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{{Short description|Religion originating in the Punjab region}}
[[File:Khanda (Sikhism).svg|thumb|180px|The Khanda is the main symbol of Sikhism.]]
{{Distinguish|Sikkim}}
'''Sikhism''' ({{IPAc-en|ˈ|s|I|k|ɪ|z|əm}}), also known as '''Sikhi''' ({{lang-pa|ਸਿੱਖੀ}} ''{{IAST|Sikkhī}}'', {{IPA-pa|ˈsɪkʰiː|}}, from {{lang-pa|ਸਿੱਖ|lit=disciple', 'seeker', or 'learner|translit=[[Sikh]]|label=none}})<ref group="lower-roman">''Sikhism'' (commonly known as ''Sikhī'') originated from the word ''Sikh'', which comes from the [[Sanskrit]] root ''{{IAST|[[śiṣya]]}}'' meaning "disciple", or ''{{IAST|śikṣa}}'' meaning "instruction". [[Khushwant Singh|Singh, Khushwant]]. 2006. ''The Illustrated History of the Sikhs''. [[Oxford University Press]]. {{ISBN|978-0-19-567747-8}}. p. 15.Kosh, Gur Shabad Ratnakar Mahan. https://web.archive.org/web/20050318143533/http://www.ik13.com/online_library.htm</ref> or '''Sikh Dharma''', is a religion originally from [[India]]. It is one of the 5 Dharmic faiths or Indic Faiths which means it was originated in [[South Asia|Indian Subcontinent]] and whose followers are called "Sikhs". ''Sikhism'' (commonly known as ''Sikhī'') originated from the word ''Sikh'', which comes from the [[Sanskrit]] root ''śiṣya'' meaning ''disciple'', or ''śikṣa'' meaning ''instruction''. Their holy book is the ''Adi Guru Granth Sahib Ji''. ''Guru'' is the word for ''teacher'' in [[Sanskrit]] while ''Granth'' is the word for ''book'', ''scripture'' or ''text'' in [[Sanskrit]].
{{EngvarB|date=November 2020}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=November 2015}}
{{Sikhism sidebar}}
'''Sikhism''' ({{IPAc-en|ˈ|s|I|k|ɪ|z|əm}}) or '''Sikhi''' ({{lang-pa|ਸਿੱਖੀ}} ''{{IAST|Sikkhī}}'', {{IPA-pa|ˈsɪkʰiː|}}, from {{lang-pa|ਸਿੱਖ|lit=disciple', 'seeker', or 'learner|translit=[[Sikh]]|label=none}})<ref group="lower-roman">''Sikhism'' (commonly known as ''Sikhī'') originated from the word ''Sikh'', which comes from the [[Sanskrit]] root ''{{IAST|[[śiṣya]]}}'' meaning "disciple", or ''{{IAST|śikṣa}}'' meaning "instruction". [[Khushwant Singh|Singh, Khushwant]]. 2006. ''The Illustrated History of the Sikhs''. [[Oxford University Press]]. {{ISBN|978-0-19-567747-8}}. p. 15.Kosh, Gur Shabad Ratnakar Mahan. https://web.archive.org/web/20050318143533/http://www.ik13.com/online_library.htm</ref> is one of the most recent religious faiths that originated in the [[Punjab|Punjab region]] of the [[Indian subcontinent]], present-day [[Pakistan]],<ref group="lower-roman">"Hinduism, Buddhism, Jainism and Sikh originated in India."{{cite book |last1=Moreno |first1=Luis |last2=Colino |first2=César |url= https://books.google.com/books?id=N5lpveRnSxEC&pg=PA207|title=Diversity and Unity in Federal Countries|publisher=McGill Queen University Press |date=2010 |isbn=978-0-7735-9087-8 |page=207}}</ref> around the end of the 15th century CE.<ref>Almasy, Steve. 2018 [2012]. "[https://edition-m.cnn.com/2012/08/05/us/religion-what-is-a-sikh/index.html Who are Sikhs and what do they believe?]" ''[[CNN International]]''. US: [[Turner Broadcasting System]].</ref><ref name="Nesbitt2005">{{cite book |last=Nesbitt |first=Eleanor M. |title=Sikhism: a very short introduction|url= {{Google books|fvTK_CfkeasC|page=|keywords=|text=|plainurl=yes}}|date=2005|publisher=[[Oxford University Press]] |isbn=978-0-19-280601-7|pages=21–23}}</ref><ref name="Nirbhai Singh 1990 1–3">{{cite book |last=Singh |first=Nirbhai |url= https://archive.org/details/philosophyofsikh0000nirb/page/n26 |title=Philosophy of Sikhi: Reality and Its Manifestations |publisher=Atlantic Publishers<!--NOT Atlantic Books, of London--> |location=New Delhi |date=1990 |pages=1–3 |url-access=limited}}</ref><ref name="Opinderjit Kaur Takhar 2016 147">{{cite book |last=Takhar |first=Opinderjit Kaur |url= https://books.google.com/books?id=UaeoDQAAQBAJ&pg=PT147 |title=Sikh Identity: An Exploration of Groups Among Sikhs|publisher=[[Taylor & Francis]] |location=Abingdon-on-Thames, England|date=2016 |isbn=978-1-351-90010-2 |page=147}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Religions: Sikhism |url= http://www.bbc.com/religion/religions/sikhism/ |date=2014 |work=BBC.com }}</ref><ref name="Cole">{{cite book |last1=Cole |first1=William Owen |last2=Sambhi |first2=Piara Singh |title=Sikhism and Christianity: A Comparative Study |series="Themes in Comparative Religion" series |publisher=Palgrave Macmillan |date=1993 |isbn=978-0-333-54107-4 |location=Wallingford, England |page=117}}</ref> It is the most recently founded [[Major religious groups|major organized faith]], and stands at [[List of religious populations|fifth-largest worldwide]]<ref>{{cite web | last=Almasy | first=Steve | title=Who are Sikhs and what do they believe? | website=CNN Digital | date=2012-08-05 | url=https://www.cnn.com/2012/08/05/us/religion-what-is-a-sikh/index.html | access-date=2020-11-30}}</ref> with about 25–30&nbsp;million adherents (known as [[Sikhs]]) {{as of|2019|alt=as of the early 21st century}}.<ref name="Britannica">McLeod, William Hewat. 2019 [1998]. {{cite encyclopedia |url= https://www.britannica.com/topic/Sikhism |title=Sikhism |encyclopedia=[[Encyclopædia Britannica]] Online |access-date=7 August 2018}}</ref><ref>{{cite news| url = https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-birmingham-50374567| title = Sikhs in Wolverhampton celebrate 550 years of Guru Nanak| work = BBC News| date = 12 November 2019}}</ref>  [[File:Khanda.svg|thumb|The [[Khanda (Sikh symbol)|khanda]], symbol of Sikhism]]Sikhism developed from the spiritual teachings of [[Guru Nanak]] (1469–1539), the faith's first [[guru]],<ref>Singh, Patwant (2000). ''The Sikhs''. New York: [[Alfred A. Knopf]]. p. 17. {{ISBN|0-375-40728-6}}.</ref> and the nine [[Sikh gurus]] who succeeded him. The tenth guru, [[Guru Gobind Singh|Gobind Singh]] (1666–1708), named the Sikh scripture ''[[Guru Granth Sahib]]'' as his successor, bringing to a close the line of human gurus and establishing the scripture as the 11th and last eternally living guru, a religious spiritual/life guide for Sikhs.<ref name="WH McLeod 2014 page 17">Fenech, Louis, and [[William Hewat McLeod]] (2014). [https://books.google.com/books?id=vgixwfeCyDAC ''Historical Dictionary of Sikhism''] (3rd ed.). [[Rowman & Littlefield]]. {{ISBN|978-1-4422-3600-4}}. pp. 17, 84–5.</ref><ref name="William James 2011 pages 241-242">James, William (2011). ''God's Plenty: Religious Diversity in Kingston.'' [[McGill–Queen's University Press]]. {{ISBN |978-0-7735-3889-4}}. pp. 241–42.</ref><ref name="granthfinalguru">{{cite book |last=Mann|first=Gurinder Singh|url={{Google books|PC4d-5xrysIC|page=|keywords=|text=|plainurl=yes}}|title=The Making of Sikh Scripture |publisher=[[Oxford University Press]] |date=2001 |isbn=978-0-19-513024-9 |pages=21–25, 123–24}}</ref> [[Guru Nanak]] taught that living an "active, creative, and practical life" of "truthfulness, fidelity, self-control and purity" is above metaphysical truth, and that the ideal man "establishes union with God, knows His Will, and carries out that Will".<ref name="Marwha">{{cite book |last=Marwaha |first=Sonali Bhatt |url= https://books.google.com/books?id=ROtEr_QdB3sC |title=Colors of Truth: Religion, Self and Emotions: Perspectives of Hinduism, Buddhism, Jainism, Zoroastrianism, Islam, Sikhism and Contemporary Psychology |publisher=Concept Publishing |date=2006 |isbn=978-81-8069-268-0 |pages=205–206}}</ref> [[Guru Hargobind]], the sixth Sikh Guru (1606–1644), established the concept of mutual co-existence of the [[Miri piri|''miri'']] ('political'/'temporal') and ''piri'' ('spiritual') realms.<ref name="Marty">{{cite book |last=Marty |first=Martin E. |author-link=Martin E. Marty |url= https://books.google.com/books?id=doCmVaOnh_wC |title=Fundamentalisms and the State: Remaking Polities, Economies, and Militance |publisher=[[University of Chicago Press]] |date=1996 |isbn=978-0-226-50884-9 |page=278 }}</ref>


The Sikh scripture opens with the ''[[Mul Mantar]]'' ({{Lang-pa|ਮੂਲ ਮੰਤਰ|label=none}}), fundamental prayer about ''[[Ik Onkar|ik onkar]]'' ({{Lang-pa|ੴ|lit=[[God in Sikhism|One God]]|label=none}}).<ref name=pashauramulmantar>{{cite book |first=Pashaura |last=Singh |title=The Guru Granth Sahib: Canon, Meaning and Authority |url= https://books.google.com/books?id=aiwpDwAAQBAJ&pg=PT101 |date=2003 |publisher=[[Oxford University Press]] |isbn=978-0-19-908773-0 |pages=101–102}}</ref><ref name=singhaikonkar/> The core beliefs of Sikhism, articulated in the ''[[Guru Granth Sahib]]'', include [[faith]] and [[Simran|meditation]] in the name of the [[Ik Onkar|one creator]]; [[Divinity|divine]] unity and equality of all humankind; engaging in ''seva'' ('[[selfless service]]'); striving for justice for the [[Sarbat da bhala|benefit and prosperity of all]]; and honest conduct and livelihood while living a householder's life.<ref name="Kalsi_Chelsea">{{cite book |surname=Kalsi |given=Sewa Singh |title=Sikhism |series=Religions of the World |place=Philadelphia |publisher=Chelsea House Publishers |url={{Google books|YOI1nB_zTyAC|page=|keywords=|text=|plainurl=yes}} |year=2005 |isbn=0-7910-8098-6 |pages=41–50}}</ref><ref name="Cole_Sambhi">{{cite book |last1=Cole |first1=William Owen |last2=Sambhi |first2=Piara Singh |title=The Sikhs: Their Religious Beliefs and Practices |publisher=Sussex Academic Press |date=1995 |page=200}}</ref><ref name="Teece 2004 4">{{cite book |last=Teece |first=Geoff |title=Sikhism: Religion in focus |publisher=Black Rabbit Books|date=2004 |isbn=978-1-58340-469-0 |page=4}}</ref> Following this standard, Sikhism rejects claims that any particular religious tradition has a monopoly on [[Absolute truth|Absolute Truth]].<ref group="lower-roman">"Sikhism rejects the view that any particular religious tradition has a monopoly regarding Absolute Truth. Sikhism rejects the practice of converting people to other religious traditions."  Kalsi, Sewa Singh (2008). ''Sikhism''. London: Kuperard. p.&nbsp;24. {{ISBN |978-1-85733-436-4}}.</ref><ref>{{cite book |last1=Reichberg |first1=Gregory M. |last2=Syse |first2=Henrik |url= https://books.google.com/books?id=t3CFAwAAQBAJ&pg=PA672 |title=Religion, War, and Ethics: A Sourcebook of Textual Traditions |publisher=[[Cambridge University Press]] |date=2014 |isbn=978-1-139-95204-0 |pages=672–674}}</ref>
It is one of the 5 Dharmic or Indic Faith's of India with [[Jainism]], [[Buddhism]], Sikhism, [[Hinduism]].
Many sources call Sikhism a [[monotheistic]] religion,<ref>{{cite book |last=Rose |first= Tudor|date= 2015|title= Agree to Differ|url= https://books.google.com/books?id=Mg91CQAAQBAJ&pg=PA97|location= |publisher= UNESCO Publishing|page= 97|isbn= 978-9231000904|author-link= }}</ref><ref>[http://www.bbc.co.uk/religion/religions/sikhism/ataglance/glance.shtml Sikhism at a glance: Sikhism], BBC</ref><ref name="Opinderjit Kaur Takhar 2016 147">Opinderjit Kaur Takhar 2016. ''Sikh Identity: an exploration of groups among Sikhs''. Taylor & Francis. p. 147. ISBN 978-1-351-90010-2</ref><ref>{{Cite journal|last=Polonskii|first=A. B.|date=July 2008|title=Atlantic multidecadal oscillation and its manifestations in the Atlantic-European region|url=http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s11110-008-9020-8|journal=Physical Oceanography|volume=18|issue=4|pages=227–236|doi=10.1007/s11110-008-9020-8|s2cid=128703741|issn=0928-5105}}</ref> According to Eleanor Nesbitt, English renderings of Sikhism as a monotheistic religion "tend misleadingly to reinforce a Semitic understanding of monotheism, rather than Guru Nanak's mystical awareness of the one that is expressed through the many. However, what is not in doubt is the emphasis on 'one'".<ref name="Nesbitt2005">Nesbitt, Eleanor M. (2005). Sikhism: a very short introduction. Oxford University Press. pp. 21–23. ISBN 978-0-19-280601-7</ref>


