|last=Gokulan|website=Khaleej Times}}</ref>

|region11   = {{flag|Philippines}}

|pop11     = 50,000

|ref11     =<ref>{{cite web|url=http://indianexpress.com/article/india/india-news-india/punjabi-community-money-lending-philippines-president-rodrigo-duterte-2806212/|title=Punjabi Community Involved in Money Lending in Philippines Braces for 'Crackdown' by New President|date=18 May 2016}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title = 2011 Gurdwara Philippines: Sikh Population of the Philippines |url=http://www.angelfire.com/ca6/gurdwaraworld/philippines.html |access-date=11 June 2011 |url-status=dead |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20111201014811/http://www.angelfire.com/ca6/gurdwaraworld/philippines.html |archive-date=1 December 2011 }}</ref>

|ref12      =<ref name="New Zealand Sikh population">{{cite web | url=https://www.stats.govt.nz/news/losing-our-religion |title = Losing our religion &#124; Stats NZ}}</ref>

|region13   = {{flag|Thailand}}

|region16   = {{flag|Germany}}

|pop16     = 15,000

|ref16     =<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.sbs.com.au/language/punjabi/en/article/must-leave-sikh-temple-vandalised-with-racist-graffiti-in-germany/245sczvrv|title='Must leave': Sikh temple vandalised with racist graffiti in Germany|website=SBS Language}}</ref>

|ref17      =<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.scmp.com/yp/discover/lifestyle/features/article/3065561/hong-kong-stories-getting-know-citys-sikh-community|title=Hong Kong stories: Getting to know the city's Sikh community|website=Young Post}}</ref>

|pop18      = 15,000

|ref18      =<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.outlookindia.com/website/story/kuwait-to-seek-closure-of-illegal-sikh-temple/212050|title=Kuwait To Seek Closure Of "Illegal" Sikh Temple|date=3 February 2022|website=outlookindia.com/}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=Sikh Gurdwara discovered by 'intrepid' local reporter |url=https://timeskuwait.com/news/sikh-gurdwara-discovered-by-intrepid-local-reporter/ |website=timeskuwait.com/ |date=August 14, 2019 |access-date=December 7, 2022}}</ref>

|ref19      =<ref>https://acninternational.org/religiousfreedomreport/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/Cyprus.pdf</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.thearda.com/world-religion/national-profiles|title=National Profiles|website=www.thearda.com}}</ref>

|region20   = {{flag|Singapore}}

|pop20     = 12,000

|ref20     =<ref>{{Cite book|url=https://www.cambridge.org/core/books/religious-diversity-in-singapore/evolution-of-the-sikh-identity-in-singapore/64B38827CD87A88C1EF3BDA3E9C2EBA5|title=Religious Diversity in Singapore|first=Arunajeet|last=Kaur|date=6 December 2008|publisher=ISEAS–Yusof Ishak Institute|pages=275–297|via=Cambridge University Press}}</ref>

|region21   = {{flag|Indonesia}}

|pop21     = 10,000

|ref21     =<ref>{{cite web |title=Orang-orang Sikh di Indonesia |url=https://kumparan.com/kumparannews/orang-orang-sikh-di-indonesia |website=kumparan |language=id-ID}}</ref>

|region22   = {{flag|Belgium}}

|pop22     = 10,000

|ref22     = <ref>{{Cite web|url=https://brill.com/display/book/edcoll/9789004432284/BP000040.xml|title=Hinduism in Belgium|first1=Enrico Castro|last1=Montes|first2=Idesbald|last2=Goddeeris|date=7 July 2020|publisher=Brill|via=brill.com}}</ref>

|ref24      = <ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.theguardian.com/world/2004/jan/23/france.schoolsworldwide|title=French Sikhs threaten to leave country|date=23 January 2004|website=the Guardian}}</ref>

|ref27      =<ref>{{cite web|title=Sikh population in Pakistan|url=https://www.aninews.in/news/world/asia/sikhs-in-pakistan-face-continuous-persecution-uncertain-of-their-future20211015111314/|access-date=19 Jan 2023}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.voanews.com/a/extremism-watch_pakistans-religious-minorities-say-they-were-undercounted-census/6207724.html|title=Pakistan's Religious Minorities Say They Were Undercounted in Census|website=VOA}}</ref>

|region28   = {{flag|Kenya}}

|pop28     = 6,000

|ref28     =<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Adam |first1=Michel |title=A diversity with several levels: Kenyan politics of integration and the Kenyan minorities of Indian origin |journal=Les Cahiers d'Afrique de l'Est / The East African Review |date=1 September 2013 |issue=47 |pages=23–32 |doi=10.4000/eastafrica.402 |s2cid=199837942 |url=https://journals.openedition.org/eastafrica/402#quotation |access-date=4 September 2020 |language=en |issn=2071-7245|doi-access=free }}</ref>

|region29   = {{flag|Norway}}

|pop29     = 4,080

|ref29     =<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.ssb.no/en/kultur-og-fritid/statistikker/trosamf/aar/2020-12-08|title=2020-12-08|website=ssb.no}}</ref>

|region30  = {{flag|Denmark}}

|pop30      = 4,000

|ref30      =<ref>{{Cite book|url=https://www.oxfordreference.com/view/10.1093/acref/9780191831874.001.0001/acref-9780191831874-e-251|title=A Dictionary of Sikh Studies|first=Pashaura|last=Singh|date=18 April 2019|publisher=Oxford University Press|via=www.oxfordreference.com|doi=10.1093/acref/9780191831874.001.0001|isbn=978-0-19-183187-4 }}</ref>

|region31  = {{flag|Sweden}}

|pop31      = 4,000

|ref31      =<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://watchingtheswedes.com/2019/02/26/diverse-sweden-part-1-swedish-sikhs/|title=Diverse Sweden Part 1: Swedish Sikhs|first=Neil Shipley's watching the|last=Swedes|date=26 February 2019}}</ref>

|region32   = {{flag|Fiji}}

|pop32     = 2,577

|ref32     =<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.statsfiji.gov.fj/Social/religion_stats.htm|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080916193239/http://www.statsfiji.gov.fj/Social/religion_stats.htm|url-status= dead|title=Population by Religion - 2007 Census of Population|archive-date=16 September 2008}}</ref>

|region33   = {{flag|Bahrain}}

|pop33     = 2,000

|ref33     =<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.gdnonline.com/Details/1148216|title=Bahrain News: Sikh community in Bahrain celebrates 553rd birth anniversary of Guru Nanak|website=www.gdnonline.com}}</ref>

|ref34      =<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.irishtimes.com/news/social-affairs/religion-and-beliefs/estimated-2-000-take-part-in-dublin-sikh-parade-1.3852677|title=Estimated 2,000 take part in Dublin Sikh parade|newspaper=The Irish Times}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.newsfour.ie/2020/06/the-sikh-community-provides-free-meals-for-frontline-workers/|title=The Sikh Community provides free meals for frontline workers - News Four News Four|date=15 June 2020|website=www.newsfour.ie}}</ref><ref>https://data.cso.ie/</ref>

|ref35      =<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.aljazeera.com/features/2013/2/21/georgia-farms-face-indian-invasion|title=Georgia farms face Indian 'invasion'|first=Felix Gaedtke,Gayatri|last=Parameswaran|website=www.aljazeera.com}}</ref>

|scriptures = [[Guru Granth Sahib]], [[Dasam Granth|Dasam Bani]]

|languages  = Primary - [[Punjabi language|Punjabi]] and [[Punjabi dialects|its dialects]] ([[Gurmukhi]] script);<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://old.sgpc.net/rehat_maryada/section_four.html|title=Sikh Reht Maryada, The Definition of Sikh, Sikh Conduct & Conventions, Sikh Religion Living, India|website=old.sgpc.net}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://old.sgpc.net/rehat_maryada/section_six.html|title=Sikh Reht Maryada, The Definition of Sikh, Sikh Conduct & Conventions, Sikh Religion Living, India|website=old.sgpc.net}}</ref> [[Guru Gobind Singh]] wrote letters to [[Aurangzeb]]—[[Zafarnama (letter)|Zafarnama]] and the [[Hikaaitaan]]—written in the [[Persian alphabet]]; Sikh coins were minted in [[Gurmukhi]] and [[Persian language|Persian]] during [[Misl|misls]] and [[Sikh Empire]]<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://webarchive.nationalarchives.gov.uk/ukgwa/20190801112113/https://www.britishmuseum.org/research/publications/research_publications_series/2011/catalogue_of_sikh_coins.aspx|title=UK Government Web Archive|website=webarchive.nationalarchives.gov.uk}}</ref>

 

[[English language|English]]{{·}}[[Hindi]]{{·}}[[French language|French]]{{·}}[[Italian language|Italian]]{{·}}[[Malay language|Malay]]{{·}}[[Modern Standard Arabic|Arabic]]{{·}}[[Filipino language|Filipino]]{{·}}[[Thai language|Thai]]{{·}}[[Spanish language|Spanish]]{{·}}[[German language|German]]{{·}}[[Chinese language|Chinese]]{{·}}[[Greek language|Greek]]{{·}}[[Turkish language|Turkish]]{{·}}[[Indonesian language|Indonesian]]{{·}}[[Dutch language|Dutch]]{{·}}[[Portuguese language|Portuguese]]{{·}}[[Urdu]]{{·}}[[Swahili language|Swahili]]{{·}}[[Norwegian language|Norwegian]]{{·}}[[Danish language|Danish]]{{·}}[[Swedish language|Swedish]]

 

 

Code - [[Khalsa bole]]<ref name=":2">{{Cite book |title=The Oxford Handbook of Sikh Studies |publisher=OUP Oxford |others=Pashaura Singh, Louis E. Fenech |year=2014 |isbn=9780191004117 |series=Oxford Handbooks |pages=380}}</ref>}}

 