Sikhism emphasizes ''[[simran]]'' ({{Lang-pa|ਸਿਮਰਨ|label=none}}, meditation and remembrance of the teachings of Gurus),<ref>{{cite web |title=Where Hinduism and Sikhism meet|url= https://mumbaimirror.indiatimes.com/others/sunday-read/where-hinduism-and-sikhism-meet/articleshow/69705554.cms|last=Pattanaik|first=Devdutt|date=2019 |work=Mumbai Mirror}}</ref> which can be expressed musically through ''[[kirtan]]'', or internally through [[Naam Japo|''naam japna'']] ('meditation on His name') as a means to feel God's presence. It teaches followers to transform the "[[Five Thieves]]" (i.e. lust, rage, greed, attachment, and ego).<ref name="Kamala">{{cite book |last1=Nayar |first1=Kamala Elizabeth |last2=Sandhu |first2=Jaswinder Singh |author-link2=Jaswinder Singh Sandhu|title=The Socially Involved Renunciate: Guru Nanak's Discourse to the Nath Yogis |publisher=[[State University of New York Press]] |date=2012 |isbn=978-0-7914-7950-6 |page=106 }}</ref>
An estimated 180 million people are followers of Sikhism, which then makes it the fifth largest organized [[religion]] in the world just after [[Christianity]], [[Islam]], [[Hinduism]] and [[Buddhism]]<ref>{{cite web | last=Goyal | first=Divya | title=Explained: Who are Nanak Naam Lewa, and why Kartarpur Corridor can't be limited to Sikhs | website=The Indian Express | date=2019-11-10 | url=https://indianexpress.com/article/explained/explained-who-are-nanak-naam-lewa-and-why-kartarpur-corridor-cant-be-limited-to-sikhs-6100351/ | access-date=2020-11-30}}</ref><ref>{{cite web | url=https://tribune.com.pk/story/2096673/1-imran-khan-won-hearts-140-million-sikhs-sidhu | title=Imran Khan has won the hearts of 140 million Sikhs: Sidhu | date=9 November 2019 }}</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> A popular place where this religion is practiced is in South Asia. Sikhs are usually identified by the [[Turban]] (which Sikhs call a Dastaar or Pagri), distinctive headgear which could be worn by both men and women. Sikhs arrived in North America, South Asia and in 5th June 1897 and played a pivotal role in the opening of the West and construction of the Panama Canal.{{Citation needed|date=July 2021}}


The religion developed and evolved in times of [[Religious persecution#Persecutions of Sikhs|religious persecution]], gaining converts from both [[Hinduism]] and [[ Islam]].<ref name="Singh2008">{{cite book |last1=Singh |first1=Pritam |title=Federalism, Nationalism and Development: India and the Punjab Economy |date=2008 |publisher=[[Routledge]] |location=Abingdon-on-Thames, England |isbn=978-1-134-04945-5 |quote=A large number of Hindu and Muslim peasants converted to Sikhism from conviction, fear, economic motives, or a combination of the three (Khushwant Singh 1999: 106; Ganda Singh 1935: 73).}}
Sikhism was brought to the world around [[1469]] by [[Guru Nanak Dev]], the first of the "Ten Gurus". Guru Nanak brought the Word of God to manifest upon Earth. Through his Hymns and Prayers (Shabads), he inspired and uplifted humankind to live a life of truth, righteousness and spirituality. These Hymns and Prayers were compiled into the Siri Guru Granth Sahib. Unique amongst the world's major religious scriptures, while compiling the Guru Granth Sahib, the Sikh Gurus incorporated not only their own writings, but also included the writings of other contemporary saints from Hinduism and Islam (including saints belonging to the lowest strata of untouchables in the Hindu Caste System), who believed in the unity of God and denounced superstition and caste. Further, the composition and compilation of the Guru Granth Sahib was performed by the Sikh Gurus themselves, rather than being performed by their adherents and followers.
</ref> [[Mughal Empire|Mughal rulers]] of India tortured and executed two of the Sikh gurus—[[Guru Arjan]] (1563–1605) and [[Guru Tegh Bahadur]] (1621–1675)—after [[Forced conversion#Islam|they refused to convert to Islam]].<ref name="pashauraarjan" /><ref>{{cite book |first1=Pashaura |last1=Singh |first2=Louis E. |last2=Fenech |url= https://books.google.com/books?id=8I0NAwAAQBAJ |title=The Oxford Handbook of Sikh Studies |publisher=[[Oxford University Press]] |date=2014 |isbn=978-0-19-969930-8 |pages=236–238}}</ref><ref>{{cite journal |last=Fenech |first=Louis E. |date=2001 |title=Martyrdom and the Execution of Guru Arjan in Early Sikh Sources |journal=Journal of the American Oriental Society |volume=121 |issue=1 |pages=20–31 |doi=10.2307/606726 |jstor=606726}}</ref><ref>{{cite journal |last=Fenech |first=Louis E. |date=1997 |title=Martyrdom and the Sikh Tradition |journal=Journal of the American Oriental Society |volume=117 |issue=4 |pages=623–642 |doi=10.2307/606445 |jstor=606445}}</ref><ref>{{cite journal |last=McLeod |first=Hew |author-link=William Hewat McLeod |date=1999 |title=Sikhs and Muslims in the Punjab |journal=South Asia: Journal of South Asian Studies |volume=22 |issue=sup001 |pages=155–165 |doi=10.1080/00856408708723379}}</ref>
In 1699, Guru Gobind Singh, the Tenth Guru, established the [[Khalsa]] and gave Sikhs a distinct identity and reinforced principles taught by all Gurus. This celebration took place on [[Vaisakhi]] and is commemorated each year. One of the most important ceremonies established by Guru Gobind Singh on that day is [[Khande di Pahul]] baptism ceremony, where Sikhs are initiated into the Khalsa and are required to keep the 5 Ks, kakkars or kakke which are articles of faith. Guru Granth Sahib was bestowed the Guruship by the last of the human form Sikh Gurus, Guru Gobind Singh Ji in 1708. Before passing away, Guru Gobind Singh Ji decreed that the Sikhs were to regard the Granth Sahib as their next and everlasting Guru. Guru Ji said – “Sab Sikhan ko hukam hai Guru Manyo Granth” meaning “All Sikhs are commanded to take the Granth as Guru”. So today, if asked, the Sikhs will tell you that they have a total of 11 Gurus. (10 Gurus in human form, and the eternal shabad Guru, the Siri Guru Granth Sahib).
The persecution of Sikhs triggered the founding of the ''[[Khalsa]]'' by Guru Gobind Singh in 1699 as an order to protect the [[freedom of conscience]] and [[Freedom of religion|religion]],<ref name="pashauraarjan" /><ref name="Gandhi" /> with members expressing the qualities of a ''[[Sant Sipahi|Sant-Sipāhī]]'' ('saint-soldier').<ref name="Chanchreek 2007 142" /><ref name="Dugga 2001 33" />


==Terminology==
== Beliefs ==
The majority of Sikh scriptures were originally written in the alphabet of [[Gurmukhi|''Gurmukhī'']], a script standardised by [[Guru Angad]] out of [[Laṇḍā scripts]] historically used in present-day Pakistan and [[North India]].<ref>{{cite encyclopedia |url= http://www.learnpunjabi.org/eos/index.aspx |title=Gurmukhi |last=Bahri |first=Hardev |encyclopedia=Encyclopaedia of Sikhism |publisher=Punjabi University Patiala |access-date=9 April 2016}}</ref><ref name="ShackleMandair2013pxxi">{{cite book |last1=Shackle |first1=Christopher |last2=Mandair |first2=Arvind |url= https://books.google.com/books?id=VvoJV8mw0LwC |title=Teachings of the Sikh Gurus: Selections from the Sikh Scriptures |publisher=[[Routledge]] |location=Abingdon-on-Thames, England |date=2013 |isbn=978-1-136-45101-0 |pages=xxi–xxiii}}</ref> Adherents of Sikhism are known as ''[[Sikhs]]'', meaning 'students' or 'disciples' of the Guru. The [[English language|English]] word ''Sikhism'' derives from the Punjabi verb ''Sikhi'', which connotes the "temporal path of learning" and is rooted in the word {{transl|pa|sikhana}} ('to learn').<ref name="Mandair2013p12">{{cite book |last=Mandair |first=Arvind-Pal Singh |url= https://books.google.com/books?id=vdhLAQAAQBAJ |title=Sikhism: A Guide for the Perplexed |publisher=Bloomsbury Academic |date=2013 |isbn=978-1-4411-0231-7 |pages=3, 12–13}}</ref><ref>{{cite journal |last=Chahal |first=Devinder |title=Understanding Sikhism in the Science Age |journal=Understanding Sikhism: The Research Journal |date=July–December 2006 |issue=2 |page=3 |url= http://www.iuscanada.com/journal/archives/2005/j0702p03.pdf |access-date=10 November 2013}}</ref>
[[File:Pilgrims inside the Golden Temple (9693303510).jpg|thumb|Sikh people]]
[[Guru Granth Sahib]] is not just a holy book for Sikhs, it is respected and treated as a living being as it is officially The Eternal Guru (Teachers). Shri Guru Granth Sahib is not written by one human but by saints from all across societies and religions. It is a universal teacher for all religions giving the message of one God and respect to all humans of every religion.


==Philosophy and teachings==
=== Some basic beliefs ===
{{Main|Ik Onkar}}
* There is nothing that is beyond or outside the one God. So, therefore there is nothing being created or destroyed, as the creation and destruction are still only part of the one.
{{Quote box
* The goal of [[life]] is to focus on being at one with God. This is attainable by meditation, prayer, and being in the company of others who share a similar goal.
| quote = <poem>
The Definition of Sikh:<ref>[http://old.sgpc.net/rehat_maryada/section_one.html Rehat Maryada] {{webarchive|url= https://web.archive.org/web/20160101102058/https://old.sgpc.net/rehat_maryada/section_one.html |date=1 January 2016}}</ref>
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.
</poem>
| width = 33%
| align = right
| style = padding:8px;
}}
Sikhism is classified as an [[Indian religion]] along with [[Buddhism]], [[Hinduism]], and [[Jainism]].<ref name="Reichberg2014p672" group="lower-roman">"As an Indian religion, Sikhism affirms transmigration, the continued rebirth after death". {{cite book |last=Brekke |first=Torkel |url= https://books.google.com/books?id=t3CFAwAAQBAJ&pg=PA672 |via=Google Books |title=Religion, War, and Ethics: A Sourcebook of Textual Traditions |publisher=[[Cambridge University Press]] |date=2014 |isbn=978-1-139-95204-0 |editor1-first=G. M. |editor1-last=Reichberg |editor2-first=H. |editor2-last=Syse |page=672}}</ref><ref group="lower-roman">"Sikhism, Indian religion founded in the Punjab in the late 15th century." (McLeod 2019/1998).</ref><ref>[https://www.britannica.com/topic/classification-of-religions "Classification of Religions"], ''[[Encyclopædia Britannica]] Online''.</ref>


The basis of Sikhism lies in the teachings of [[Guru Nanak]] and his successors.  Sikh ethics emphasize the congruence between spiritual development and everyday moral conduct. Its founder Guru Nanak summarized this perspective as: "Truth is the highest virtue, but higher still is truthful living."<ref name=":0" />{{Rp|234}} Sikhism lays emphasis on ''Ėk nūr te sab jag upjiā'', 'From the one light, the entire universe welled up.'{{citation needed|date=November 2020}}
=== God ===
Sikhism teaches that God lasts forever, cannot be seen, and has no body. Therefore, God has no gender. It is taught that God created the universe and keeps it running. God is considered to be infinite, Alpha and Omega, no beginning and no end. Sikhs worship God, and meditate on God’s name through intense (passionate) repetition. They believe everything is a part of God and God is a part of everything. Good, bad, neutral are not applicable to God and are meant only for human beings, as Sikh philosophy indicates that human beings are born innately good. Since God created the world he could destroy it whenever he wants.