'''Sikhs''' ({{IPAc-en|s|iː|k}} or {{IPAc-en|s|ɪ|k}}; {{lang-pa|ਸਿੱਖ}}, ''{{IAST|sikkh}}'' {{IPA-pa|sɪkkʰ|}} [[Devanagari]]: सिख) are people who adhere to [[Sikhism|Sikhi or Sikhism]], an [[Indian Religions|Indian religion]] that originated in the late [[15th century]] in the [[Punjab]] region of the [[Indian subcontinent]], based on the revelation of [[Guru Nanak]].<ref name="Singh2011">{{cite book|author=Nikky-Guninder Kaur Singh|title=Sikhism: An Introduction|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=w8yWAwAAQBAJ&pg=PT61|date=22 February 2011|publisher=I.B. Tauris|isbn=978-0-85773-549-2|pages=61–}}</ref> The term ''Sikh'' has its origin in the [[Sanskrit]] word ''{{IAST|[[śiṣya]]}}'' ({{Lang-sa|शिष्य|label=none}}), meaning 'disciple' or 'student'.<ref>{{cite book | last=Singh | first=Khushwant | author-link=Khushwant Singh | year=2006 | title=The Illustrated History of the Sikhs | publisher=Oxford University Press | location=India | isbn = 0-19-567747-1 | page=15}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|last=Nabha|first=Kahan Singh|url=http://www.ik13.com/online_library.htm#mahankosh|title=ਗੁਰ ਸ਼ਬਦ ਰਤਨਾਕਰ ਮਹਾਨ ਕੋਸ਼|year=1930|page=720|language=pa|trans-title=Gur Shabad Ratnakar Mahan Kosh|access-date=29 May 2006|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20050318143533/http://www.ik13.com/online_library.htm#mahankosh|archive-date=18 March 2005|url-status=dead|df=dmy-all}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=carolyn |date=2022-03-17 |title=SIKH NATIONALISM: From a Dominant Minority to an Ethno-Religious Diaspora {{!}} By Gurharpal Singh and Giorgio Shani |url=https://pacificaffairs.ubc.ca/book-reviews/sikh-nationalism-from-a-dominant-minority-to-an-ethno-religious-diaspora-by-gurharpal-singh-and-giorgio-shani/ |access-date=2023-01-09 |website=Pacific Affairs (UBC Journal) |language=en-CA}}</ref>

 

Sikhs who have undergone the ''[[Amrit Sanchar]]'' ('baptism by [[Khanda (Sikh symbol)|Khanda]]'), an initiation ceremony, are from the day of their initiation known as [[Khalsa]], and they must at all times have on their bodies [[The Five Ks|five Ks]]:

# [[Kesh (Sikhism)|''kesh'']], uncut hair usually kept covered by a [[dastar|dastār]], also known as a [[turban]];  

# ''[[kirpan]]'', a dagger-like sword tucked into a ''gatra'' strap or a ''kamar kasa'' waistband;  

The Punjab region of the Indian subcontinent has been the historic homeland of the Sikhs, having even been [[Sikh Empire|ruled by the Sikhs]] for significant parts of the 18th and 19th centuries. Today, [[Canada]] has the largest national Sikh proportion (2.1%) in the world,<ref name="canadareligion2021"/> while [[Punjab]] state in [[India]] has the largest Sikh proportion (58%) amongst all [[Administrative division|administrative divisions]] in the world. Many countries, such as Canada and the United Kingdom, recognize Sikhs as a designated religion on their censuses,<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.ons.gov.uk/peoplepopulationandcommunity/culturalidentity/religion/articles/religioninenglandandwales2011/2012-12-11|title=Religion in England and Wales 2011|last=ONS|date=11 December 2012|website=[[Office for National Statistics]]|publisher=[[UK Statistics Authority]]|access-date=24 November 2018}}</ref> and, as of 2020, Sikhs are considered as a separate [[ethnic group]] in the United States.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.firstpost.com/world/sikhs-to-be-counted-as-separate-ethnic-group-in-2020-us-census-community-hails-recognition-of-distinct-language-culture-7907961.html|title=Sikhs to be counted as separate ethnic group in 2020 US Census; community hails recognition of distinct language, culture|last=Press Trust of India|date=15 January 2020|website=Firstpost}}</ref> The UK also considers Sikhs to be an [[Ethnoreligious group|ethno-religious]] people, as a direct result of the [[Mandla v Dowell-Lee]] case in 1982.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.parliament.nsw.gov.au/prod/PARLMENT/hansArt.nsf/V3Key/LC19940511036 |title=Anti-Discrimination (Amendment) Bill - 11/05/1994 - 2R COMM - NSW Parliament |publisher=Parliament.nsw.gov.au |date=1994-05-11 |accessdate=2015-04-27}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.equalityhumanrights.com/uploaded_files/research/research_report_48_religion_or_belief_identifying_issues_and_priorities.doc |title=Archived copy |accessdate=2010-02-10 |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20100116121346/http://equalityhumanrights.com/uploaded_files/research/research_report_48_religion_or_belief_identifying_issues_and_priorities.doc |archivedate=2010-01-16 }}</ref>

[[File:Outside view of Gurdwara Janam Asthan.jpg|thumb|left|upright=0.7|[[Gurdwara Janam Asthan]], the birthplace of [[Guru Nanak]]]]

The early followers of Guru Nanak were [[Khatri]]s, but later a large number of [[Jat]]s joined the faith.<ref>{{cite book|publisher=Penguin|title=India in the Persianate Age: 1000-1765|author=Richard M. Eaton|year=2019|pages=168–169|isbn=9780141966557|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=aIF6DwAAQBAJ&pg=PP168|quote=The Sikh community grew rapidly in the sixteenth century. Nanak's earliest followers had been fellow Khatris engaged in petty trade, shopkeeping, or lower level civil service in the Lodi or Mughal bureaucracies. But as the movement grew, it experienced a significant influx of Jat cultivators.}}</ref> Khatris and [[Brahmin]]s opposed "the demand that the Sikhs set aside the distinctive customs of their castes and families, including the older rituals."<ref>{{cite book|last=Dhavan|first=Purnima|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=q0ZpAgAAQBAJ&pg=PA42|title=When Sparrows Became Hawks: The Making of the Sikh Warrior Tradition, 1699-1799|publisher=Oxford University Press|year=2011|isbn=978-0-19987-717-1|pages=42, 47, 184}}</ref>

During the rule of the [[Mughal Empire]] in India, two [[Sikh gurus]] were martyred. ([[Guru Arjan]] was martyred on suspicion of helping in betrayal of Mughal Emperor [[Jahangir]] and [[Guru Tegh Bahadur]] was martyred by the Mughal Emperor [[Aurangzeb]])<ref>{{cite journal

| doi = 10.1080/00856408708723379 }}</ref> As the Sikh faith grew, the Sikhs subsequently militarized to oppose Mughal rule.{{Citation needed|date=November 2015}} [[Guru Gobind Singh Ji]] was assassinated in 1708 by two pathans.{{Citation needed|date=November 2015}}

[[File:Shrine of ranjit singh.jpg|thumb|The [[Samadhi of Ranjit Singh|Samadhi of Emperor Ranjit Singh]] in [[Lahore]], Pakistan]][[File:Darbar Sahib 27 September 2018.jpg|thumb|The [[Harmandir Sahib|Golden Temple]]]]

[[File:Sikh helmet.jpg|thumb|upright|alt=Metal helmet in a museum|A [[Sikh Khalsa Army]] sowar's battle helmet]]

After defeating the [[Afghan–Sikh Wars|Afghans]] and [[Mughal-Sikh Wars|Mughals]], sovereign states called [[Misl]]s were formed under [[Jassa Singh Ahluwalia]]. The Confederacy of these states was unified and transformed into the [[Sikh Empire]] under [[Ranjit Singh|Maharaja Ranjit Singh]]. This era was characterised by religious tolerance and [[Religious pluralism|pluralism]], including Christians, Muslims, and Hindus in positions of power. Its secular administration implemented military, economic, and governmental reforms. The empire is considered the zenith of political Sikhism,<ref name="Lafont">{{cite book|last=Lafont|first=Jean-Marie|title=Maharaja Ranjit Singh: Lord of the Five Rivers (French Sources of Indian History Sources)|date=16 May 2002|publisher=Oxford University Press|isbn=0-19-566111-7|location=New York|pages=23–29}}</ref> encompassing [[Kashmir]], [[Ladakh]], and [[Peshawar]]. [[Hari Singh Nalwa]], the commander-in-chief of the [[Sikh Khalsa Army]] in the [[North-West Frontier Province|North-West Frontier]], expanded the confederacy to the [[Khyber Pass]].

[[File:Sikh Armour and weapons.jpg|thumb|upright|Sikh armour and weapons]]

[[File:“Sikh Sardar”, photograph by John McCosh taken in circa 1848-9.jpg|thumb|“Sikh Sardar”, photograph by [[John McCosh]] taken in circa 1848-49]]

The later years of British colonial rule saw the emergence of the [[Akali movement]] to bring reform in the [[gurdwara]]s during the early 1920s. The movement led to the introduction of ''Sikh [[Gurdwara]] Bill'' in 1925, which placed all the historical Sikh shrines in India under the control of the [[Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee]].<ref>{{cite book|last1=Nesbitt|first1=Eleanor|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Ai-rpcY-rrgC&q=sgpc&pg=PT10|title=Sikhism: A Very Short Introduction|publisher=Oxford University Press|year=2005|isbn=0-19-280601-7|series=Very Short Introductions|location=Oxford|access-date=14 January 2016|via=Google Books}}</ref>

At the time of the [[Indian independence movement]], the Sikh ruler of the [[Kapurthala State]] fought to [[opposition to the partition of India|oppose the partition of India]] and advocated for a united, secular country.<ref name="NDTV2009">{{cite web |title=An undivided India? |url=https://www.ndtv.com/video/news/the-big-fight/an-undivided-india-100356 |publisher=[[NDTV]] |access-date=19 October 2020 |language=en |date=29 August 2009}}</ref> Sikh organizations, including the [[Chief Khalsa Diwan|Chief Khalsa Dewan]] and [[Shiromani Akali Dal]] led by [[Master Tara Singh]], condemned the [[Lahore Resolution]] and the movement to create Pakistan, viewing it as inviting possible persecution. The Sikhs therefore [[opposition to the partition of India|strongly fought against the partition of India]].<ref name="KudaisyaYong2004">{{cite book |last1=Kudaisya |first1=Gyanesh |last2=Yong |first2=Tan Tai |title=The Aftermath of Partition in South Asia |date=2004 |publisher=[[Routledge]] |location=Abingdon-on-Thames, England |isbn=978-1-134-44048-1 |page=100 |quote=No sooner was it made public than the Sikhs launched a virulent campaign against the Lahore Resolution. Pakistan was portrayed as a possible return to an unhappy past when Sikhs were persecuted and Muslims the persecutor. Public speeches by various Sikh political leaders on the subject of Pakistan invariably raised images of atrocities committed by Muslims on Sikhs and of the martyrdom of their ''gurus'' and heroes. Reactions to the Lahore Resolution were uniformly negative and Sikh leaders of all political persuasions made it clear that Pakistan would be "wholeheartedly resisted". The Shiromani Akali Dal, the party with a substantial following amongst the rural Sikhs, organized several well-attended conferences in Lahore to condemn the Muslim League. Master Tara Singh, leader of the Akali Dal, declared that his party would fight Pakistan "tooth and nail". Not be outdone, other Sikh political organizations, rivals to the Akali Dal, namely the Central Khalsa Young Men Union and the moderate and loyalist Chief Khalsa Dewan, declared in equally strong language their unequivocal opposition to the Pakistan scheme.}}</ref> The months leading up to the 1947 [[partition of India]] were marked by conflict in the [[Punjab]] between Sikhs and [[Muslims]].<ref name="Abid2014">{{cite web |last1=Abid |first1=Abdul Majeed |title=The forgotten massacre |url=https://nation.com.pk/29-Dec-2014/the-forgotten-massacre |website=The Nation |date=29 December 2014 |quote=On the same dates, Muslim League-led mobs fell with determination and full preparations on the helpless Hindus and Sikhs scattered in the villages of Multan, Rawalpindi, Campbellpur, Jhelum and Sargodha. The murderous mobs were well supplied with arms, such as daggers, swords, spears, and firearms. (A former civil servant mentioned in his autobiography that weapon supplies had been sent from NWFP and money was supplied by Delhi-based politicians.) They had bands of stabbers and their auxiliaries, who covered the assailant, ambushed the victim and if necessary disposed of his body. These bands were subsidized monetarily by the Muslim League, and cash payments were made to individual assassins based on the numbers of Hindus and Sikhs killed. There were also regular patrolling parties in jeeps that went about sniping and picking off any stray Hindu or Sikh. ... Thousands of non-combatants including women and children were killed or injured by mobs, supported by the All India Muslim League.}}</ref> This caused the religious migration of Punjabi Sikhs and [[Hindus]] from [[Punjab (Pakistan)|West Punjab]] to the east (modern India), mirroring a simultaneous religious migration of [[Punjabi Muslims]] from [[Punjab (India)|East Punjab]] to the west (modern Pakistan).<ref name="Dutt et al.">{{cite journal|last1=Dutt|first1=Amitava|last2=Devgun|first2=Surinder|date=23 September 1977|title=Diffusion of Sikhism and recent migration patterns of Sikhs in India|journal=GeoJournal|volume=1|issue=5|pages=81–89|doi=10.1007/BF00704966|s2cid=189881872|issn=1572-9893}} {{dead link|date=May 2016|bot=medic}}{{cbignore|bot=medic}}</ref>

Following partition, the Government of India had begun to redraw states corresponding to demographic and linguistic boundaries. However, this was not effective in the northern part of the country,{{sfn|Doad|1997|p=392}} as the government reconsidered redrawing states in the north. {{sfn|Grewal|1998|p=186}} While states across the country were extensively redrawn on linguistic lines at the behest of linguistic groups, the only languages not considered for statehood were [[Punjabi language|Punjabi]], [[Sindhi language|Sindhi]] and [[Urdu]]. {{sfn|Deol|2000|p=93}} Leading to the launch of the [[Punjabi Suba movement]] and the presentation for a Punjabi Suba as a policy in April 1948 by [[Tara Singh (activist)|Master Tara Singh]]. Also, on 26 January 1950 Sikh representatives refused to sign the Indian constitution. As Sikhs were recognized as Hindus and Sikhs were not provided with scheduled castes concessions given to Hindu scheduled castes.

 

The Punjab Suba experienced heavy government crackdown with the Congress Government arresting as many as 21,000 people. Attempted negotiations with Congress-led the agitation to be adjourned twice, though Jawaharlal Nehru continued to reject the demand.{{sfn|Deol|2000|p=96}}{{sfn|Grewal|1998|p=188}} On 4 July 1955, government police forces, led by [[Deputy inspector general of police|DIG]] Ashwini Kumar,<ref name=kirpal>{{cite book |last1=Dhillon |first1=Kirpal S. |title=Identity and Survival: Sikh Militancy in India, 1978-1993 |date=2006 |publisher=Penguin Books |location=London, United Kingdom |isbn=9780143100362 |url=https://www.google.com/books/edition/Identity_and_Survival/_PU6CwAAQBAJ?hl=en&gbpv=1&pg=PT60&printsec=frontcover| page=60}}</ref> forced entry into the Golden Temple premises and heavy-handedly arrested protestors and took them into custody, along with the head [[granthi]]s of the [[Akal Takht]] and [[Golden Temple]], volunteer protestors, and even cooks of the temple's [[Langar (Sikhism)|langar]].{{sfn|Bal|1985|p=426}} The Guru Ram Das Serai and Shiromani Akali Dal offices were also raided, and batons used and tear gas and shells were fired to disperse the protestors gathered on the periphery of the temple, damaging the periphery and Sarovar, or pool, of the temple.{{sfn|Bal|1985|p=426}}{{sfn|Grewal|1998|p=189}} The government stopped volunteers on the way to the Golden Temple, and troops were ordered to flag-march through the bazaars and streets surrounding the site.{{sfn|Grewal|1998|p=189}} Over 200 protestors were killed, thousands arrested,{{sfn|Grewal|1998|p=189}} and thousands, including women and children, were injured.

 

The Congress government agreed to the Punjab Suba in 1966 after protests and recommendation of the States Reorganisation Commission.<ref name="Jayanta484">{{citation|last1=Ray|first1=Jayanta Kumar|title=Aspects of India's International Relations, 1700 to 2000: South Asia and the World|date=2007|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Nyk6oA2nOlgC&q=khalistan|page=484|publisher=Pearson Education India|isbn=978-81-317-0834-7}}</ref> The state of East Punjab was later split into the states of [[Himachal Pradesh]], the new state [[Haryana]] and current day [[Punjab, India|Punjab]].<ref>{{cite journal|last=Singh|first=Atamjit|title=The Language Divide in Punjab|url=http://www.apnaorg.com/book-chapters/language/|journal=South Asian Graduate Research Journal|volume=4|issue=1, Spring 1997|publisher=Apna|access-date=4 April 2013}}</ref> However, there was a growing alienation between Punjabi Sikh and Hindu populations. The latter of which reported Hindi rather than Punjabi as their primary language. The result was that Punjabi-speaking areas were left out of the new state and given to Haryana and Himachal Pradesh{{sfn|Grewal|1998|p=205}} resulting in the state of Punjab to be roughly 35,000 square miles smaller than the Punjabi-speaking areas based on pre-1947 census figures. Moreover, the 1966 reorganization left Sikhs highly dissatisfied, with the capital [[Chandigarh]] being made into a shared a [[union territory]] and the capital of Punjab and Haryana.

 

In the late 1960s, the Green Revolution in India was first introduced in Punjab as part of a development program issued by international donor agencies and the Government of India.<ref name=":12">{{Cite journal|last=Dutta|first=Swarup|date=June 2012|title=Green Revolution Revisited: The Contemporary Agrarian Situation in Punjab, India|journal=Social Change|volume=42|issue=2|pages=229–247|doi=10.1177/004908571204200205|s2cid=55847236|issn=0049-0857}}</ref> While, [[Green Revolution]] in Punjab had several positive impacts, the introduction of the mechanised agricultural techniques led to uneven distribution of wealth. The industrial development was not done at the same pace as agricultural development, the Indian government had been reluctant to set up heavy industries in Punjab due to its status as a high-risk border state with Pakistan.<ref name="Larry2007">{{cite book | author1=Sumit Ganguly | author2=Larry Diamond | author3=Marc F. Plattner | title=The State of India's Democracy | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=lgs1tFTh-JMC&pg=PA56 | access-date=18 August 2013 | date= 2007 | publisher=JHU Press | isbn=978-0-8018-8791-8 | page=56 }}</ref> The rapid increase in the higher education opportunities without an adequate rise in the jobs resulted in the increase in the unemployment of educated youth.<ref name="Jayanta484"/>

In 1973 as a result, of unaddressed grievances and increasing inequality the [[Akali Dal]] put forward the [[Anandpur Sahib Resolution]].{{sfn|Karim|1991|p=30}} The resolution included both religious and political issues. It asked for recognising Sikhism as a religion, it also demanded the devolution of power from the Central to state governments.<ref name="Jayanta484"/> The Anandpur Resolution was rejected by the government as a secessionist document. Thousands of people joined the movement, feeling that it represented a real solution to demands such as a larger share of water for irrigation and the return of [[Chandigarh]] to Punjab.<ref name="Akshay1991">{{cite book|author=Akshayakumar Ramanlal Desai|title=Expanding Governmental Lawlessness and Organized Struggles | year=1991|publisher=Popular Prakashan|isbn=978-81-7154-529-2|pages=64–66 }}</ref>  

After unsuccessful negotiations the Dharam Yuddh Morcha ("righteous campaign"){{sfn|Bakke|2015|p=143}} was launched on 4 August 1982,{{CN|date=March 2022}} by the [[Akali Dal]] in partnership with [[Jarnail Singh Bhindranwale]], with its stated aim being the fulfillment of a set of devolutionary objectives based on the [[Anandpur Sahib Resolution]].{{sfn|Bakke|2015|p=143}} Indian police responded to protestors with high-handed police methods creating state repression affecting a very large segment of Punjab's population. Police brutality resulted in retaliatory violence from a section of the Sikh population, widening the scope of the conflict by the use of violence of the state on its own people. {{sfn|Karim|1991|pp=32-33}} A "state of chaos and repressive police methods" combined to create "a mood of overwhelming anger and resentment in the Sikh masses against the authorities". Leading to Sikh leader Jarnail Singh Bhindranwale gaining prominence and demands of independence gain currency, even amongst moderates and Sikh intellectuals.{{sfn|Karim|1991|pp=32-33}} In 1982 and early 1983, extrajudicial killings by the police of orthodox Sikh youth in rural areas in Punjab provoked reprisals.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Pettigrew |first1=Joyce |title=In Search of a New Kingdom of Lahore |journal=Pacific Affairs |date=1987 |volume=60 |issue=1 |page=24 |doi=10.2307/2758827 |jstor=2758827}}</ref> Over 190 Sikhs had been killed in the first 19 months of the protest movement.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Dhillon |first1=Gurdarshan Singh |title=Truth about Punjab: SGPC White Paper |date=1996 |publisher=Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee |location=Amritsar, Punjab |isbn=978-0836456547 |edition=1st |page=198 |url=https://archive.org/details/TruthAboutPunjab/mode/2up}}</ref>