===The Best Father===
=== Salvation ===
Sikhism is a monotheistic religion with pantheistic elements, advocating the belief in One Universal God signified by the term [[Ik Onkar]].<ref>{{cite book |last=Rose |first=Tudor|date=2015|title=Agree to Differ|url= https://books.google.com/books?id=Mg91CQAAQBAJ&pg=PA97 |publisher=[[UNESCO]] |page=97 |isbn=978-92-3-100090-4}}</ref><ref>"[http://www.bbc.co.uk/religion/religions/sikhism/ataglance/glance.shtml Sikhism at a glance |Religions: Sikhism]." ''BBC'' (2014).</ref> In Sikhism, the overall concept of God is ''[[Waheguru]]'' ('wondrous Teacher') considered to be ''[[nirankar]]'' ('shapeless'), [[Akal (Sikh term)|''akal'']] ('timeless'), ''karta purakh'' ('the creator'), and ''agam agochar'' ('incomprehensible and invisible').<ref>{{cite web |title=There is One God |url= https://www.thehansindia.com/posts/index/Spiritual/2018-09-01/There-is-One-God/409124 |last1=The Hans India|date=1 September 2018 |work=[[The Hans India]] |access-date=2019-07-10}}</ref>
Followers are all trying to reach [[salvation]], meaning they are trying to break the process of rebirth and become one with God. The thing that is keeping people from reaching union is bad [[karma]]. Bad karma is taught to be caused by pride, anger, greed, attachment and lust. Sikhs try to stay away from these things. Sikhs also believe that a piece of God resides within everything in the world. Once an individual discovers the God within and stops searching else then can he reach salvation.


In a literal sense, God has no gender in Sikhism, though metaphorically, God is presented as masculine and God's power as feminine. For example, God is repeatedly referred to by the name ''akaal purkh'' ('beyond time and space') and ''[[nirankar]]'' ('without form') by the tenth guru Guru Gobind Singh Ji, but he also refers to God as his father, and God's creative power as his mother. Similarly, another example is that the scripture and eternal guru, the Guru Granth Sahib says that all humans are soul-brides who long to unite with their husband Lord.<ref>{{cite book |last=Guru Nanak Dev Ji |author-link=Guru Nanak |url= http://www.srigranth.org/servlet/gurbani.gurbani?Action=Page&Param=17&english=t&id=719#l719 |title=Gurū Granth Sāhib|page=17 |quote=If you long for your Husband Lord, O soul-bride, you must know that He is not met by falsehood. |access-date=8 June 2021}}</ref> In addition, the gurus also wrote in the Guru Granth Sahib that there are many worlds on which the transcendental God has created life.<ref>{{cite book |last=Guru Nanak Dev Ji |author-link=Guru Nanak |url= http://www.srigranth.org/servlet/gurbani.gurbani?Action=Page&Param=15&punjabi=t&id=632#l632 |title=Gurū Granth Sāhib|page=15 |quote=You are the One True Lord and Master of all the other beings, of so many worlds. |access-date=15 June 2006}}</ref>
== Temples ==
{{main|Sikh temple}}
A [[Sikh temple]] is called a ''Gurdwara'' (meaning "the house of Guru"). It is the place of worship in the Sikh religion. Birth, death, baptism and marriage ceremonies are held in the temple. There are four doors for all religions. When a person enters the temple, their head must be covered. There are no chairs in the temple so people sit on the floor.


The Sikh scripture begins with God as ''[[Ik Onkar|ik onkar]]'' ({{Lang-pa|ੴ|label=none}}), the 'formless one',<ref name="singhaikonkar">{{cite book |last=Singha |first=H. S. |url= https://books.google.com/books?id=gqIbJz7vMn0C |title=The Encyclopedia of Sikhism |publisher=Hemkunt |date=2000 |isbn=978-81-7010-301-1 |pages=20–21, 103}}</ref><ref name=":0">Singh, Pashaura; Fenech, Louis E. (2014). ''[https://books.google.com/books?id=8I0NAwAAQBAJ&pg=PA234 The Oxford Handbook of Sikh Studies]''. Oxford University Press. {{ISBN|978-0-19-969930-8}}.</ref>{{Rp|227}} understood in the Sikh tradition as monotheistic unity of God.<ref>{{cite book |title=Merriam-Webster's encyclopedia of world religions |last=Doniger |first=Wendy |date=1999 |publisher=Merriam-Webster |page=500 |url= https://archive.org/details/isbn_9780877790440 |url-access=registration |isbn=978-0-87779-044-0}}</ref> ''Ik onkar'' (sometimes capitalized) is more loosely rendered 'the one supreme reality', 'the one creator', 'the all-pervading [[Para Brahman|spirit]]', and other ways of expressing a diffused but unified and singular sense of God and creation.<ref>{{cite book |last=Mayled |first=John |title=Sikhism |publisher=Heinemann |date=2002 |isbn=978-0-435-33627-1 |page=16] |url= https://archive.org/details/sikhism0000mayl_l1v5/page/16 |via=Internet Archive}}</ref>
The temple also serves as a [[kitchen]]. The kitchen is where festival food is donated, prepared and cooked by volunteers. All the food that has been made there is shared with all the community who visit the temple on that day. The meal is [[Vegetarianism|vegetarian]] and is called the [[Langar (Sikhism)|Langar]].


The traditional ''[[Mul Mantar]]'' goes from ''ik onkar'' until ''Nanak hosee bhee sach'' Guru Nanak (the first guru of sikhs) is living forever. The existence of guru is eternal. Sach means right, true, real. It means Guru Nanak is real from ages and will remain true. {{clarify|date=November 2020|reason=Which means what? And what is "goes from" supposed to convey here? Why does it matter? What is its pertinence to this section?}} The opening line of the ''Guru Granth Sahib'' and each subsequent ''[[raga]]'', mentions ''ik onkar'':<ref name="pashauramulmantar2">{{cite book |last=Singh |first=Pashaura |url= https://books.google.com/books?id=aiwpDwAAQBAJ&pg=PT101 |title=The Guru Granth Sahib: Canon, Meaning and Authority |publisher=[[Oxford University Press]]|date=2003 |isbn=978-0-19-908773-0|pages=101–02}}</ref>
The [[Harmandir Sahib|Golden Temple]] in [[Amritsar]] is the most famous temple in all of the Sikh faith. It is covered in [[gold]].


{{Verse translation|ੴ ਸਤਿ ਨਾਮੁ ਕਰਤਾ ਪੁਰਖੁ ਨਿਰਭਉ ਨਿਰਵੈਰੁ ਅਕਾਲ ਮੂਰਤਿ ਅਜੂਨੀ ਸੈਭੰ ਗੁਰ ਪ੍ਰਸਾਦਿ॥<br />
In a Gurdwara, no special place or seat may be reserved or set aside for any dignitary, as all are considered equals. The service consists of singing of the liturgy, as well as the exposition of Sikh history, tradition, and theology.  In traditional Indian society, people of high and low caste were rigidly segregated. To combat this social problem, the Sikh community kitchen, or ''langar'', requires everyone to sit side by side and eat together, thereby teaching the concept of equality by shattering all barriers of caste and class. Every major city in the United States and Canada has Sikh gurdwaras and they are open to all Sikh people go to Gurdwara to worship God.
''ikk ōankār sat<small>(i)</small>-nām<small>(u)</small> karatā purakh<small>(u)</small> nirabha'u niravair<small>(u)</small> akāl<small>(a)</small> mūrat<small>(i)</small> ajūnī saibhan gur<small>(a)</small> prasād<small>(i)</small>.''|"There is one supreme being, the eternal reality, the creator, without fear and devoid of enmity, immortal, never incarnated, self-existent, known by grace through the true Guru." |lang=pa |italicsoff=y |attr1=''[[Guru Granth Sahib]]'' (17th c.), p. 1}}


===Worldly Illusion===
== Vaisakhi ==
''[[Maya (illusion)|Māyā]]'', defined as a temporary illusion or "[[unreality]]", is one of the core deviations from the pursuit of God and salvation: where worldly attractions give only illusory temporary satisfaction and pain that distracts from the process of the devotion of God. However, Nanak emphasised māyā as not a reference to the unreality of the world, but of its values. In Sikhism, the influences of [[Ahankar|ego]], [[Krodh|anger]], [[Lobh|greed]], [[Moh|attachment]], and [[Kam|lust]], known as the ''pānj chor'' ('[[Five Thieves|five thieves]]'), are believed to be particularly distracting and hurtful. Sikhs believe the world is currently in a state of ''[[Kali Yuga|kali yuga]]'' ('age of darkness') because the world is led astray by the love of and attachment to ''māyā''.<ref>{{cite book |last=Singh |first=Nirmal |title=Searches in Sikhism |date=2008 |publisher=Hemkunt Press |isbn=978-81-7010-367-7 |page=68}}</ref> The fate of people vulnerable to the five thieves, is separation from God, and the situation may be remedied only after intensive and relentless devotion.<ref>{{cite book |last=Parrinder |first=Geoffrey |author-link=Geoffrey Parrinder |date=1971 |title=World Religions: From Ancient History to the Present |publisher=[[Hamlyn (publisher)|Hamlyn]] |location=London |isbn=978-0-87196-129-7|page=253}}</ref>
{{main|Vaisakhi}}
Vaisakhi is an important [[festival]] celebrated by Sikhs. Vaisakhi is also known as Basaki. It is the [[harvest festival]] in the Punjab region. Vaisakhi is celebrated on the first day of the Basak month, in the [https://www.trendpunjabi.com/sikh-calendar-festival-and-gurupurabs-date/ Sikh calendar].


===Timeless Truth===
== Gurus and religious authority ==
[[File:Sikh.man.at.the.Golden.Temple.jpg|thumb|An [[Nihang singh|Akali-Nihang Sikh Warrior]] at [[Harmandir Sahib]], also called the [[Golden Temple]]]]
The term [[guru]] comes from the [[Sanskrit]] ''gurū'', which means teacher, guide, or mentor. The [[tradition]]s and [[philosophy]] of Sikhism were made by ten gurus from 1469 to 1708. Each guru added to and reinforced the message taught by the previous one. This resulted in the creation of the Sikh religion.
According to Guru Nanak, the supreme purpose of human life is to reconnect with [[Akal (Sikh term)|''Akal'']] ('The Timeless One'), however, [[egotism]] is the biggest barrier in making this connection. Using the Guru's teaching remembrance of ''[[Nām Japō|nām]]'' (the divine Name of the Lord)<ref name="Pruthi 2004 204">{{cite book |last=Pruthi |first=Raj |title=Sikhism and Indian Civilization |date=2004 |publisher=Discovery Publishing House |isbn=978-81-7141-879-4 |page=204}}</ref><ref name="NaamSimran" /> leads to the end of egotism. Guru Nanak designated the word ''Guru'' ('teacher')<ref>Some disagree with this viewpoint, and state that ''guru'' in Sikhism is "not a teacher or a guide", but "God's own manifestation"; see: {{cite book |first1=Bhagat |last1=Singh |first2=G. P. |last2=Singh |title=Japji |date=2002 |publisher=Hemkunt Press |page=9 |quote=In Sikh religion the word 'Guru' does not denote a teacher, or an expert or a guide in human body. When God manifested his attributes in person, that person was called 'Guru Nanak'}}</ref> to mean the voice of "the spirit": the source of knowledge and the guide to salvation.<ref name="p254">{{cite book |last=Parrinder |first=Geoffrey |author-link=Geoffrey Parrinder |date=1971|title=World Religions: From Ancient History to the Present |publisher=[[Hamlyn (publisher)|Hamlyn]] |location=London |isbn=978-0-87196-129-7|pages=254–256}}</ref> As ''ik onkar'' is [[Panentheism|universally immanent]], ''Guru'' is indistinguishable from ''Akal'' and are one and the same.<ref name=singh2013 /> One connects with ''Guru'' only with accumulation of selfless search of truth.<ref name=dhillon1999>{{cite journal |last=Dhillon|first=Bikram Singh|title=Who is a Sikh? Definitions of Sikhism |journal=Understanding Sikhism – the Research Journal|date=January–June 1999|volume=1|issue=1|pages=33–36, 27|url= http://www.iuscanada.com/journal/archives/1999/j0101p33.pdf |access-date=29 November 2013}}</ref> Ultimately the seeker realises that it is the consciousness within the body which is the seeker/follower of the Word that is the true ''Guru''. The human body is just a means to achieve the reunion with Truth.<ref name=singh2013>{{cite journal |last=Singh |first=R.K. Janmeja (Meji) |title=Gurbani's Guidance and the Sikh's 'Destination' |journal=The Sikh Review |date=August 2013 |volume=61 |series=8 |issue=716 |pages=27–35 |url= http://www.hemkunt2.org/PDF/The%20Sikh%20Review,%20August%202013.pdf#page=24 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20131203001421/http://www.hemkunt2.org/PDF/The%20Sikh%20Review%2C%20August%202013.pdf |url-status=dead |archive-date=3 December 2013 |access-date=29 November 2013 }}</ref> Once truth starts to shine in a person's heart, the essence of current and past holy books of all religions is understood by the person.<ref name=dhillon2004>{{cite journal |last=Dhillon|first=Sukhraj Singh|title=Universality of the Sikh Philosophy: An Analysis |journal=The Sikh Review|date=May 2004|url= http://www.sikhreview.org/pdf/may2004/pdf-files/philo1.pdf|archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20131204023745/http://www.sikhreview.org/pdf/may2004/pdf-files/philo1.pdf|url-status=dead|archive-date=2013-12-04 |access-date=29 November 2013}}</ref>