In May 1984, a ''Grain Roko morcha'' was planned and to be initiated on 3{{nbsp}}June{{sfn|Grewal|1998|p=226}} with protestors practising civil disobedience by refusing to pay land revenue, water or electricity bills, and blocking the flow of grain out of Punjab. Indian Prime minister [[Indira Gandhi]] launched [[Operation Blue Star]] on 1{{nbsp}}June prior to the Grain Roko morcha in order to remove Bhindranwale from the [[Harmandir Sahib|Golden Temple]]. This subsequently lead to Gandhi's assassination by her Sikh bodyguards.<ref name="NYT">{{Cite news|last=Pace|first=Eric|date=1 November 1984|title=Assassination in India: Sikhs at the centre of the drama; Sikh separation dates back to '47|page=24|newspaper=The New York Times|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1984/11/01/world/assassination-india-sikhs-center-drama-sikh-separation-dates-back-47.html}}</ref> Her assassination was followed by riots against Sikh communities and the killing of thousands of Sikhs throughout India. These events triggered an [[Insurgency in Punjab]] which would consume Punjab until the early 1990s.

During the day of [[Vaisakhi]] in 1999, Sikhs worldwide celebrated the 300th anniversary of the creation of the [[Khalsa]]. [[Canada Post]] honoured Sikh Canadians with a commemorative stamp in conjunction with the anniversary. Likewise, on 9 April 1999, Indian president [[K. R. Narayanan]] issued a stamp commemorating the 300th anniversary of the Khalsa as well.<ref>{{cite web|title=Canada Post to honour Sikh Canadians with a commemorative stamp|url=http://www.tribuneindia.com/khalsa/page16.htm|work=Tribune India|publisher=The Tribune|access-date=26 March 2013|archive-date=29 January 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210129050454/https://www.tribuneindia.com/error/Error404?aspxerrorpath=%2Fkhalsa%2Fpage16.htm|url-status=dead}}</ref>

According to Article I of Chapter 1 of the [[Sikh Rehat Maryada|Sikh ''Rehat Maryada'']] ('code of conduct'), the definition of Sikh is:<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.sgpc.net/rehat_maryada/section_one.html|title=Sikh Reht Maryada: Sikh Code of Conduct and Conventions|website=Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081010042708/http://sgpc.net/rehat_maryada/section_one.html|archive-date=10 October 2008|access-date=6 November 2008|df=dmy-all}}</ref> <blockquote>

Any human being who faithfully believes in

i. One Immortal Being,

ii. Ten Gurus, from Guru Nanak Sahib to Guru Gobind Singh Sahib,

iii. The Guru Granth Sahib,

iv. The utterances and teachings of the ten Gurus and

v. the baptism bequeathed by the tenth Guru, and who does not owe allegiance to any other religion, is a Sikh.</blockquote>

 

| One who calls themself a Sikh of the Guru, the True Guru, shall rise in the early morning hours and meditate on the Lord's Name. Upon arising early in the morning, he is to bathe and cleanse himself in the pool of nectar. Following the Instructions of the Guru, he is to chant the Name of the Lord, "Har, Har." All sins, misdeeds, and negativity shall be then erased. Then, at the rising of the sun, he is to sing Gurbani; whether sitting down or standing up, he is to meditate on the Lord's Name. One who meditates on my Lord, Har, Har, with every breath and every morsel of food and – that GurSikh becomes pleasing to the Guru's Mind. That person, unto whom my Lord and Master is kind and compassionate – upon that GurSikh, the Guru's Teachings are bestowed. Servant Nanak begs for the dust of the feet of that GurSikh, who himself chants the Naam, and inspires others to chant it.|Fourth Mehl ([[Guru Ram Das]])|title=''Guru Granth Sahib''|source=p. 305}}

 

 

#''[[Kesh (Sikhism)|Kesh]]'': Uncut hair, usually tied and wrapped in a ''[[turban]]''.

#''[[Kangha (Sikhism)|Kanga]]'': A wooden comb, usually worn under a ''turban'' to always also keep one's hair clean and well-groomed.

#''[[Kachera]]'': Cotton undergarments, worn by both sexes; the ''kachera'' is a symbol of chastity, and also a symbol of cleanliness. It is also historically appropriate in battle due to increased mobility and comfort when compared to a ''[[dhoti]]''.

#''[[Kirpan]]'': An iron blade in different sizes. In the UK, Sikhs can wear a small dagger, but in Punjab, they might wear a traditional curved sword from one to three feet in length. ''Kirpan'' is only a weapon of defense and religious protection, used to serve humanity and to be used against oppression.

{{Anchor|Sikh music and instruments}}

=== Music and instruments ===

The Sikhs have a number of musical instruments, including the [[Seni rebab|rebab]], [[Esraj|dilruba]], [[Taus (instrument)|taus]], jori, and [[Sarinda (instrument)|sarinda]]. Playing the [[sarangi]] was encouraged by [[Guru Hargobind]]. The rebab was played by [[Bhai Mardana]] as he accompanied Guru Nanak on his journeys. The jori and sarinda were introduced to Sikh devotional music by [[Guru Arjan]]. The ''taus'' (Persian for "peacock") was designed by Guru Hargobind, who supposedly heard a peacock singing and wanted to create an instrument mimicking its sounds. The dilruba was designed by [[Guru Gobind Singh]] at the request of his followers, who wanted a smaller instrument than the taus. After [[Japji Sahib]], all of the [[shabad (hymn)|shabad]] in the [[Guru Granth Sahib]] were composed as [[raga|raags]]. This type of singing is known as [[Gurmat Sangeet]].

[[File:Indias Sikh Pop. Chart02.JPG|thumb|upright=1.25|alt=Yellow bar graph|[[Demographics of India|India's]] Sikh population and their percentage of the total population]]

Sikhs number about 25-30&nbsp;million worldwide, of whom 24–28 million live in India, which thus represents around 90% of the total Sikh population.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.findeasy.in/sikh-population-in-india/|title=Sikh Population in World &#124; Sikh Population in India 2023|date=22 December 2021}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.britannica.com/topic/Sikhism|title = Sikhism &#124; History, Doctrines, Practice, & Literature}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://m.timesofindia.com/world/europe/why-sikhism-as-registered-religion-in-austria-matters/articleshow/80021881.cms|title = Why Sikhism as registered religion in Austria matters - Times of India|website = [[The Times of India]]}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/blogs/mind-the-gap/sikhs-and-hindus-at-the-crossroads/|title= The source state: Out of approximately 30 million Sikhs in the world, the majority of them, 22 million, live in India.|website=Times of India|date= 23 November 2019}}</ref><ref name="indianexpress.com"/><ref>{{cite web|url=https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/europe/why-sikhism-as-registered-religion-in-austria-matters/articleshow/80021881.cms|title=Why Sikhism as registered religion in Austria matters - Times of India|website=The Times of India}}</ref> About 76% of all Indian Sikhs live in the northern [[Punjab, India|Indian State of Punjab]], forming a majority of about 58 per cent of the state's population, roughly around 16 million.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://scroll.in/article/807847/nearly-10-million-sikhs-have-lost-their-religion-because-of-this-organisation | title=Nearly 10 million Sikhs have lost their religion because of this organisation }}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|url=https://wap.business-standard.com/article/news-ani/pak-invites-sikh-community-to-invest-in-commercial-projects-along-nankana-kartarpur-corridor-119011300615_1.html|title = Pak invites Sikh community to invest in commercial projects along Nankana-Kartarpur Corridor|newspaper = Business Standard India|date = 13 January 2019}}</ref> Karnail Singh Panjoli, member of the [[Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee|Shiromani Gurdwara Prabandhak Committee]], says that there are several communities within the term [[Nanakpanthi]]s too. Apart from [[Sindhi Hindus]], "There are groups like Sikhligarh, Vanjaarey, [[Nirmala (sect)|Nirmaley]], Lubaney, Johri, Satnamiye, Udaasiyas, [[Punjabi Hindus]], etc. who call themselves Nanakpanthis despite being Hindus.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://indianexpress.com/article/explained/explained-who-are-nanak-naam-lewa-and-why-kartarpur-corridor-cant-be-limited-to-sikhs-6100351/ | title=Explained: Who are Nanak Naam Lewa, and why Kartarpur Corridor can't be limited to Sikhs | date=10 November 2019 }}</ref> Substantial communities of Sikhs live in the Indian states or union territories of [[Haryana]], where they number around 1.2 million and form 4.91% of the population, [[Rajasthan]] (872k, or 1.27% of the population), [[Uttar Pradesh]] (643k, 0.32%), [[Delhi]] (570k, 3.4%), [[Uttarakhand]] (236k, 2.34%), [[Jammu and Kashmir (union territory)|Jammu and Kashmir]] (234k, 1.87%), [[Chandigarh]] (138k, 13.11%) and [[Himachal Pradesh]] (86k, 1.16%).

 

Canada is home to the largest national Sikh proportion (2.1&nbsp;percent of the total population) in the world.<ref name="canadareligion2021"/> A substantial community of Sikhs exist in the western province of [[British Columbia]], numbering nearly 300,000 persons and forming approximately 5.9&nbsp;percent of the total population. This represents the third-largest Sikh proportion amongst all global [[administrative divisions]], behind only [[Punjab, India|Punjab]] and [[Chandigarh]] in India. Furthermore, British Columbia,<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://vancouversun.com/news/staff-blogs/b-c-breaks-records-when-it-comes-to-religion-and-the-lack-thereof|title=B.C. breaks records when it comes to religion and the lack thereof|website=vancouversun}}</ref> [[Manitoba]], and [[Yukon]] hold the distinction of being three of the only four [[administrative divisions]] in the world with Sikhism as the second most followed religion among the population.{{refn|Per the [[2021 Canadian census]], Sikhism is the second-largest religion in British Columbia, Manitoba, and Yukon.<ref name="canadareligion2021"/> Per the [[2011 Indian census]], Sikhism is the largest religion in Punjab and second in Chandigarh. These are the only two Indian states/UTs where Sikhism is one of the two most common religions.<ref>{{cite web |title=Population by religion community – 2011 |url=http://www.censusindia.gov.in/2011census/C-01/DDW03C-01%20MDDS.XLS |publisher=The Registrar General & Census Commissioner, India |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150923230423/http://www.censusindia.gov.in/2011census/C-01/DDW03C-01%20MDDS.XLS |archive-date=23 September 2015}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.censusindia.gov.in/2011census/dchb/0401_PART_A_DCHB_CHANDIGARH.pdf |title=Census of India 2011 - Chandigarh |access-date=28 July 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170821191248/http://www.censusindia.gov.in/2011census/dchb/0401_PART_A_DCHB_CHANDIGARH.pdf |archive-date=21 August 2017 |url-status=live  }}</ref>|name="ProvincePopulation"}}

Sikh migration from [[British India]] began in earnest during the second half of the 19th century, when the British completed their annexation of the Punjab, which led to Sikh migration throughout India and the [[British Empire]]. During the Raj, semiskilled Sikh artisans were transported from the Punjab to [[British East Africa]] to help build railroads. Sikhs emigrated from India after World War II, most going to the [[Sikhism in United Kingdom|United Kingdom]] but many also to North America. Some Sikhs who had settled in eastern Africa were expelled by Ugandan dictator [[Idi Amin]] in 1972.<ref>{{cite encyclopedia

| id = http://www.britannica.com/eb/article-253167/Sikhism }}</ref> Economics is a major factor in Sikh migration, and significant communities exist in the United Kingdom, the United States, [[Malaysia]], [[East Africa]], [[Sikhism in Australia|Australia]], [[Singapore]] and [[Thailand]].

[[File:World Sikh Pop. Map 2004-02.png|thumb|upright=1.25|alt=Coloured world map|Map showing world Sikh population areas and historical migration patterns (2004 estimate)<ref name="Johnson et al.">{{cite journal | last1 = Johnson | first1 = Todd M. |last2=Barrett |first2=David B.

After the [[Partition of India]] in 1947, many Sikhs from what would become the [[Punjab of Pakistan]] migrated to India as well as to [[Afghanistan]] due to fear of persecution. Afghanistan was home to hundreds of thousands of Sikhs and Hindus as of the 1970s, but due to the wars in Afghanistan in the 2010s, the vast majority of Afghan Sikhs had migrated to India, Pakistan or the west.<ref>{{cite web|title=Afghan Sikhs are targeted by the Taliban and unable to even bury their dead |publisher=The Week|date=12 November 2019|url=https://www.theweek.in/theweek/cover/2019/11/02/afghan-sikhs-are-targeted-by-the-taliban-and-unable-to-even-bury-their-dead.html}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=Nearly 99% Of Hindus, Sikhs Left Afghanistan in Last Three decades  |publisher=TOLOnews|date=20 June 2016|url=https://tolonews.com/afghanistan/nearly-99-hindus-sikhs-left-afghanistan-last-three-decades}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=Little reason to migrate to India, say Afghan Sikhs|publisher=AA|date=17 December 2019|url=https://www.aa.com.tr/en/asia-pacific/little-reason-to-migrate-to-india-say-afghan-sikhs/1675903}}</ref>

Although the rate of Sikh migration from the Punjab has remained high, traditional patterns of Sikh migration favouring English-speaking countries (particularly the United Kingdom) have changed during the past decade due to stricter immigration laws. Moliner (2006) wrote that as a consequence of Sikh migration to the UK becoming "virtually impossible since the late 1970s," migration patterns evolved to continental Europe.<ref name="Moliner">{{Cite book|last=Moliner|first=Christine|url=http://www.ivry.cnrs.fr/lau/IMG/rtf/Abstracts.rtf|title=Migration Patterns – Workshop on Indian Migration|publisher=Laboratoire d'Anthropologie Urbaine/CNRS|year=2006|place=Ecole des Hautes Etudes en Sciences Sociales (EHESS)|pages=abstract|no-pp=true|contribution=Sikhs in France|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20061117150414/http://www.ivry.cnrs.fr/lau/IMG/rtf/Abstracts.rtf|archive-date=17 November 2006|url-status=dead}}</ref> Italy is a rapidly growing destination for Sikh migration,<ref>{{cite journal

 

Johnson and Barrett (2004) estimate that the global Sikh population increases annually by 392,633 (1.7% per year, based on 2004 figures); this percentage includes births, deaths, and conversions. Primarily for [[socio-economic]] reasons, [[Sikhism in India|Indian Sikhs]] have the lowest adjusted growth rate of any major religious group in India, at 16.9 percent per decade (estimated from 1991 to 2001) and it have further declined to just 8.4 per cent in 2011 census report.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.dailyo.in/politics/census-2011-sikhs-giani-gurbachan-singh-akal-takht-family-planning-migration-nris-dera-sacha-sauda/story/1/5911.html |title=We need to worry about the decline in Sikh numbers |publisher=Dailyo.in |date=2015-08-27 |accessdate=2022-05-25}}</ref><ref name="auto">{{cite web|title=Proportion and growth rate of population by religious communities, India, 1961–2001 |work=Office of the Registrar General, India |publisher=CensusIndia |date=6 September 2004 |url=http://www.censusindia.net/religiondata/statement.pdf |access-date=4 April 2008 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070927201349/http://www.censusindia.net/religiondata/statement.pdf |archive-date=27 September 2007 }}{{cbignore}}</ref> Sikhs in the world have the lowest fertility rate of 1.6 children per women as per (2019–20) estimation research.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.thenewsminute.com/article/india-witnesses-decline-population-growth-rate-and-fertility-across-religious-groups-156058 |title=India witnesses decline in population growth rate and fertility across religious groups |publisher=The News Minute |date=2021-10-04 |accessdate=2022-05-25}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|author=Krishna Veera Vanamali |url=https://wap.business-standard.com/podcast/current-affairs/india-s-fertility-rate-dips-below-replacement-level-what-does-it-mean-122051800062_1.html |title=India's fertility rate dips below replacement level: What does it mean? &#124; Business Standard News |newspaper=Business Standard India |publisher=Wap.business-standard.com |date= 18 May 2022|accessdate=2022-05-25}}</ref> The Sikh population has the lowest gender balance in India, with only 903 women per 1,000 men according to the 2011 Indian census.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.tribuneindia.com/news/nation/census-shocker-sikhs-report-lowest-sex-ratio/125040.html|title=Census shocker: Sikhs report lowest sex ratio|last=Tandon|first=Aditi|date=27 August 2015|website=Tribune India}}</ref> The estimated world's Sikh population was over 30 million in 2020, and it will reach 42&nbsp;million by 2050. It is expected to increase up to 62&nbsp;million by 2100, given that the anticipated growth rate of 1.7% per year and adding at least 400,000 followers annually.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://americanturban.com/2016/01/28/there-might-be-more-sikhs-in-the-future-maybe/|title=There could be more Sikhs in the future — maybe.|first=Rupinder Mohan|last=Singh|date=28 January 2016}}</ref><ref name="auto"/>

 

[[Sikhism]] is the fastest growing religion in [[Sikhism in Canada|Canada]], [[Sikhism in Australia|Australia]] and [[Sikhism in New Zealand|New Zealand]]. The growth is mainly contributed by the immigration of [[Sikhism in India|Indian Sikhs]] there over the decades. Sikhism is fourth-largest religion in [[Canada]], fifth-largest religion in [[Australia]] and [[New Zealand]]. The decadal growth of Sikhs is more in those countries as compared to the decadal growth of Sikh population in India, thus making them the fastest-growing religion there.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Government of Canada |first=Statistics Canada |date=2019-01-23 |title=2011 National Household Survey: Data tables Religion (108), Immigrant Status and Period of Immigration (11), Age Groups (10) and Sex (3) for the Population in Private Households of Canada, Provinces, Territories, Census Metropolitan Areas and Census Agglomerations, 2011 National Household Survey |url=https://www12.statcan.gc.ca/nhs-enm/2011/dp-pd/dt-td/Rp-eng.cfm?LANG=E&APATH=3&DETAIL=0&DIM=0&FL=A&FREE=0&GC=0&GID=0&GK=0&GRP=1&PID=105399&PRID=0&PTYPE=105277&S=0&SHOWALL=0&SUB=0&Temporal=2013&THEME=95&VID=0&VNAMEE=&VNAMEF= |access-date=2022-09-08 |website=www12.statcan.gc.ca}}</ref><ref name="canadareligion2021"/><ref name="worldatlas1">{{cite news | url=https://www.worldatlas.com/articles/what-is-the-fastest-growing-religion-in-australia.html | title=What is the Fastest Growing Religion in Australia? | newspaper=Worldatlas | date=10 June 2020 }}</ref><ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.tribuneindia.com/news/archive/punjab/sikhs-fastest-growing-minority-in-nz-census-837571 | title=Sikhs fastest-growing minority in NZ: Census }}</ref> [[Canada]] has the highest proportion of Sikhs in the globe, which stands at 2.12% as of 2021,<ref name="canadareligion2021"/> as compared to [[India]] which stands at 1.72% as of 2011 respectively.<ref>https://www.tribuneindia.com/news/archive/features/why-sikhs-ought-to-be-happy-not-worried-126229</ref>

Since Sikhism has never actively sought converts, Sikhs have remained a relatively homogeneous ethnic group. [[Caste system in India|Caste]] may still be practiced by some Sikhs, despite Guru Nanak's calls for treating everyone equally in Sri Granth Sahib.<ref name=":0" />{{NoteTag|1=<poem>Guru Nanak has mentioned in his first composition of Jap Ji Sahib, which is recited daily by all practicing Sikhs that all souls are to be treated with care and respect as Waheguru is the Giver of all souls.