===Liberation===
And the eternal Guru is the Sri [[Guru Granth Sahib]], which is a not just a book but contains the writings of each Guru.
Guru Nanak's teachings are founded not on a final destination of heaven or hell, but on a spiritual union with the ''Akal'', which results in [[salvation]] or ''[[Jivanmukta|jivanmukti]]'' ('enlightenment/liberation within one's lifetime'),<ref>{{cite book |last=Takhar |first=Opinderjit |title=Sikh Identity: An Exploration of Groups Among Sikhs |date=2005 |publisher=Ashgate |location=Burlington, Vermont |isbn=978-0-7546-5202-1 |page=143}}</ref> a concept also found in [[Hinduism]].<ref name="Grewal">{{cite book |last=Grewal |first=J. S. |url= https://archive.org/details/sikhsofpunjab0000grew/page/25 |title=The Sikhs of the Punjab |publisher=[[Cambridge University Press]] |date=1998 |isbn=978-0-521-63764-0 |pages=25–36}}</ref> [[Guru Gobind Singh]] makes it clear that human birth is obtained with great fortune, therefore one needs to be able to make the most of this life.<ref name=chahal2011>{{cite journal |last=Chahal |first=Amarjit Singh |title=Concept of Reincarnation in Guru Nanak's Philosophy |journal=Understanding Sikhism: The Research Journal |date=December 2011 |volume=13 |issue=1–2 |pages=52–59 |url= http://www.iuscanada.com/journal/archives/2011/j1312p52.pdf |access-date=29 November 2013}}</ref>


Sikhs accept [[reincarnation]] and [[karma]] concepts found in [[Buddhism]], [[Hinduism]], and [[Jainism]], but do not necessarily infer a [[Metaphysics|metaphysical]] [[soteriology]] akin to those found in those other religions.{{clarify|date=November 2020|reason=Make sense of that in plain English; 99.999% of our readers do not have philosophy degrees.}}<ref name=chahal2011 /><ref>{{cite book |last=Wilkinson|first=Philip|title=Religions|date=2008|publisher=Dorling Kindersley |isbn=978-0-7566-3348-6|pages=209, 214–215}}</ref><ref>{{cite journal |last=House |first=H. Wayne |title=Resurrection, Reincarnation, and Humanness |journal=Bibliotheca Sacra|date=April 1991|volume=148|issue=590 |url= http://www.hwhouse.com/images/Resurrection,_Reincarnation,_and_Humanness.pdf |access-date=29 November 2013}}</ref> However, in Sikhism, both karma and liberation "is modified by the concept of God's grace" (''nadar, mehar, kirpa, karam'', etc.).<ref name="Grewal" /> Guru Nanak states that "the body takes birth because of karma, but salvation is attained through grace."<ref>{{cite book |last=Singh |first=H. S. |title=The Encyclopedia of Sikhism |publisher=Hemkunt Press |date=2000 |isbn=978-81-7010-301-1|page=80}}</ref> To get closer to God, Sikhs: avoid the evils of ''maya''; keep the everlasting truth in mind; practice ''[[Shabad (hymn)|shabad]] [[kirtan]]'' (musical recitation of hymns); [[meditate]] on ''[[Nām Japō|naam]]''; and serve humanity. Sikhs believe that being in the company of the ''[[satsang]]'' (association with ''sat'', 'true', people) or ''sadh [[Sangat (term)|sangat]]'' is one of the key ways to achieve liberation from the cycles of reincarnation.<ref>{{cite book |last=Kapoor |first=Sukhbir |title=Guru Granth Sahib: An Advanced Study |volume=I |date=2005 |publisher=Hemkunt Press |isbn=978-81-7010-317-2 |page=188}}</ref>
In addition to the above, Sikhs also believe in fifteen ''bhagats'' or [[saint]]<nowiki/>s, including ones from other creeds, whose words and deeds have been adopted into Sikhism by the great ten Gurus. Most notable of these ''bhagats'' is the [[Punjabi people|Punjabi]] [[Sufi]] saint, Hazrat [[Baba Farid|Baba Farfood]]


===Power and Devotion (Miri and Piri)===
'''Food Banks'''
'''Miri-Piri''' is a doctrine that has been practiced in Sikh religion since the seventeenth century. The doctrine of the "Mir" (social and political aspects of life) and the "Pir" (guides to spiritual aspect of life) was revealed by the first Guru of Sikhism, [[Guru Nanak]], but propounded by the sixth Guru of Sikhism, [[Guru Hargobind]], on June 12, 1606. <ref name="jas">{{cite book |author1=Singh, Dr Jasraj |title=A Complete Guide to Sikhism |publisher=Unistar Books |isbn= 9788171427543|page=182 |url= https://www.google.com/books/edition/A_Complete_Guide_to_Sikhism/rFm9_Jc1ykcC?hl=en&gbpv=1&dq=miri+piri&pg=PA182&printsec=frontcover|date=2009}}</ref><ref name="grove">{{cite book |author1=Grover, William |title=Making Lahore Modern: Constructing and Imaging a Colonial City |publisher=U of Minnesota Press |isbn=9781452913384|page=211 |url=https://www.google.com/books/edition/Making_Lahore_Modern/6NRcKIZ2Y00C?hl=en&gbpv=1&dq=miri+piri&pg=PA211&printsec=frontcover|date=2008}}</ref> After the martyrdom of his father, Guru Hargobind was elevated to the Guruship and fulfilled the prophecy that was given by the primal figure of Sikh, [[Baba Buddha]], that the guru will possess spiritual and temporal power. [[Guru Hargobind]] introduced the two swords of Miri and Piri symbolizing both worldly (social and political) and spiritual authority.<ref>Jakobsh, D. R. (2012). '''Sikhism'''. University of Hawaii Press.</ref><ref name="jas" /> The two [[kirpan]] of Miri and Piri are tied together with a [[Khanda (Sikh symbol)|khanda]] in center, so the combination of both is considered supreme,  Where action informed or arising out of the spiritual heart completes one's purpose and meaning in the world of action:  [[spirituality]].<ref>Singh, D. (1992). '''THE SIKH IDENTITY'''. Fundamental Issues, 105.</ref><ref name="jas" />


[[Guru Nanak]], the first Sikh Guru and the founder of Sikhism, was a [[Bhakti]] saint.<ref name=richard>{{cite journal |first=H. L. |last=Richard |date=2007 |url= http://ijfm.org/PDFs_IJFM/24_3_PDFs/139-145Richard.pdf |title=Religious Movements in Hindu Social Contexts: A Study of Paradigms for Contextual 'Church' Development |journal=International Journal of Frontier Missiology |volume=24 |issue=3 |page=144}}</ref> He taught that the most important form of worship is ''Bhakti'' (devotion to [[Waheguru]]).<ref name="Mayled2002">{{cite book |last=Mayled |first=Jon |url= https://archive.org/details/sikhism0000mayl_l1v5 |title=Sikhism |publisher=Heinemann |date=2002 |isbn=978-0-435-33627-1 |pages=30–31 |url-access=registration}}</ref> [[Guru Arjan]], in the ''[[Sukhmani Sahib]]'', recommended the true religion is one of loving devotion to God.<ref>{{cite book |last=Kohli |first=Surinder Singh |url= https://books.google.com/books?id=ED0syBKqafMC |title=The Sikh and Sikhism |publisher=Atlantic Publishers<!--NOT Atlantic Books, of London.--> |location=New Delhi |date=1993 |isbn=978-81-7156-336-4 |pages=74–76}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |last1=Singh |first1=Nirmal |title=Searches in Sikhism |date=2008 |publisher=Hemkunt Press |isbn=978-81-7010-367-7 |location=New Delhi |page=122}}</ref> The ''[[Guru Granth Sahib]]'' includes suggestions on how a Sikh should perform constant Bhakti.<ref name="Mayled2002" /><ref name="sggs305306">{{cite book |translator-last=Khalsa |translator-first=Sant Singh |url= http://www.srigurugranth.org/0305.html |title=Sri Guru Granth Sahib |publisher=SriGranth.org |date=2006 |at=pp. 305–306 (verses 305–16 to 306–2)}}</ref><ref name="Jhutti-Johal2011">{{cite book |last=Jagbir |first=Jhutti-Johal |url= https://books.google.com/books?id=91xotkSSyzUC |title=Sikhism Today |publisher=Bloomsbury |date=2011 |isbn=978-1-4411-8140-4 |page=92}}</ref> Some scholars call Sikhism a Bhakti sect of Indian traditions,<ref>Cole, William Owen, and Piara Singh Sambhi (1997). ''A Popular Dictionary of Sikhism: Sikh Religion and Philosophy''. Abingdon-on-Thames, England: Routledge. {{ISBN|978-0-7007-1048-5}}, p. 22.</ref><ref name="davidlorenzen">Lorenzen, David (1995). ''Bhakti Religion in North India: Community Identity and Political Action''. Albany: [[State University of New York Press]], {{ISBN|978-0-7914-2025-6}}.</ref> adding that it emphasises "''nirguni Bhakti''," i.e. loving devotion to a divine without qualities or physical form.<ref name=davidlorenzen/>{{Rp|1–3}}<ref name="hardip">Syan, Hardip (2014). P. 178 in ''The Oxford Handbook of Sikh Studies'', edited by P. Singh and L E. Fenech. Oxford University Press. {{ISBN|978-0-19-969930-8}}.</ref><ref>{{cite book |last=Mandair |first=Arvind-Pal Singh |date=2011 |chapter=Time and religion-making in modern Sikhism |pages=188–190 |title=Time, History and the Religious Imaginary in South Asia |editor-first=A. |editor-last=Murphy |publisher=[[Routledge]] |location=Abingdon-on-Thames, England |isbn=978-0-415-59597-1}}.</ref> While Western scholarship generally places Sikhism as arising primarily within a Hindu Bhakti movement milieu while recognizing some [[Sufism|Sufi Islamic]] influences,<ref>Elsberg, Constance (2003), ''Graceful Women''. [[University of Tennessee Press]]. {{ISBN|978-1-57233-214-0}}. pp. 27–28.</ref><ref name=":1">{{cite book |last1=Cole |first1=William Owen |last2=Sambhi |first2=Piara Singh |url= https://books.google.com/books?id=zIC_MgJ5RMUC |title=The Sikhs: Their Religious Beliefs and Practices |publisher=Sussex Academic Press |date=1995 |isbn=978-1-898723-13-4 }}</ref>{{Rp|3, 42–3}} some Indian Sikh scholars disagree and state that Sikhism transcended the environment it emerged from. The basis of the latter analysis is that Bhakti traditions did not clearly disassociate from Vedic texts and their cosmologies and metaphysical worldview, while the Sikh tradition clearly did disassociate from the Vedic tradition.<ref name="Singha">{{cite book |url= https://books.google.com/books?id=nRodBu9seiIC |series="Sikh Studies" series, book 7 |title=Evolution of Sikhism |publisher=Hemkunt Press |date=2009 |location=New Delhi |page=8 |isbn=978-81-7010-245-8}}</ref>
Sikhs believe in equality therefore they have food banks to go and get food for free.


Some Sikh sects outside the [[Punjab, India|Punjab]] region of India, such as those found in [[Maharashtra]] and [[Bihar]], practice ''[[aarti]]'' (the ceremonial use of lamps) during Bhakti observances in a Sikh [[gurdwara]].<ref>{{cite book |first1=Karen |last1=Pechilis |first2=Selva J. |last2=Raj |title=South Asian Religions: Tradition and Today |url= https://books.google.com/books?id=BsbfCgAAQBAJ&pg=PA243 |date=2012 |publisher=[[Routledge]] |location=Abingdon-on-Thames, England |isbn=978-1-136-16323-4 |page=243}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |first1=Pashaura |last1=Singh |first2=Michael |last2=Hawley |title=Re-imagining South Asian Religions |url= https://books.google.com/books?id=4SLhLakpsNsC&pg=PA42 |date=2012 |publisher=Brill Academic |isbn=978-90-04-24236-4|pages=42–43}}</ref> But, most Sikh gurdwaras forbid ''aarti'' during their Bhakti practices.<ref name=":1" />{{Rp|201}}
'''Extra facts'''


While emphasizing Bhakti, the Sikh gurus also taught that the spiritual life and secular householder life are intertwined, and not separate. This logically follows from the panentheistic nature of Sikh philosophy.<ref name="Kamala1">{{cite book |last1=Nayar |first1=Kamal Elizabeth |last2=Sandhu |first2=Jaswinder Singh |url= https://books.google.com/books?id=WTfKwGV6mBkC |title=The Socially Involved Renunciate – Guru Nanaks Discourse to Nath Yogis |publisher=[[State University of New York Press]] |location=Albany |date=2007 |isbn=978-0-7914-7950-6 |page=106}}</ref> In Sikh worldview, the everyday world is part of the Infinite Reality, increased spiritual awareness leads to increased and vibrant participation in the everyday world.<ref name="Nikky1">{{cite book |url= https://books.google.com/books?id=UUWIEfAY-mMC |title=Hindu Spirituality: Postclassical and Modern |editor1-first=K. R. |editor1-last=Sundararajan |editor2-first=Bithika |editor2-last=Mukerji |publisher=Motilal Banarsidass |first1=Kaur |last1=Singh |first2=Nikky |last2=Guninder |date=30 January 2004 |page=530 |isbn=978-81-208-1937-5}}</ref> Guru Nanak described living an "active, creative, and practical life" of "truthfulness, fidelity, self-control and purity" as being higher than the [[metaphysics|metaphysical]] truth.<ref name="Marwha1">{{cite book |url= https://books.google.com/books?id=ROtEr_QdB3sC |title=Colors of Truth: Religion, Self and Emotions |publisher=Concept Publishing |last=Marwha |first=Sonali Bhatt |date=2006 |location=New Delhi |page=205 |isbn=978-81-8069-268-0}}</ref>
It is said that Sikhs have to give 10% of their earnings to charity.