"The Guru has given me this one understanding: there is only the One, '''the Giver of all souls'''. May I never forget Him!", Guru Granth Sahib, 2<ref>{{cite web |url = http://www.srigranth.org/servlet/gurbani.gurbani?Action=Page&Param=2 |title=Sri Guru Granth Sahib Translation, p. 2 |last=Singh Khalsa|first=Sant |publisher=Srigranth.org|access-date=10 January 2017 }}</ref>

"In that place where'' the '''''lowly are cared for-there''', the Blessings of Your Glance of Grace rain down.", Guru Granth Sahib, 15<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.srigranth.org/servlet/gurbani.gurbani?Action=Page&Param=15|title=Sri Guru Granth Sahib Translation, p. 15|last=Singh Khalsa|first=Sant |publisher=Srigranth.org|access-date=10 January 2017}}</ref>

"One who takes pride in wealth and lands is a fool, blind and ignorant.

'''''O Nanak, is liberated here, and obtains peace hereafter'''." Granth Sahib, 278.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.srigranth.org/servlet/gurbani.gurbani?Action=Page&Param=278|title=Sri Guru Granth Sahib Translation, p. 278|last=Singh Khalsa|first=Sant|publisher=Srigranth.org|access-date=10 January 2017}}</ref></poem>}}

Along with Guru Nanak, other Sikh gurus had also denounced the hierarchy of the caste system, however, they all belonged to the same caste, the [[Khatri]]s.<ref>{{cite book|last1=Oberoi|first1=Harjot|title=The Construction of Religious Boundaries: Culture, Identity, and Diversity in the Sikh Tradition|date=1994|publisher=Oxford|location=Chicago|isbn=978-0226615936|page=109|url=https://books.google.com/?=1NKC9g2ayJEC&pg=PR10&dq=%22sikh+guru%22+caste+khatri+nanak+gobind+singh#v=snippet&q=%22khatri%20guru&f=false|access-date=15 January 2017}}id</ref> Most Sikhs belong to the [[Jat Sikh|Jat]] (Jatt), traditionally [[Agrarian society|agrarian]] in occupation.<ref>{{cite book |author1=Don |title=South Asian Politics and Religion |date=2015 |publisher=Princeton University Press |page=155}}</ref> Despite being very small in numbers, the [[Khatri]] and [[Arora]] (Moneylenders) castes also wield considerable influence within the Sikh community. Other common Sikh castes include [[Ahluwalia (caste)|Ahluwalias]] (brewers), [[Kamboj|''Kambojs'']] or ''Kambos'' (rural caste), [[Ramgarhia|''Ramgarhias'']] (artisans), [[Brahmins]] (Priestly class), [[Rajputs]] (kshatriyas), [[Saini|''Sainis'']] ([[Agrarian society|agrarian]]), [[Rai Sikh|''Rai'' Sikh]] (rural caste), [[Labana|''Labanas'']] (merchants), [[Kumhar|''Kumhars'']], ''[[Mazhabi]]'' and the  [[Ramdasia]]/[[Ravidasia|''Ravidasias'']](Chamar).<ref>{{Cite encyclopedia|url=http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/543916/Sikhism/253170/The-rejection-of-caste|title=Sikhism {{!}} History, Doctrines, Practice, & Literature|encyclopedia=Encyclopædia Britannica|access-date=2017-12-26|language=en}}</ref>

Some Sikhs, especially those belonging to the landowning dominant castes, have not shed all their prejudices against the Dalits. While Dalits were allowed entry into the village [[gurdwara]]s, in some gurdwaras, they were not be permitted to cook or serve [[Langar (Sikhism)|''langar'']] (communal meal). Therefore, wherever they could mobilize resources, the Sikh Dalits of Punjab have tried to construct their own gurdwara and other local level institutions in order to attain a certain degree of cultural autonomy.<ref name=":0">{{cite journal|last1=Jodhka|first1=Surinder S|title=Caste and Untouchability in Rural Punjab|journal=Economic and Political Weekly|date=11–17 May 2002|volume= 37|issue=19|page=1822|jstor=4412102}}</ref> In 1953, Sikh leader and activist Master Tara Singh succeeded in persuading the Indian government to include Sikh castes of the converted untouchables in the list of [[scheduled castes]].<ref name=":1">Puri, Harish K. (2003). "[http://apnaorg.com/research-papers/harish-puri/ The Scheduled Castes in the Sikh Community: A Historical Perspective]". ''Economic & Political Weekly''  38(26):2693–701. {{JSTOR|4413731}}.

Other castes (over 1,000 members) include the [[Arain]], [[Bhatra Sikhs|Bhatra]], [[Bairagi]], [[Vanika|Bania]], [[Basith]], Bawaria, [[Bazigar]], [[Bhabra]], [[Chamar]], [[Chhimba|Chhimba (cotton farmers)]], Darzi, [[Dhobi]], [[Gujjar|Gujar]], [[Jhinwar]], [[Kahar]], [[Kalwar, Rajasthan|Kalal]], [[Kumhar]], [[Lohar]], [[Mahtam]], [[Meghwal|Megh]], [[Mirasi]], [[Mochi (Sikh)|Mochi]], [[Nai (caste)|Nai]], [[Ramgarhia|Ramgharia]], [[Sansi people|Sansi]], [[Sood|Sudh]], [[Tarkhan (Punjab)|Tarkhan]] and [[Kashyap (caste)|Kashyap]]{{Citation needed|date=August 2022}}

The [[3HO|3HO(Healthy, Happy, Holy)]] organization or Sikh Dharma International claims to have inspired a moderate growth in non-Indian adherents of Sikhism.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.3ho.org/about.html|title=3HO Healthy Happy Holy Organisation|work=About 3HO|publisher=3HO.org|access-date=4 April 2008|archive-date=24 April 2008|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080424020453/http://www.3ho.org/about.html|url-status=dead}}</ref> They are mainly centered around [[Española, New Mexico]], and [[Los Angeles]], California, United States of America.

== Diaspora ==

As Sikhs wear [[turban]]s and keep beards, Sikh men in [[Western world|Western]] countries have been mistaken for [[Muslim]], [[Arab|Arabic]], and/or [[Afghans|Afghan]] since the [[September 11 attacks]] and the [[Iraq War]].<ref name="attacks1">{{cite news|url=http://archives.cnn.com/2001/US/09/16/gen.hate.crimes/|title=Hate crime reports up in wake of terrorist attacks|date=17 September 2001|work=US News|access-date=4 April 2008|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080415215239/http://archives.cnn.com/2001/US/09/16/gen.hate.crimes/|archive-date=15 April 2008|publisher=CNN}}</ref><ref name="attacks2">{{cite news|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/6117820.stm|title=Sikhs Urging Action on Faith Hate|date=5 November 2006|work=UK News|access-date=4 April 2008|publisher=BBC News}}</ref> Several days after the 9/11 attacks, [[Sikhism in the United States|Sikh-American]] gas station owner [[Balbir Singh Sodhi]] was murdered in [[Arizona]] by a man who took Sodhi to be a member of [[al-Qaeda]], marking the first recorded hate-crime in America motivated by 9/11. CNN would go on to suggest an increase in hate crimes against Sikh men in the US and the UK after the 9/11 attacks.<ref name="attacks1" /><ref name="attacks2" />

In an attempt to foster Sikh leaders in the Western world, youth initiatives by a number of organisations exist. The Sikh Youth Alliance of North America sponsors an annual [[Sikh Youth Symposium]].

The Sikh diaspora has been most successful in the UK, and UK Sikhs have the highest percentage of home ownership (82%) of any religious community.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.statistics.gov.uk/CCI/nugget.asp?ID=962&Pos=2&ColRank=2&Rank=800|title=Housing: Sikhs most likely to own their own homes {{!}} Religion|last=ONS|date=11 October 2004|work=[[Office of National Statistics]]|publisher=UK Statistics Authority|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080226140123/http://www.statistics.gov.uk/CCI/nugget.asp?ID=962&Pos=2&ColRank=2&Rank=800|archive-date=26 February 2008|access-date=4 April 2008}}</ref> UK Sikhs are the second-wealthiest religious group in the UK (after the [[Jewish]] community), with a median total household wealth of {{GBP|229,000|link=no}}.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://sticerd.lse.ac.uk/dps/case/cr/CASEreport60.pdf|title=An Anatomy of Economic Inequality in the UK|date=29 January 2010|work=Report of the National Equality Panel|publisher=The London School of Economics – The Centre for Analysis of Social Exclusion|access-date=1 February 2010}}</ref>

In May 2019, the UK government exempted "[[Kirpan]]" from the list of banned knives. The U.K. government passed an amendment by which Sikhs in the country would be allowed to carry kirpans and use them during religious and cultural functions. The bill was amended to ensure that it would not impact the right of the British Sikh community to possess and supply kirpans, or religious swords.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://english.newstracklive.com/news/uk-gets-a-new-law-secures-rights-of-sikhs-to-carry-kirpans-sc57-nu-1010762-1.html|title=U.K. gets a new law, secures rights of Sikhs to carry kirpans|website=newstracklive.com|date=19 May 2019|access-date=2019-05-21}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/international/world-news/uk-gets-new-weapons-act-secures-sikh-right-to-carry-kirpans/articleshow/69387189.cms|title=UK gets new weapons act, secures Sikh right to carry kirpans|date=2019-05-18|newspaper=[[The Economic Times]]|access-date=2019-05-21}}</ref> Similarly, the [[Sikh American Legal Defense and Education Fund]] overturned a 1925 [[Oregon]] law banning the wearing of turbans by teachers and government officials in 2010.<ref>[http://www.saldef.org/news/sikh-teachers-are-now-able-to-teach-in-oregon-public-schools/ Sikh Teachers Are Now Able to Teach in Oregon Public Schools « SALDEF]. Saldef.org (2 April 2010). Retrieved on 6 October 2011.</ref>

}}</ref> wrote that the green revolution made the "negative and destructive impacts of science (i.e. the green revolution) on nature and society" invisible, and was a catalyst for Punjabi Sikh and Hindu tensions despite a growth in material wealth.

{{Main|List of Sikhs}}

[[Manmohan Singh]] is an Indian economist, academic, and politician who served as the 13th Prime Minister of India from 2004 to 2014. The first and only Sikh and non-Hindu in office, Singh was also the first prime minister since Jawaharlal Nehru to be re-elected after completing a full five-year term.

Notable Sikhs in science include [[nuclear physics|nuclear]] scientist [[Piara Singh Gill]], [[fibre optics|fibre-optics]] pioneer [[Narinder Singh Kapany]]; and physicist, science writer and broadcaster [[Simon Singh]].

In business, the UK-based clothing retailers [[New Look (store)|New Look]] and the Thai-based JASPAL<ref>{{cite web|url=http://jaspalgroup.com/about/|title=About JASPAL Group|last=JASPAL Group|date=2011|work=JASPAL Group|access-date=15 April 2020}}</ref> were founded by Sikhs. India's largest pharmaceutical company, [[Ranbaxy Laboratories]], is headed by Sikhs.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.forbes.com/lists/2006/77/biz_06india_Malvinder-Shivinder-Singh_DN7N.html|title=India's Richest: #24 Malvinder & Shivinder Singh|date=16 November 2006|work=Forbes|access-date=4 April 2008|archive-date=5 May 2008|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080505134317/http://www.forbes.com/lists/2006/77/biz_06india_Malvinder-Shivinder-Singh_DN7N.html|url-status=dead}}</ref> [[Apollo Tyres]] is headed by [[Onkar Singh Kanwar]]. In Singapore, Kartar Singh Thakral expanded his family's trading business, Thakral Holdings,<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.forbes.com/lists/2006/79/06singapore_Kartar-Singh-Thakral_UEZJ.html|title=Singapore's 40 Richest: #25 Kartar Singh Thakral|date=24 August 2006|work=Forbes|access-date=4 April 2008}}</ref> into assets totalling almost {{US$|1.4&nbsp;billion|link=yes|round=1}} and is Singapore's 25th-richest person. Sikh [[Bob Singh Dhillon]] is the first [[Indo-Canadian]] billionaire. [[Mastercard|Mastercard's]] [[CEO]] was a Sikh named [[Ajaypal Singh Banga]].

In sports, Sikhs include England cricketer [[Monty Panesar]]; former 400-metre runner [[Milkha Singh]]; his son, professional golfer [[Jeev Milkha Singh]]; Indian wrestler and actor [[Dara Singh]]; former Indian hockey team captains [[Sandeep Singh]], Ajitpal Singh and [[Balbir Singh Sr.|Balbir Singh Sr]].; former Indian cricket captain [[Bishen Singh Bedi]]; [[Harbhajan Singh]], India's most successful [[off spin]] [[bowling (cricket)|cricket bowler]]; [[Yuvraj Singh]], World Cup winning allrounder; [[Maninder Singh (cricketer)|Maninder Singh]], World Cup winning off spinner; and [[Navjot Singh Sidhu]], former Indian cricketer-turned-politician.

Sikhs in Bollywood, in the arts in general, include poet and lyricist [[Rajkavi Inderjeet Singh Tulsi]]; [[Gulzar]]; [[Jagjit Singh]]; [[Dharmendra]]; [[Sunny Deol]]; writer [[Khushwant Singh]]; actresses [[Neetu Singh]], [[Simran Judge]], [[Poonam Dhillon]], [[Mahi Gill]], [[Esha Deol]], [[Parminder Nagra]], [[Gul Panag]], [[Mona Singh]], [[Namrata Singh Gujral]]; and directors [[Gurinder Chadha]] and Parminder Gill.

Sikhs in Punjabi Music industry include [[Sidhu Moosewala]], [[Diljit Dosanjh]], [[Babu Singh Maan]], [[Surjit Bindrakhia]], [[Ammy Virk]], [[Karan Aujla]], [[Jazzy B]], [[Miss Pooja]].  

{{Anchor|Sikhs in the Indian and British armies}}

== In the Indian and British armies ==

{{Main|Sikhs in the British Indian Army}}

According to a 1994 estimate, Punjabi Sikhs and Hindus comprised 10 to 15% of all ranks in the [[Indian Army]]. The Indian government does not release religious or ethnic origins of a military personnel, but a 1991 report by Tim McGirk estimated that 20%  of Indian Army officers were Sikhs.<ref name="Kundu">{{cite journal|last=Kundu|first=Apurba|date=Spring 1994|title=The Indian Armed Forces' Sikh and Non-Sikh Officers' Opinions of Operation Blue Star|journal=Pacific Affairs|volume=67|issue=1|pages=48–49|doi=10.2307/2760119|jstor=2760119}}</ref> Together with the [[Gurkha]]s recruited from Nepal, the [[Maratha Light Infantry]] from Maharashtra and the [[Jat Regiment]], the Sikhs are one of the few communities to have exclusive regiments in the Indian Army.<ref name="Kundu" /> The [[Sikh Regiment]] is one of the most-decorated [[regiment]]s in the army,{{cn|date=February 2023}} with 73 [[Battle Honours]], 14 [[Victoria Cross]]es,<ref name="nriinternet.com">{{cite web|url=http://www.nriinternet.com/Section4HistoryNRI/UK%20History/5_1016_SuccessStory.htm|title=The success story that UK's 4 lakh Sikhs are|last=TNN|website=NRI Internet|type=excerpts from talk by British High Commissioner Michael Arthur|access-date=4 April 2008}}</ref> 21 first-class [[Indian Order of Merit|Indian Orders of Merit]] (equivalent to the Victoria Cross),<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2007/06/24/nsikh224.xml|title=History of Sikh Gallantry|date=24 June 2007|work=The Daily Telegraph|access-date=4 April 2008|url-status=dead|location=London|archive-date=27 February 2008|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080227020801/http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=%2Fnews%2F2007%2F06%2F24%2Fnsikh224.xml}}</ref> 15 [[Battle honour|Theatre Honours]], 5 COAS Unit Citations, two [[Param Vir Chakra]]s, 14 [[Maha Vir Chakra]]s, 5 [[Kirti Chakra]]s, 67 [[Vir Chakra]]s, and 1,596 other awards. The highest-ranking general in the history of the Indian Air Force is a Punjabi Sikh, Marshal of the Air Force [[Arjan Singh]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.bharat-rakshak.com/IAF/Legends/Arjan.html|title=Marshal of the Air Force Arjan Singh|last=Pillarisetti|first=Jagan|website=Bharat Rakshak|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080327195335/http://www.bharat-rakshak.com/IAF/Legends/Arjan.html <!-- Bot retrieved archive -->|archive-date=27 March 2008|access-date=4 April 2008}}</ref> Plans by the [[Ministry of Defence (United Kingdom)|United Kingdom Ministry of Defence]] for a Sikh [[infantry]] regiment were scrapped in June 2007.<ref>{{Cite news|last=Rayment|first=Sean|url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2007/06/24/nsikh124.xml|title=Sikh Regiment Dumped over 'Racism' Fears|date=24 June 2007|newspaper=The Telegraph|url-status=dead|location=London|archive-date=18 November 2007|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071118172517/http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=%2Fnews%2F2007%2F06%2F24%2Fnsikh124.xml}}</ref>

Sikhs supported the British during the [[Indian Rebellion of 1857]].<ref>{{cite book|last=[[Kennedy Trevaskis]]|first=Hugh|title=The Land of Five Rivers: An Economic History of the Punjab from Earliest Times to the Year of Grace 1890|year=1928|publisher=Oxford University Press|location=London|pages=216–217}}</ref> By the beginning of [[World War I]], Sikhs in the [[British Indian Army]] totaled over 100,000 (20 per cent of the force). Until 1945, fourteen [[Victoria Cross]]es (VC) were awarded to Sikhs, a per-capita regimental record.<ref name="nriinternet.com" /> In 2002, the names of all Sikh VC and [[George Cross]] recipients were inscribed on the monument of the [[Memorial Gates (Constitution Hill)|Memorial Gates]]<ref>{{cite web

During World War I, Sikh battalions fought in Egypt, Palestine, Mesopotamia, [[Gallipoli]] and France. Six battalions of the [[Sikh Regiment]] were raised during [[World War II]], serving in the [[Second Battle of El Alamein]], the [[Burma Campaign|Burma]] and [[Italian Campaign (World War II)|Italian campaigns]] and in [[Anglo-Iraqi War|Iraq]], receiving 27 battle honours. Around the world, Sikhs are commemorated in [[Commonwealth War Graves Commission|Commonwealth]] cemeteries.<ref>{{cite web

| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20071213072258/http://www.hcilondon.net/Issues-in-focus/Sikhs-pioneered-Britain%27s-multi-cultural-society.html

<gallery widths="150" heights="100">

File:Sikhs in the First World War Q24777.jpg|Sikhs in the [[World War I|First World War]], marching with their scripture, [[Guru Granth Sahib]]

File:SikhsInFrancePostcard.jpg|alt=Postcard of marching Sikhs with rifles|French postcard depicting the arrival of the 15th [[Sikh Regiment]] in France during [[World War I]]; the bilingual postcard reads, "Gentlemen of India marching to chasten the German hooligans"

File:Indian sikh soldiers in Italian campaign.jpg|Indian Sikh soldiers in the Italian campaign

File:Sikh soldier with captured Swastika flag.jpg|Sikh soldier with captured [[Swastika]] flag of [[Nazi Germany]]

File:Japanese shooting blindfolded Sikh prisoners.jpg|alt=See caption|Japanese soldiers shooting blindfolded Sikh prisoners in [[World War II]]

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The [[Khalistan movement]] is a Sikh separatist movement, which seeks to create a separate country called Khalistān ("The [[-stan|Land of]] the [[Khalsa]]") in the Punjab region of [[South Asia]] to serve as a homeland for Sikhs.<ref>{{cite book |url = https://books.google.com/books?id=XJzUzWDwZ4kC&pg=PA218 |title=Globalization and Religious Nationalism in India|isbn=9781134135707|last1=Kinnvall|first1=Catarina|date=2007-01-24}}</ref> The territorial definition of the proposed country Khalistan consists of both the Punjab, India, along with Punjab, Pakistan, and includes parts of [[Haryana]], [[Himachal Pradesh]], [[Jammu and Kashmir (state)|Jammu and Kashmir]], and [[Rajasthan]].<ref name=Crenshaw>{{cite book|last=Crenshaw|first=Martha|title=Terrorism in Context|year=1995|publisher=Pennsylvania State University|isbn=978-0-271-01015-1|page=364}}</ref><ref>''The foreign policy of Pakistan: ethnic impacts on diplomacy, 1971-1994'' {{ISBN|1-86064-169-5}} - Mehtab Ali Shah "''Such is the political, psychological and religious attachment of the Sikhs to that city that a Khalistan without Lahore would be like a Germany without Berlin.''"</ref><ref name="Stephen_Amritsar">''Amritsar to Lahore: A Journey Across the India-Pakistan Border'' - Stephen Alter {{ISBN|0-8122-1743-8}} "''Ever since the separatist movement gathered force in the 1980s, Pakistan has sided with the Sikhs, the territorial ambitions of Khalistan have at times included Chandigarh, sections of the Indian Punjab, including whole North India and some parts of western states of India.''"</ref>