The 6th Sikh Guru, [[Guru Hargobind]], after [[Guru Arjan]]'s martyrdom, faced with oppression by the Islamic [[Mughal Empire]], affirmed the philosophy that the political/temporal (''Miri'') and spiritual (''Piri'') realms are mutually coexistent.<ref name="Marty1">{{cite book |url= https://books.google.com/books?id=doCmVaOnh_wC |title=Fundamentalisms and the State: Remaking Polities, Economies, and Militance |publisher=[[University of Chicago Press]] |first1=E. Marty |last1=Martin |first2=Appleby R. |last2=Scott |date=1996 |pages=277–278 |isbn=978-0-226-50884-9}}</ref><ref name="Gandhi1" /> According to the 9th Sikh Guru, [[Tegh Bahadur]], the ideal Sikh should have both ''[[Shakti]]'' (power that resides in the temporal), and ''[[Bhakti]]'' (spiritual meditative qualities). This was developed into the concept of the "saint soldier" by the 10th Sikh Guru, [[Gobind Singh]].<ref name="Gandhi1">{{cite book |last=Gandhi |first=Surjit Singh |url= https://books.google.com/books?id=qw7-kUkHA_0C |title=History of Sikh Gurus Retold: 1606–1708 |publisher=Atlantic Publishers<!--NOT Atlantic Books, of London--> |location=New Delhi |date=2008 |isbn=978-81-269-0857-8 |pages=435, 676–77}}</ref>
Sikhs believe in equality therefore the are all equal in money. Nobody is poor and nobody is rich. There is a Sikh alphabet. Sikhism, religion and philosophy founded in the Punjab region of the Indian subcontinent in the late 15th century. The Sikhs call their faith Gurmat (Punjabi: “the Way of the Guru”). According to Sikh tradition, Sikhism was established by Guru Nanak (1469–1539) and subsequently led by a succession of nine other Gurus.


The concept of man as elaborated by [[Guru Nanak]] refines and negates the "monotheistic concept of self/God", and "monotheism becomes almost redundant in the movement and crossings of love."<ref name="Mandair1" /> The goal of man, taught the Sikh gurus, is to end all dualities of "self and other, I and not-I", attain the "attendant balance of separation-fusion, self-other, action-inaction, attachment-detachment, in the course of daily life".<ref name="Mandair1">{{cite book |url= https://books.google.com/books?id=dzeCy_zL0Q8C |title=Religion and the Specter of the West: Sikhism, India, Postcoloniality and the Politics of Translation |publisher=Columbia University Press |first=Mandair |last=Arvind-Pal Singh |date=2009 |pages=372–373 |isbn=978-0-231-14724-8}}</ref>
{| class="wikitable"
 
!Time in chronological order
===Singing and Music===
!Name
Sikhs refer to the hymns of the gurus as ''[[Gurbani]]'' ('Guru's word'). [[Shabad (hymn)|Shabad]] [[Kirtan]] is the singing of Gurbani. The entire verses of Guru Granth Sahib are written in a form of poetry and rhyme to be recited in thirty-one Ragas of the Classical Indian Music as specified. However, the exponents of these are rarely to be found amongst the Sikhs who are conversant with all the Ragas in the Guru Granth Sahib. Guru Nanak started the Shabad Kirtan tradition and taught that listening to kirtan is a powerful way to achieve tranquility while meditating, and singing of the glories of the Supreme Timeless One (God) with devotion is the most effective way to come in communion with the Supreme Timeless One.<ref>{{cite book |last=Singh |first=Joginder |title=Celestial Gems |date=2004 |publisher=Hemkunt Press |isbn=978-81-7010-345-5 |page=67}}</ref> The three morning prayers for Sikhs consist of Japji Sahib, Jaap Sahib, and Tav-Prasad Savaiye.<ref name="diaspora">{{cite book |title=Sikhs in the Diaspora: A Modern Guide to the Practice of Sikh Faith |publisher=Sikh Publishing House |last=Bakhshi |first=Surinder Singh |chapter=Chapter 22 – Nitnem |date=2008 |page=133 |isbn=978-0-9560728-0-1}}</ref> [[Khalsa|Baptised Sikhs]] (Amritdharis) rise early and meditate, then recite all the [[Five Banis]] of Nitnem, before breakfast. [[Five Banis]] consists of [[Jap Ji Sahib]], [[Jaap Sahib]], [[Tav-Prasad Savaiye]], [[Chaupai Sahib]], [[Anand Sahib]] and recitation of the banis [[paath]] is followed by [[Ardās]] in which [[Sarbat da Bhala]] principle is taught by Gurus which literally means blessings for everyone, blessings to humankind in good faith without discrimination.
!Date of birth
 
!Guruship on
===Remembrance of the Divine Name===
!Date of death
A key practice by Sikhs is remembrance<ref name="NaamSimran">{{cite book |title=Paths to the Divine: Ancient and Indian |publisher=Council for Research in Values & Philosophy |last=McLean |first=George |date=2008 |page=599 |id={{ASIN|1565182480|country=uk}}}}</ref> of the ''Naam'' (divine name) Waheguru.<ref name="Pruthi 2004 204" /> This contemplation is done through ''[[Nām Japō|Nām Japna]]'' (repetition of the divine name) or ''[[Simran|Naam Simran]]'' (remembrance of the divine Name through recitation).<ref name="NaamSimran" /><ref>{{cite book |last=Doel |first=Sarah |title=Sikh Music: History, Text, and Praxis|date=2008 |isbn=978-0-549-83369-7|page=46}}</ref> The verbal repetition of the name of God or a sacred syllable has been an ancient established practice in religious traditions in India, however, Sikhism developed ''Naam-simran'' as an important Bhakti practice.<ref name="Dhillon1988">{{cite book |first=Dalbir Singh |last=Dhillon |title=Sikhism, Origin and Development |url= https://books.google.com/books?id=osnkLKPMWykC |date=1988 |publisher=Atlantic Publishers<!--NOT Atlantic Books, of London--> |location=New Delhi |page=229}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |last1=Cave |first1=David |last2=Norris |first2=Rebecca |title=Religion and the Body: Modern Science and the Construction of Religious Meaning |date=2012 |publisher=Brill Academic |isbn=978-90-04-22111-6 |page=239}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |first1=Anna S. |last1=King |first2=J. L. |last2=Brockington |title=The Intimate Other: Love Divine in Indic Religions |url= https://books.google.com/books?id=WhgDL6SwGeQC |date=2005 |publisher=Orient Blackswan |isbn=978-81-250-2801-7|pages=322–323}}</ref> Guru Nanak's ideal is the total exposure of one's being to the divine Name and a total conforming to [[Dharma]] or the "Divine Order". Nanak described the result of the disciplined application of ''nām simraṇ'' as a "growing towards and into God" through a gradual process of five stages. The last of these is ''[[Sach Khand|Sach Khaṇḍ]]'' (''The Realm of Truth''){{snd}} the final union of the spirit with God.<ref name="p254" />
!Age at death
 
!Father
===Service and Action===
!Mother
{{Further|Seva (Indian religions)#Seva in Sikhism}}
|-
The Sikh gurus taught that by constantly remembering the divine name (''[[Simran|naam simran]]'') and through selfless service (''[[Seva (Indian religions)|sēvā]]'') the devotee overcomes egotism (''[[Haumai]]''). This, it states, is the primary root of five evil impulses and the cycle of birth and death.<ref>{{cite book |first1=W. Owen |last1=Cole |first2=Piara Singh |last2=Sambhi |title=A Popular Dictionary of Sikhism: Sikh Religion and Philosophy |url= https://books.google.com/books?id=vcSRAgAAQBAJ&pg=PA9 |date=2005 |publisher=[[Routledge]] |location=Abingdon-on-Thames, England |isbn=978-1-135-79760-7 |pages=9–10}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |first=Michael L. |last=Hadley |title=The Spiritual Roots of Restorative Justice |url= https://books.google.com/books?id=IntWqeMeU_oC&pg=PA202 |date=2001 |publisher=[[State University of New York Press]] |location=Albany |isbn=978-0-7914-4851-9 |pages=202–203}}</ref>
|'''1'''
 
|Guru Nanak Dev Ji
Service in Sikhism takes three forms: ''Tan'' (physical service, i.e. labor), ''Man'' (mental service, such as dedicating your heart for service of others), and ''Dhan'' (material service, including financial support).<ref>{{cite book |last=Wood |first=Angela |title=Movement and Change |date=1997 |publisher=[[Nelson Thornes]] |location=Cheltenham, England |isbn=978-0-17-437067-3|page=46}}</ref> Sikhism stresses ''[[kirat karō]]'': that is "honest work". Sikh teachings also stress the concept of sharing, or ''[[vaṇḍ chakkō]]'', giving to the needy for the benefit of the community.<ref>{{cite book |first1=W. Owen |last1=Cole |first2=Piara Singh |last2=Sambhi |title=A Popular Dictionary of Sikhism: Sikh Religion and Philosophy |url= https://books.google.com/books?id=vcSRAgAAQBAJ&pg=PA9 |date=2005 |publisher=[[Routledge]] |location=Abingdon-on-Thames, England |isbn=978-1-135-79760-7 |pages=31, 59}}</ref>
| 1469
 
|–
===Justice and Equality===
|22 September 1539
Sikhism regards God as the true king, the king of all kings, the one who dispenses justice through the law of ''[[karma]]'', a retributive model and divine grace.<ref name="Justice">{{cite book |chapter-url= https://books.google.com/books?id=IntWqeMeU_oC&pg=PA199 |via=Google Books |title=The Spiritual Roots of Restorative Justice |series=SUNY Series in Religious Studies |publisher=[[State University of New York Press]] |location=Albany |first=Pashaura |last=Singh |editor-last=Hadley |editor-first=Michael L. |chapter=Sikhism and Restorative Justice: Theory and Practice – Pashaura Singh |date=2001 |pages=199–202 |isbn=978-0-7914-4852-6}}</ref><ref name="Chanchreek 2007 142" /><ref name="Dugga 2001 33" />
|70
 
|Mehta Kalu
The term for justice in the Sikh tradition is  Niāyā  <ref name="Justice" /> It is related to the term ''dharam'' which in Sikhism connotes 'moral order' and righteousness (derived from but become distinct from the etymologically related Hindu concept of [[dharma]]).<ref name="Justice" /> According to the Tenth Sikh Guru, [[Guru Gobind Singh]], states Pashaura Singh (a professor of Sikh studies), "one must first try all the peaceful means of negotiation in the pursuit of justice" and if these fail then it is legitimate to "draw the sword in defense of righteousness".<ref>{{cite book |first=Pashaura |last=Singh |editor-first=John |editor-last=Renard |title=Fighting Words: Religion, Violence, and the Interpretation of Sacred Texts |url= https://books.google.com/books?id=fCjVRqPD-HQC |date=2012 |publisher=University of California Press |isbn=978-0-520-95408-3 |page=213}}</ref> Sikhism considers "an attack on dharam is an attack on justice, on righteousness, and on the moral order generally" and the dharam "must be defended at all costs".<ref name="Mcleod">{{cite book |url= https://books.google.com/books?id=vTJhC_l1gksC |title=The Sikhs: History, Religion, and Society (ACLS Lectures on the History of Religions) |publisher=Columbia University Press; Reprint edition |last=Mcleod |first=W. H. |date=1991 |page=56 |isbn=978-0-231-06815-4}}</ref> The divine name is its antidote for pain and vices. Forgiveness is taught as a virtue in Sikhism, yet it also teaches its faithful to shun those with evil intentions and to pick up the sword to fight injustice and religious persecution.<ref>{{cite book |chapter-url= https://books.google.com/books?id=IntWqeMeU_oC&pg=PA202 |title=The Spiritual Roots of Restorative Justice |series=SUNY Series in Religious Studies |publisher=[[State University of New York Press]] |location=Albany |first=Pashaura |last=Singh |editor-last=Hadley |editor-first=Michael L. |chapter=Sikhism and Restorative Justice: Theory and Practice |date=2001 |pages=202–207 |isbn=978-0-7914-4852-6}}</ref>
|Mata Tripta
 
|-
Sikhism does not differentiate religious obligations by sex. God in Sikhism has no sex, and the Sikh scripture does not discriminate against women, nor bar them from any roles.<ref name="McLeod2009p70" /> Women in Sikhism have been in positions of leadership, including leading in wars and issued orders or [[hukamnama]]s.<ref>{{cite book |url= https://books.google.com/books?id=xajcAwAAQBAJ&pg=PA65|title=Historical Dictionary of Sikhism |page=65 |last1=Fenech |first1=E. Louis |last2=Mcleod |first2=H. W. |publisher=[[Rowman & Littlefield]] |location=Lanham, Maryland |isbn=978-1-4422-3601-1|date=2014-06-11}}</ref><ref name="McLeod2009p70">{{cite book |first=W. H. |last=McLeod |title=The A to Z of Sikhism|url= https://books.google.com/books?id=vgixwfeCyDAC&pg=PA70 |date=2009|publisher=Scarecrow |isbn=978-0-8108-6344-6|pages=70–71}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |first1=Louis E. |last1=Fenech |first2=W. H. |last2=McLeod |title=Historical Dictionary of Sikhism|url= https://books.google.com/books?id=xajcAwAAQBAJ |date=2014|publisher=[[Rowman & Littlefield]] |location=Lanham, Maryland |isbn=978-1-4422-3601-1|pages=121–122}}</ref>
|'''2'''
 
|Guru Angad Dev Ji
===Ten Gurus and Authority===
|31 March 1504
{{Main|Sikh gurus}}
|7 September 1539
[[File:Sikh Gurus with Bhai Bala and Bhai Mardana.jpg|thumb|upright|A rare [[Tanjore painting|Tanjore]]-style painting from the late 19th century depicting the ten Sikh Gurus with [[Bhai Bala]] and [[Bhai Mardana]]]]
|29 March 1552
The term [[Guru]] comes from the [[Sanskrit]] ''gurū'', meaning teacher, enlightener, guide, or mentor. The traditions and philosophy of Sikhism were established by ten Gurus from 1469 to 1708.<ref name="Panjab Publishers">{{cite book |last1=Singh |first1=Darshan |title=Indian Bhakti Tradition and Sikh Gurus |date=1968 |publisher=Panjab Publishers |location=Chandigarh |page=158}}</ref><ref name="Nesbitt2005_a">{{cite book |first=Eleanor |last=Nesbitt |title=Sikhism: A Very Short Introduction |url= https://books.google.com/books?id=Ai-rpcY-rrgC&pg=PT22 |date=22 September 2005 |publisher=[[Oxford University Press]] |isbn=978-0-19-157806-9 |page=22}}</ref> Each Guru added to and reinforced the message taught by the previous, resulting in the creation of the Sikh religion. Guru Nanak was the first Guru and appointed a disciple as successor. [[Guru Gobind Singh]] was the final Guru in human form. Before his death, Guru Gobind Singh decreed in 1708, that the Gurū Granth Sāhib would be the final and perpetual Guru of the Sikhs.<ref name="granthfinalguru" />
|48
 
|Baba Pheru
Guru Nanak stated that his Guru is God who is the same from the beginning of time to the end of time.<ref>{{cite book |title=History of Sikh Gurus Retold: 1469–1606 C.E |publisher=Atlantic Publishers<!--NOT Atlantic Books, of London--> |location=New Delhi |last1=Gandhi |first1=Surjit Singh |date=1 Feb 2008 |page=265 |isbn=978-81-269-0857-8}}</ref> Nanak said to be a God's slave and servant, but maintained that he was only a guide and teacher.<ref name=ksingh116>{{cite book |first=Khushwant |last=Singh |title=Hymns of Guru Nanak |url= https://books.google.com/books?id=W3jXHMDwOb4C&pg=PA116 |date=1969 |publisher=Orient Blackswan |isbn=978-81-250-1161-3 |page=116}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |title=History of Sikh Gurus Retold: 1469–1606 C.E. |publisher=Atlantic Publishers<!--NOT Atlantic Books, of London--> |location=New Delhi |last=Gandhi |first=Surjit Singh |date=2007 |page=265 |isbn=978-81-269-0859-2}}</ref> Nanak stated that the human Guru is mortal, who is to be respected and loved but not worshipped.<ref name=ksingh116/> When Guru, or SatGuru (The true Guru) is used in ''Gurbani'' it is often referring to the highest expression of truthfulness.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Singh |first1=Darshan |title=Indian Bhakti Tradition and Sikh Gurus |date=1968 |publisher=Panjab Publishers |location=Chandigarh |page=148}}</ref>
|Mata Ramo
 
|-
[[Guru Angad]] succeeded Guru Nanak. Later, an important phase in the development of Sikhism came with the third successor, Guru Amar Das. Guru Nanak's teachings emphasised the pursuit of salvation; Guru Amar Das began building a cohesive community of followers with initiatives such as sanctioning distinctive ceremonies for birth, marriage, and death. Amar Das also established the ''manji'' (comparable to a [[diocese]]) system of clerical supervision.<ref name="p254" />
|'''3'''
 
|Guru Amar Das Ji
[[Guru Amar Das]]'s successor and son-in-law [[Guru Ram Das]] founded the city of [[Amritsar]], which is home of the [[Harimandir Sahib]] and regarded widely as the holiest city for all Sikhs. [[Guru Arjan]] was arrested by [[Mughal Empire|Mughal]] authorities who were suspicious and hostile to the religious community he was developing.<ref>{{cite book |last=Parrinder |first=Geoffrey |author-link=Geoffrey Parrinder |date=1971 |title=World Religions: From Ancient History to the Present |publisher=[[Hamlyn (publisher)|Hamlyn]] |location=London |isbn=978-0-87196-129-7 |page=255}}</ref> His persecution and death inspired his successors to promote a military and political organization of Sikh communities to defend themselves against the attacks of Mughal forces.
|5 May 1479
 
|26 March 1552
[[File:Interior of Akal Takht.jpg|thumb|The interior of the [[Akal Takht]]]]The Sikh gurus established a mechanism which allowed the Sikh religion to react as a community to changing circumstances. The sixth guru, [[Guru Har Gobind|Guru Hargobind]], was responsible for the creation of the concept of [[Akal Takht]] (''throne of the timeless one''), which serves as the supreme decision-making centre of Sikhism and sits opposite the [[Harmandir Sahib]]. The Akal Takht is located in the city of Amritsar. The leader is appointed by the Shiromani Gurdwara Pabandhak Committee (SPGC). The ''[[Sarbat Khalsa|Sarbat Ḵẖālsā]]'' (a representative portion of the Khalsa Panth) historically gathers at the Akal Takht on special festivals such as [[Vaisakhi]] or [[Hola Mohalla]] and when there is a need to discuss matters that affect the entire Sikh nation. A ''[[Gurmata|gurmatā]]'' (literally, 'guru's intention') is an order passed by the Sarbat Ḵẖālsā in the presence of the Gurū Granth Sāhib. A ''gurmatā'' may only be passed on a subject that affects the fundamental principles of Sikh religion; it is binding upon all Sikhs.<ref>{{cite web |url= http://www.sgpc.net/sikhism/tankah.asp |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20020606154817/http://sgpc.net/sikhism/tankah.asp |url-status=dead |archive-date=6 June 2002 |title=Sikh Reht Maryada&nbsp;– Method of Adopting Gurmatta |access-date=9 June 2006 }}</ref> The term ''[[Hukamnama|hukamnāmā]]'' (literally, 'edict' or 'royal order') is often used interchangeably with the term ''gurmatā''. However, a ''hukamnāmā'' formally refers to a hymn from the ''Gurū Granth Sāhib'' which is given order to Sikhs.
|1 September 1574
 
|95
[[File:SikhGurus-LifeSpans-GurushipSpans.jpg|thumb|center|upright=3.65|alt=Graph showing Life Spans and Guruship Spans of Sikh Gurus|Approximate Life Spans and Guruship Spans of the 10 Sikh Gurus]]
|Tej Bhan Bhalla
 
|Mata Bakht
The word ''guru'' in Sikhism also refers to ''Akal Purkh'' (God), and God and ''guru'' can sometimes be synonymous in ''[[Gurbani]]'' (Sikh writings).<ref name="Panjab Publishers" /><ref>{{cite book |last1=Raj |first1=Selva |title=South Asian Religions: Tradition and Today |date=2013 |publisher=[[Routledge]] |location=Abingdon-on-Thames, England |isbn=978-0-415-44851-2 |page=232}}</ref>
 
==Scripture==
There is one primary scripture for the Sikhs: the ''Gurū Granth Sāhib''. It is sometimes synonymously referred to as the ''Ādi Granth''.<ref name=shacklexvii/> Chronologically, however, the ''Ādi Granth'' – literally, 'First Volume' – refers to the version of the scripture created by [[Guru Arjan]] in 1604.<ref>Cole, William Owen; Sambhi, Piara Singh (1995), ''The Sikhs: Their Religious Beliefs and Practices'', Sussex Academic Press, {{ISBN|978-1-898723-13-4}}, pp. 45–46</ref> The ''Gurū Granth Sāhib'' is the final expanded version of the scripture compiled by [[Guru Gobind Singh]].<ref name=shacklexvii/><ref>Cole, William Owen; Sambhi, Piara Singh (1995), ''The Sikhs: Their Religious Beliefs and Practices'', Sussex Academic Press, {{ISBN|978-1-898723-13-4}}, pp. 49–50</ref> While the ''Guru Granth Sahib'' is an unquestioned scripture in Sikhism, another important religious text, the ''[[Dasam Granth]]'', does not enjoy universal consensus, but is considered a secondary scripture by many Sikhs.<ref name=shacklexvii>Christopher Shackle and Arvind Mandair (2005), Teachings of the Sikh Gurus, Abingdon-on-Thames, England: Routledge, {{ISBN|978-0-415-26604-8}}, pp. xvii–xx</ref>
 
===''Adi Granth''===
{{Main|Ādi Granth}}
The ''Ādi Granth'' was compiled primarily by [[Bhai Gurdas]] under the supervision of [[Guru Arjan]] between the years 1603 and 1604.<ref>{{cite book |last=Trumpp |first=Ernest |date=2004 |orig-year=1877 |title=The Ādi Granth or the Holy Scriptures of the Sikhs |publisher=Munshiram Manoharlal Publishers |isbn=978-81-215-0244-3 |page=xxxi}}</ref> It is written in the [[Gurmukhi|Gurmukhī]] script, which is a descendant of the [[Laṇḍā]] script used in the Punjab at that time.<ref>{{cite book |last=Grierson |first=George Abraham |author-link=George Abraham Grierson |date=1967 |orig-year=1927 |title=The Linguistic Survey of India |publisher=Motilal Banarsidass |isbn=978-81-85395-27-2 |page=624}}</ref> The [[Gurmukhi|Gurmukhī]] script was standardised by Guru Angad, the second guru of the Sikhs, for use in the Sikh scriptures and is thought to have been influenced by the [[Śāradā script|Śāradā]] and [[Devanāgarī]] scripts. An authoritative scripture was created to protect the integrity of hymns and teachings of the Sikh Gurus, and thirteen Hindu and two Muslim bhagats of the [[Bhakti movement]] sant tradition in medieval India.<ref>{{cite book |first=E. |last=Nesbitt |date=2014 |title=The Oxford Handbook of Sikh Studies |editor1-first=Pashaura |editor1-last=Singh |editor2-first=Louis E. |editor2-last=Fenech |publisher=[[Oxford University Press]] |isbn=978-0-19-969930-8 |pages=360–369}}</ref> The thirteen Hindu ''bhagats'' whose teachings were entered into the text included [[Ramananda]], [[Namdev]], [[Bhagat Pipa|Pipa]], [[Ravidas]], [[Bhagat Beni|Beni]], [[Bhagat Bhikhan|Bhikhan]], [[Bhagat Dhanna|Dhanna]], [[Jayadeva|Jaidev]], [[Bhagat Parmanand|Parmanand]], [[Bhagat Sadhana|Sadhana]], [[Bhagat Sain|Sain]], [[Sur (poet)|Sur]], [[Bhagat Trilochan|Trilochan]], while the two Muslim ''bhagats'' were [[Kabir]] and Sufi saint [[Fariduddin Ganjshakar|Farid]].<ref name=shapiro924>{{cite book |last=Shapiro |first=Michael |date=2002 |title=Songs of the Saints from the Adi Granth |publisher=Journal of the American Oriental Society|pages=924, 925}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |first=Mahinder |last=Gulati |date=2008 |title=Comparative Religious and Philosophies: Anthropomorphism and Divinity |publisher=Atlantic |isbn=978-81-269-0902-5 |page=302}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |first=H. S. |last=Singha |date=2009 |title=The Encyclopedia of Sikhism |publisher=Hemkunt Press |isbn=978-81-7010-301-1 |page=8}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |last=Mann |first=Gurinder Singh |date=2001 |title=The Making of Sikh Scripture |publisher=[[Oxford University Press]] |isbn=978-0-19-513024-9 |page=19}}</ref> However, the bhagats in context often spoke of transcending their religious labels, Kabir often attributed to being a Muslim states in the ''Adi Granth'', "I am not Hindu nor Muslim."<ref>{{cite book |last1=Eraly |first1=Abraham |title=The Age of Wrath: A History of the Delhi Sultanate |date=2015 |publisher=Penguin UK |isbn=978-93-5118-658-8 |quote=The main thrust of Kabir's mission was to unite Hindus and Muslims in a common quest for god realisation. 'Hindus and Muslims have the same god,, he held. 'God is the breath of all breath&nbsp;... Look within your heart, for there you will find [God]&nbsp;... All men and women in the world are his living forms.' Although many of his sayings had a strong Hindu flavour in them—presumably because of Ramananda's influence—he made no distinction between Hinduism and Islam Similarly, though he usually referred to god as Hari or Rama, he used those words as synonyms of god, and not as the names of particular deities. 'I am not Hindu nor Muslim; Allah-Ram is the breath of my body,' he stated, and went on to declare that All that lives and dies, they are all one. The this and that haggling, is done.}}</ref> The Gurus following on this message taught that different methods of devotion are for the same infinite God.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Susanne |first1=Scholz |title=God Loves Diversity and Justice |date=2013 |publisher=Lexington Books |isbn=978-0-7391-7318-3 |page=16 |quote=The Sikh Divine comprises every imaginable theological ideal! Hindu, Buddhist, Tantric, and Islamic views that were current in medieval India come together in the wide-ranging literary spectrum of the GGS. The stereotypical oppositions between the Indic and Abrahamic worldviews of the day are transcended: "Some call it Rama, some call it Khuda; some worship it as Vishnu, some as Allah" (GGS: 885). Interestingly, even the atheistic Buddhist Nirvana is not omitted: "Itself Nirvana, It itself relishes pleasures" (GGS: 97). "God" or "gods" or "no god" alike are recognized as part of the infinite One! "Always, always you alone are the One Reality&nbsp;– ''sada sada tun eku hai''" (GGS: 139). Persian terminology is used to emphasize the unity of being: "''asti ek digari kui ek tui ek tui''&nbsp;– Only the One is, there is none other; Only you, you only" (GGS: 144). Again, "''hindu turk ka sahib ek'' &nbsp;– Hindus and Muslims share the One sovereign" (GGS: 1158). (The term "Turk" referred to all Muslims in this period.) Since everything is a manifestation of That One being, all the manifestations would be a part of it. No god, no body, and no thing is excluded from this all pervasive being}}</ref>
 