Khalistan movement began as an [[expatriate]] venture.<ref name="Pruthi169">{{cite book |last1=Pruthi |first1=Raj |title=Sikhism and Indian Civilization |date=2004 |publisher=Discovery Publishing House |isbn=9788171418794 |page=169 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=KxndvJs3wUkC&q=expatriate+venture&pg=PA169 |access-date=25 October 2018}}</ref> In 1971, the first explicit call for Khalistan was made in an advertisement published in the ''New York Times'' by an expat ([[Jagjit Singh Chohan]]).{{sfn|Van Dyke

|2009|p=976}} By proclaiming the formation of Khalistan, he was able to collect millions of dollars from the [[Sikh diaspora]].<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2007/04/11/world/asia/11chauhan.html?_r=1&fta=y&oref=slogin |title=Jagjit Singh Chauhan, Sikh Militant Leader in India, Dies at 80 |work=The New York Times|author=Haresh Pandya |access-date=28 August 2008 |date=11 April 2007}}</ref> On 12 April 1980, he declared the formation of the "National Council of Khalistan", at [[Anandpur Sahib]].<ref>{{cite book | last = Nayar | first = Kuldip |author2=Kushwant Singh | title = Tragedy of Punjab | publisher = Vision Books | year = 1985 | page = 51 | isbn = 1-85127-069-8}}</ref> He declared himself as the President of the council, and named Balbir Singh Sandhu as its Secretary General. In May 1980, Chohan traveled to [[London]] and announced the formation of Khalistan. A similar announcement was made by Balbir Singh Sandhu in [[Amritsar]], where he began releasing stamps and currency of Khalistan. The inaction of the authorities in Amritsar and elsewhere was decried as a political stunt by the [[Indian National Congress|Congress(I)]] party of Indira Gandhi by the Akali Dal, headed by the Sikh leader [[Harchand Singh Longowal]].<ref>{{cite book | last = Singh | first = Satinder | title = Khalistan: An Academic Analysis | publisher = Amar Prakashan | year = 1982 | location = Delhi & Punjab | page = 114 }}</ref>

The movement flourished in the Indian state of Punjab following [[Operation Blue Star]]. As proponents were able to generate funding from a grieving diaspora. In June 1985, [[Air India Flight 182|Air India Flight 182 was bombed]] by [[Babbar Khalsa]], a pro-Khalistani terrorist organization.<ref>{{cite news|title=Jagmeet Singh Now Rejects Glorification of Air India Bombing mastermind|url=http://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/jagmeet-singh-air-india-bombing-accepts-1.4578030|access-date=30 April 2018|quote=The 18-month long Air India inquiry, led by former Supreme Court justice John Major, pointed to Parmar as the chief terrorist behind the bombing.  A separate inquiry, carried out by former Ontario NDP premier and Liberal MP Bob Rae, also fingered Parmar as the architect of the 1985 bombing that left 329 people dead 268 of them Canadians.|publisher=CBC News|date=15 March 2018}}</ref> In January 1986, the Golden Temple was occupied by militants belonging to [[All India Sikh Students Federation]] and [[Damdami Taksal]].<ref>Sikh Temple Sit-In Is a Challenge for Punjab, ''The New York Times'' 2 February 1986</ref> On 26 January 1986, a gathering known as the [[Sarbat Khalsa]] (a de facto parliament) passed a resolution (''gurmattā'') favouring the creation of Khalistan. Subsequently, a number of rebel militant groups in favour of Khalistan waged a [[Punjab insurgency|major insurgency]] against the government of India. Indian security forces suppressed the insurgency in the early 1990s, but Sikh political groups such as the [[Khalsa Raj Party]] and [[Shiromani Akali Dal (Amritsar)|SAD (A)]] continued to pursue an independent Khalistan through non-violent means.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://web.amnesty.org/library/Index/ENGASA200022003?open&of=ENG-IND |title=Amnesty International report on Punjab |publisher=Amnesty International |date=20 January 2003 |access-date=11 January 2010 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20061203184445/http://web.amnesty.org/library/Index/ENGASA200022003?open&of=ENG-IND |archive-date = 3 December 2006}}</ref><ref name="tribuneindia2006">{{cite web|url=http://www.tribuneindia.com/2006/20060310/punjab1.htm#2 |title=The Tribune, Chandigarh, India - Punjab |publisher=Tribuneindia.com |access-date=2015-09-27}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.punjabnewsline.com/content/view/22588/38/ |title=SAD (A) to Contest the Coming SGPC Elections on Khalistan Issue: Mann |publisher=PunjabNewsline.com |date=14 January 2010 |access-date=22 January 2010 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110715132020/http://www.punjabnewsline.com/content/view/22588/38/ |archive-date=15 July 2011 |df=dmy-all }}</ref> Pro-Khalistan organisations such as [[Dal Khalsa (International)]] are also active outside India, supported by a section of the Sikh diaspora.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.sikhtimes.com/news_061605a.html | first=Balbair | last=Punj | date= 16 June 2005 |title=The Ghost of Khalistan |newspaper= Sikh Times |access-date=11 January 2010}}</ref>

In the 1990s, the insurgency abated,<ref name="india-canada-list">{{cite news|title=India gives Trudeau list of suspected Sikh separatists in Canada|url=https://www.reuters.com/article/us-india-canada-trudeau/india-gives-trudeau-list-of-suspected-sikh-separatists-in-canada-idUSKCN1G61K7|website=Reuters, The Sikh insurgency petered out in the 1990s. He told state leaders his country would not support anyone trying to reignite the movement for an independent Sikh homeland called Khalistan. |date=22 February 2018|access-date=22 May 2018}}</ref> and the movement failed to reach its objective due to multiple reasons including a heavy police crackdown on separatists, divisions among the Sikhs and loss of support from the Sikh population.<ref name="HT_New2018">{{cite news|title=New brand of Sikh militancy: Suave, tech-savvy pro-Khalistan youth radicalised on social media|url=https://www.hindustantimes.com/opinion/a-new-brand-of-sikh-militancy-rears-its-head/story-JH3XbAGk6sSxlYrVEDyISK.html|access-date=27 April 2018|newspaper=Hindustan Times}}</ref> However, various pro-Khalistan groups, both political and militant, remain committed to the separatist movement. There are claims of funding from [[Sikh diaspora|Sikhs outside India]] to attract young people into militant groups.<ref>{{cite news|date=4 March 2008|title=Sikh separatists 'funded from UK'|publisher=BBC|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/programmes/file_on_4/7263211.stm|access-date=28 August 2008}}</ref>

Sikh art and culture are nearly synonymous with that of Punjab, and Sikhs are easily recognised by their distinctive turban ([[Dastar]]). Punjab has been called India's melting pot, due to the confluence of invading cultures from the rivers from which the region gets its name. Sikh culture is therefore a synthesis of cultures. Sikhism has forged a unique [[Sikh architecture|architecture]], which S.&nbsp;S. Bhatti described as "inspired by [[Guru Nanak]]'s creative mysticism" and "is a mute harbinger of holistic humanism based on pragmatic spirituality".<ref>{{cite web

| access-date =4 April 2008 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20071214193843/http://www.punjabheritage.org/catagories/architectural-heritage/the-magnificence-of-sikh-architecture.html <!-- Bot retrieved archive --> |archive-date = 14 December 2007}}</ref> The American non-profit organization [[United Sikhs]] has fought to have Sikh included on the [[United States|U.S.]] census as well, arguing that Sikhs "self-identify as an ethnic minority" and believe "that they are more than just a religion".<ref>{{cite web

| access-date = 20 November 2014

}}</ref>

Sikh culture is influenced by militaristic motifs (with the [[Khanda (religious symbol)|Khanda]] the most obvious), and most Sikh artifacts—except for the relics of the Gurus—have a military theme. This theme is evident in the Sikh festivals of [[Hola Mohalla]] and [[Vaisakhi]], which feature marching and displays of valor.

{{Anchor|Sikh paintings}}

Sikh painting is a direct offshoot of the [[Kangra painting|Kangra school]] of painting. In 1810, Ranjeet Singh (1780–1839) occupied [[Kangra Fort]] and appointed Sardar Desa Singh Majithia his governor of the Punjab hills. In 1813, the Sikh army occupied [[Guler State]], and Raja Bhup Singh became a vassal of the Sikhs. With the Sikh kingdom of Lahore becoming the paramount power, some of the Pahari painters from Guler migrated to Lahore for the patronage of Maharaja Ranjeet Singh and his Sardars.

* [[Sikhism by country]]

* [[Sikhism in India]]

== Explanatory notes ==

{{reflist|colwidth=30em}}

=== General and cited sources ===

* ''The Sikhs in History: A Millennium Study'' by Sangat Singh, Noel Quinton King. New York, 1995. {{ISBN|81-900650-2-5}}.

* ''A History of the Sikhs: Volume 1: 1469–1838'' by Khushwant Singh. Oxford India Paperbacks (13 January 2005). {{ISBN|0-19-567308-5}}.

* ''The Sikh Diaspora: Tradition and Change in an Immigrant Community (Asian Americans&nbsp;— Reconceptualising Culture, History, Politics)'' by Michael Angelo. Published by Routledge (1 September 1997). {{ISBN|0-8153-2985-7}}.

* ''The Philosophical and Religious Thought of Sikhism'' by R.&nbsp;M. Chopra, 2014, Sparrow Publication, Kolkata, {{ISBN|978-81-89140-99-1}}.

* ''[https://books.google.com/books?hl=en&lr=&id=1NKC9g2ayJEC&oi=fnd&pg=PR10&dq=udasi+sikh&ots=bb6hqJ2K_W&sig=cTVuEkJHG7woUdohXBqVId8N6zc#v=onepage&q=udasi%20sikh&f=false The Construction of Religious Boundaries: Culture, Identity, and Diversity in the Sikh Tradition]'' - H Oberoi - 1994 University of Chicago Press, {{ISBN|0-226-61592-8}}.

* ''Architectural Heritage of a Sikh State: Faridkot'' by Subhash Parihar, Delhi: Aryan Books International, 2009, {{ISBN|978-81-7305-386-3}}.