===Guru Granth Sahib===
[[File:Guru Granth Sahib.jpg|thumb|upright|Gurū Granth Sāhib – the primary scripture of Sikhism]]
{{Main|Gurū Granth Sāhib}}
 
The Guru Granth Sahib is the holy scripture of the Sikhs, and is regarded as the living Guru.
 
====Compilation====
The Guru Granth started as a volume of Guru Nanak's poetic compositions. Prior to his death, he passed on his volume to Guru Angad (Guru 1539–1551). The final version of the [[Gurū Granth Sāhib]] was compiled by [[Guru Gobind Singh]] in 1678. It consists of the original Ādi Granth with the addition of [[Guru Tegh Bahadur]]'s hymns. The predominant bulk of Guru Granth Sahib is compositions by seven Sikh Gurus – Guru Nanak, Guru Angad, Guru Amar Das, Guru Ram Das, Guru Arjan, Guru Teg Bahadur and Guru Gobind Singh. It also contains the traditions and teachings of thirteen [[Hindu]] Bhakti movement ''sants'' (saints) such as [[Ramananda]], [[Namdev]] among others, and two [[Muslim]] saints namely [[Kabir]] and the Sufi [[Sheikh Farid]].<ref name=shapiro924/><ref name="p254" />
 
The text comprises 6,000 ''[[shabhad|śabads]]'' (line compositions),<ref name=shacklexvii/> which are poetically rendered and set to rhythmic ancient north Indian classical music.<ref name=king359>Anna S. King and JL Brockington (2005), The Intimate Other: Love Divine in Indic Religions, Orient Blackswan, {{ISBN|978-81-250-2801-7}}, pp. 359–361</ref> The bulk of the scripture is classified into sixty ''[[raga|rāgas]]'', with each Granth rāga subdivided according to length and author. The hymns in the scripture are arranged primarily by the ''rāgas'' in which they are read.<ref name=shacklexvii/>
 
====Language and script====
[[File:Guru Har Rai - Mool Mantar.jpg|thumb|right|250px|[[Mul Mantar]] written by [[Guru Har Rai]], showing the Ik Onkar at top.]]
The main language used in the scripture is known as ''[[Sant Bhasha|Sant Bhāṣā]]'', a language related to both [[Punjabi language|Punjabi]] and [[Hindi language|Hindi]] and used extensively across medieval northern India by proponents of popular devotional religion ([[bhakti]]).<ref name="parrinderp259">{{cite book |last=Parrinder |first=Geoffrey |author-link=Geoffrey Parrinder |date=1971 |title=World Religions: From Ancient History to the Present|publisher=[[Hamlyn (publisher)|Hamlyn]] |location=London |isbn=978-0-87196-129-7|page=259}}</ref> The text is printed in Gurumukhi script, believed to have been developed by Guru Angad,<ref name=shacklexvii/>. The language shares the Indo-European roots found in numerous regional languages of India.<ref>Shackle, Christopher; Mandair, Arvind (2005); ''Teachings of the Sikh Gurus''; Abingdon-on-Thames, England: Routledge; {{ISBN|978-0-415-26604-8}}, pp. xxi–xxxii</ref>
 
====Teachings====
[[File:Sikh musicians.jpg|thumb|left|upright|A group of [[Sikh music]]ians called Dhadi at the [[Golden Temple]] complex]]
 
The vision in the Guru Granth Sahib, states Torkel Brekke, is a society based on divine justice without oppression of any kind.<ref name=brekke673/>
 
The Granth begins with the ''[[Mul Mantra|Mūl Mantra]]'', an iconic verse which received Guru Nanak directly from Akal Purakh (God).
The traditional Mul Mantar goes from Ik Oankar until Nanak Hosee Bhee Sach.
 
:One God exists, truth by name, creative power, without fear, without enmity, timeless form, unborn, self-existent, by the Guru's grace.<ref>{{cite book |last=Mandair |first=Arvind |editor-last=Pemberton |editor-first=Kelly |date=2008 |title=Shared Idioms, Sacred Symbols, and the Articulation of Identities in South Asia |publisher=[[Routledge]] |location=Abingdon-on-Thames, England |isbn=978-0-415-95828-8 |page=61}}</ref>
:({{lang-pa|ੴ ਸਤਿ ਨਾਮੁ ਕਰਤਾ ਪੁਰਖੁ ਨਿਰਭਉ ਨਿਰਵੈਰੁ ਅਕਾਲ ਮੂਰਤਿ ਅਜੂਨੀ ਸੈਭੰ ਗੁਰ ਪ੍ਰਸਾਦਿ ॥ |Ika ōaṅkāra sati nāmu karatā purakhu nirabha'u niravairu akāla mūrati ajūnī saibhaṅ gura prasādi}})
 
====As guru====
The Tenth Guru, Guru Gobind Singh ji, named the Sikh scripture Guru Granth Sahib as his successor, terminating the line of human Gurus and making the scripture the literal embodiment of the eternal, impersonal Guru, where Gods/Gurus word serves as the spiritual guide for Sikhs.<ref name="WH McLeod 2014 page 17" /><ref name="William James 2011 pages 241-242" /><ref name="granthfinalguru" /><ref>Jane Bingham (2007), Sikhism, Atlas of World Faiths, {{ISBN|978-1-59920-059-0}}, pp. 19–20</ref>
:All Sikhs are commanded to take the Granth as Guru
:({{lang-pa|ਸੱਬ ਸਿੱਖਣ ਕੋ ਹੁਕਮ ਹੈ ਗੁਰੂ ਮਾਨਯੋ ਗ੍ਰੰਥ । |Sabb sikkhaṇ kō hukam hai [[Guru Maneyo Granth|gurū mānyō granth]]}})
 
The Guru Granth Sahib is installed in Sikh ''Gurdwara'' (temple); many Sikhs bow or prostrate before it on entering the temple. The Guru Granth Sahib is installed every morning and put to bed at night in many ''Gurdwaras''.<ref>Cole, William Owen; Sambhi, Piara Singh (1995), ''The Sikhs: Their Religious Beliefs and Practices'', Sussex Academic Press, {{ISBN|978-1-898723-13-4}}, p. 44</ref> The Granth is revered as eternal ''[[gurbani|gurbānī]]'' and the spiritual authority.<ref>{{cite book |first=Torkel |last=Brekke |date=2014 |title=Religion, War, and Ethics: A Sourcebook of Textual Traditions |editor1-first=Gregory M. |editor1-last=Reichberg |editor2-first=Henrik |editor2-last=Syse |publisher=[[Cambridge University Press]] |isbn=978-0-521-45038-6 |page=675}}</ref>
 
The copies of the Guru Granth Sahib are not regarded as material objects, but as living subjects which are alive.<ref name=Myrvold>Kristina Myrvold (2016). "Making the Scripture a Person: Reinventing Death Rituals of Guru Granth Sahib in Sikhism", pp. 134–136, 142–143, 152–155; In: Kristina Myrvold (2016), ''The Death of Sacred Texts: Ritual Disposal and Renovation of Texts in World Religions'', Abingdon-on-Thames, England: Routledge</ref> According to Myrvold, the Sikh scripture is treated with respect like a living person, in a manner similar to the Gospel in early Christian worship. Old copies of the Sikh scripture are not thrown away, rather funerary services are performed.<ref name=Myrvold/>
 
In India the Guru Granth Sahib is even officially recognised by the Supreme Court of India as a judicial person which can receive donations and own land.<ref name=Myrvold/> Yet, some Sikhs also warn that, without true comprehension of the text, veneration for the text can lead to [[bibliolatry]], with the concrete form of the teachings becoming the object of worship instead of the teachings themselves.<ref name=Myrvold/>
 
====Relation to Hinduism and Islam====
{{main|Sikhism and Hinduism|Islam and Sikhism}}
The Sikh scriptures use [[Hindu]] terminology, with references to the [[Vedas]], and the names of gods and goddesses in Hindu bhakti movement traditions, such as Vishnu, Shiva, Brahma, Parvati, Lakshmi, Saraswati, Rama, Krishna, but not to worship.<ref name=brekke673>Torkel Brekke (2014), Religion, War, and Ethics: A Sourcebook of Textual Traditions (Editors: Gregory M. Reichberg and Henrik Syse), Cambridge University Press, {{ISBN|978-0-521-45038-6}}, pp. 673, 675, 672–686</ref><ref>Sinha, A. K. (2013), ''Glimpse of Scriptures of Religions of Indian Origin'', Xlibris, {{ISBN|978-1-4836-6308-1}}, pp. 204–216{{self-published source|date=December 2017}}</ref>{{Self-published inline|certain=yes|date=December 2017}}<ref>{{Cite book |first1=Christopher |last1=Shackle |first2=Arvind |last2=Mandair |date=2005 |title=Teachings of the Sikh Gurus |publisher=[[Routledge]] |location=Abingdon-on-Thames, England |isbn=978-0-415-26604-8 |pages=xxxiv–xli}}</ref> It also refers to the spiritual concepts in Hinduism (''[[Ishvara]], [[Bhagavan]], [[Brahman]]'') and the concept of God in [[Islam]] (''Allah'') to assert that these are just "alternate names for the Almighty One".<ref>Singh, Nirbhai (1990); [https://archive.org/details/philosophyofsikh0000nirb/page/n134 <!-- pg=115 --> ''Philosophy of Sikhism: Reality and Its Manifestations''], New Delhi: Atlantic Publishers<!--NOT Atlantic Books, of London.-->; pp. 115–122</ref>
 
While the Guru Granth Sahib acknowledges the [[Vedas]], [[Puranas]] and [[Qur'an]],<ref>Cole, William Owen; Sambhi, Piara Singh (1995), ''The Sikhs: Their Religious Beliefs and Practices'', Sussex Academic Press, {{ISBN|978-1-898723-13-4}}, p. 157</ref> it does not imply a [[Syncretic religion|syncretic]] bridge between Hinduism and Islam,<ref>Cole, William Owen; Sambhi, Piara Singh (1995), ''The Sikhs: Their Religious Beliefs and Practices'', Sussex Academic Press, {{ISBN|978-1-898723-13-4}}, p. 40</ref> but emphasises focusing on [[Nitnem|nitnem banis]] like [[Japji Sahib|Japu]] (repeating [[mantra]] of the divine Name of God – [[Waheguru]]), instead of Muslim practices such as [[circumcision]] or praying by prostrating on the ground to God, or Hindu rituals such as wearing thread.<ref>{{cite book |first1=William Owen |last1=Cole |first2=Piara Singh |last2=Sambhi |date=1995 |title=The Sikhs: Their Religious Beliefs and Practices |publisher=Sussex Academic Press |isbn=978-1-898723-13-4 |pages=155–156}}</ref>
 
===Dasam Granth===
[[File:Dasam.Granth.Frontispiece.BL.Manuscript.1825-1850.jpg|thumb|The Dasam Granth is a Sikh scripture which contains texts attributed to Guru Gobind Singh, including his autobiography [[Bachittar Natak]]. The major narrative in the text is on [[Chaubis Avtar]] (24 [[Avatars]] of Hindu god [[Vishnu]]), [[Rudra]], [[Brahma]], the Hindu warrior goddess [[Chandi]] and a story of [[Rama]] in [[Bachittar Natak]].<ref name="jdeol31">{{cite book |first=J. |last=Deol |date=2000 |title=Sikh Religion, Culture and Ethnicity |editor1-first=Arvind-Pal Singh |editor1-last=Mandair |editor2-first=Christopher |editor2-last=Shackle |editor3-first=Gurharpal |editor3-last=Singh |publisher=[[Routledge]] |location=Abingdon-on-Thames, England |isbn=978-0-7007-1389-9 |pages=31–33}}</ref>]]
{{Main|Dasam Granth}}
 
The Dasam Granth is a scripture of Sikhs which contains texts attributed to the Guru Gobind Singh. The ''Dasam Granth'' is important to a great number of Sikhs, however it does not have the same authority as the ''Guru Granth Sahib''. Some compositions of the ''Dasam Granth'' like [[Jaap Sahib]], ([[Amrit Savaiye]]), and [[Chaupai (Sikhism)|Benti Chaupai]] are part of the daily prayers ([[Nitnem]]) for Sikhs.<ref>Robert Zaehner (1988), The Hutchinson Encyclopedia of Living Faiths, Hutchinson, {{ISBN|978-0-09-173576-0}}, pp. 426–427</ref> The first verse of the [[ardās]] prayer is from [[Chandi di Var]]. The ''Dasam Granth'' is largely versions of Hindu mythology from the [[Puranas]], secular stories from a variety of sources called ''Charitro Pakhyan'' – tales to protect careless men from perils of lust.<ref>{{cite book |first1=Christopher |last1=Shackle |first2=Arvind-Pal Singh |last2=Mandair |date=2005 |title=Teachings of the Sikh Gurus |publisher=[[Routledge]] |location=Abingdon-on-Thames, England |isbn=978-0-415-26604-8 |page=xx}}</ref><ref>William McLeod (2009), The A to Z of Sikhism, Toronto: Rowman & Littlefield, {{ISBN|978-0-8108-6828-1}}, p. 151</ref>
 
Five versions of ''Dasam Granth'' exist, and the authenticity of the ''Dasam Granth'' has in modern times become one of the most debated topics within Sikhism. The text played a significant role in Sikh history, but in modern times parts of the text have seen antipathy and discussion among Sikhs.<ref name=jdeol31/>
 
===Janamsakhis===
{{Main|Janamsākhīs}}
 
The Janamsākhīs (literally ''birth stories''), are writings which profess to be biographies of Guru Nanak. Although not scripture in the strictest sense, they provide a [[hagiography|hagiographic]] look at Guru Nanak's life and the early start of Sikhism. There are several – often contradictory and sometimes unreliable – Janamsākhīs and they are not held in the same regard as other sources of scriptural knowledge.
 
==Observances==
[[File:InsideSikhGurdwara.jpg|thumb|The [[Darbar Sahib Hall|Darbar Sahib]] of a [[Gurdwara]]]]
Observant Sikhs adhere to long-standing practices and traditions to strengthen and express their faith. The daily recitation of the divine name of God VaheGuru and from a memory of specific passages from the Gurū Granth Sāhib, like the ''Japu'' (or ''Japjī'', literally ''chant'') hymns is recommended immediately after rising and bathing. Baptized Sikhs recite the five-morning prayers, the evening and night prayer. Family customs include both reading passages from the scripture and attending the [[gurdwara]] (also ''gurduārā'', meaning ''the doorway to God''; sometimes transliterated as ''Gurudwara''). There are many gurdwaras prominently constructed and maintained across India, as well as in almost every nation where Sikhs reside. Gurdwaras are open to all, regardless of religion, background, caste, or race.
 
Worship in a gurdwara consists chiefly of the singing of passages from the scripture. Sikhs will commonly enter the gurdwara, touch the ground before the holy scripture with their foreheads. The recitation of the eighteenth century ''[[ardās]]'' is also customary for attending Sikhs. The ardās recalls past sufferings and glories of the community, invoking divine grace for all humanity.<ref name="p260">{{cite book |last=Parrinder |first=Geoffrey |author-link=Geoffrey Parrinder |date=1971 |title=World Religions: From Ancient History to the Present |publisher=[[Hamlyn (publisher)|Hamlyn]] |location=London |isbn=978-0-87196-129-7|page=260}}</ref>
 
The gurdwara is also the location for the historic Sikh practice of "[[Langar (Sikhism)|Langar]]" or the community meal. All gurdwaras are open to anyone of any faith for a free meal, always vegetarian.<ref>Cole, William Owen; Sambhi, Piara Singh (1995), ''The Sikhs: Their Religious Beliefs and Practices'', Sussex Academic Press, {{ISBN|978-1-898723-13-4}}, p. 148</ref> People eat together, and the kitchen is maintained and serviced by Sikh community volunteers.<ref>{{cite book |first=Mark |last=McWilliams |title=Food & Material Culture: Proceedings of the Oxford Symposium on Food and Cookery 2013|url= https://books.google.com/books?id=yj8QDgAAQBAJ |date=2014 |publisher=Oxford Symposium |isbn=978-1-909248-40-3|page=265}}</ref>
 
===Sikh festivals/events===
[[Guru Amar Das]] chose festivals for celebration by Sikhs like [[Vaisakhi]], wherein he asked Sikhs to assemble and share the festivities as a community.<ref name="ColeSambhi1995p135">{{cite book |first1=William Owen |last1=Cole |first2=Piara Singh |last2=Sambhi |title=The Sikhs: Their Religious Beliefs and Practices|url= https://books.google.com/books?id=zIC_MgJ5RMUC&pg=PA135 |date=1995 |publisher=Sussex Academic Press |isbn=978-1-898723-13-4 |pages=135–136 |quote=Since the time of Guru Amar Das it has been customary for Sikhs to assemble before their Guru.}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |first=Kathleen |last=Kuiper |title=The Culture of India |url= https://books.google.com/books?id=c8PJFLeURhsC&pg=PA127|date=2010 |publisher=Rosen |isbn=978-1-61530-149-2|page=127}}</ref>
 
Vaisakhi is one of the most important festivals of Sikhs, while other significant festivals commemorate the birth, lives of the Gurus and Sikh martyrs. Historically, these festivals have been based on the moon calendar [[Bikrami calendar]].<ref name=nesbittbc>{{cite book |first=Eleanor |last=Nesbitt |title=Sikhism: A Very Short Introduction |url= https://books.google.com/books?id=XebnCwAAQBAJ&pg=PA122 |date=2016 |publisher=[[Oxford University Press]] |isbn=978-0-19-874557-0 |pages=122–123}}</ref> In 2003, the [[SGPC]], the Sikh organisation in charge of upkeep of the historical gurdwaras of Punjab, adopted [[Nanakshahi]] calendar.<ref name=nesbittbc/> The new calendar is highly controversial among Sikhs and is not universally accepted. Sikh festivals include the following:
* [[Vaisakhi]] which includes Parades and Nagar Kirtan and occurs on 13 April or 14 April. Sikhs celebrate it because on this day, which fell on 30 March 1699, the tenth Guru, Gobind Singh, inaugurated the [[Khalsa]], the 11th body of Guru Granth Sahib and leader of Sikhs until eternity.
** [[Nagar Kirtan]] involves the processional singing of holy hymns throughout a community. While practiced at any time, it is customary in the month of Visakhi (or Vaisakhi). Traditionally, the procession is led by the saffron-robed Panj Piare (the five beloved of the Guru), who are followed by the Guru Granth Sahib, the holy Sikh scripture, which is placed on a float.
{{wide image|Yuba City Nagar Kirtan 2011.jpg|760px|[[Nagar Kirtan]] crowd listening to [[Kirtan]] at [[Yuba City, California]].}}
* Band Chor Diwas has been another important Sikh festival in its history.<ref>{{cite book |first=Arvind-Pal Singh |last=Mandair |title=Sikhism: A Guide for the Perplexed |url= https://books.google.com/books?id=vdhLAQAAQBAJ |date=2013 |publisher=Bloomsbury Academic |isbn=978-1-4411-0231-7 |pages=128–130}}</ref> In recent years, instead of Diwali, the post-2003 calendar released by SGPC has named it the [[Bandi Chhor Divas|Bandi Chhor divas]].<ref>{{cite book |first=Eleanor |last=Nesbitt |title=Sikhism: A Very Short Introduction |url= https://books.google.com/books?id=4ysRDAAAQBAJ |date=2016 |publisher=[[Oxford University Press]] |isbn=978-0-19-106276-6 |pages=6, 124}}</ref> Sikhs celebrate [[Guru Hargobind]]'s release from the [[Gwalior Fort]], with several innocent Raja kings who were also imprisoned by Mughal Emperor [[Jahangir]] in 1619. This day continues to be commemorated on the same day of Hindu festival of [[Diwali]], with lights, fireworks and festivities.
* [[Hola Mohalla]] is a tradition started by Guru Gobind Singh. It starts the day after Sikhs celebrate [[Holi]],<ref name="McLeod2009p95">{{cite book |first=W. H. |last=McLeod |title=The A to Z of Sikhism|url= https://books.google.com/books?id=vgixwfeCyDAC&pg=PA95|date=2009|publisher=Scarecrow Press |isbn=978-0-8108-6344-6|page=95}}</ref> sometimes referred to as ''Hola''.<ref name="Roy2005p192">{{cite book |first=Christian |last=Roy |title=Traditional Festivals: A Multicultural Encyclopedia |url= https://books.google.com/books?id=IKqOUfqt4cIC&pg=PA192 |date=2005 |publisher=ABC-CLIO |isbn=978-1-57607-089-5 |pages=192–193}}</ref> Guru Gobind Singh modified Holi with a three-day [[Hola Mohalla]] extension festival of martial arts. The extension started the day after the Holi festival in [[Anandpur Sahib]], where Sikh soldiers would train in mock battles, compete in horsemanship, athletics, archery and military exercises.<ref>{{cite book |first1=James K., Jr. |last1=Wellman |first2=Clark |last2=Lombardi |title=Religion and Human Security: A Global Perspective|url= https://archive.org/details/religionandh_xxxx_2012_000_10856028 |url-access=registration|date=2012|publisher=[[Oxford University Press]] |isbn=978-0-19-982775-6|pages=[https://archive.org/details/religionandh_xxxx_2012_000_10856028/page/n125 112] note 18}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |first=Nikky-Guninder |last=Kaur Singh |title=Sikhism: An Introduction|url= https://books.google.com/books?id=e0ZmAXw7ok8C&pg=PA93|date=2011 |publisher=[[I.B. Tauris]] |location=London / New York |isbn=978-1-84885-321-8|pages=93–94}}</ref>
* [[Gurpurb]]s are celebrations or commemorations based on the lives of the Sikh Gurus. They tend to be either birthdays or celebrations of Sikh martyrdom. All ten Gurus have Gurpurbs on the Nanakshahi calendar, but it is Guru Nanak and Guru Gobind Singh who have a gurpurb that is widely celebrated in Gurdwaras and Sikh homes. The martyrdoms are also known as a Shaheedi Gurpurbs, which mark the martyrdom anniversary of [[Guru Arjan]] and [[Guru Tegh Bahadur]].
 
===Ceremonies and customs===
[[File:Sikh wedding.jpg|thumb|[[Sikh wedding]]]]
[[File:Sikh funeral procession. Mandi, Himachel Pradesh.jpg|thumb|Sikh funeral procession, [[Mandi, Himachal Pradesh|Mandi]], [[Himachal Pradesh]]]]
 
Khalsa Sikhs have also supported and helped develop major pilgrimage traditions to sacred sites such as Harmandir Sahib, Anandpur Sahib, Fatehgarh Sahib, Patna Sahib, Hazur Nanded Sahib, Hemkund Sahib and others.<ref name="Oberoi1994p68">{{cite book |first=Harjot |last=Oberoi |title=The Construction of Religious Boundaries: Culture, Identity, and Diversity in the Sikh Tradition |url= https://books.google.com/books?id=1NKC9g2ayJEC |date=1994 |publisher=[[University of Chicago Press]] |isbn=978-0-226-61592-9 |pages=43–49, 68, 327–328}}</ref> Sikh pilgrims and Sikhs of other sects customarily consider these as holy and a part of their ''Tirath''.<ref name="Ferrari2011p48">{{cite book |first=Ron |last=Geaves |editor-first=Fabrizio |editor-last=Ferrari |title=Health and Religious Rituals in South Asia: Disease, Possession and Healing|url= https://books.google.com/books?id=OyKFM2qrNUEC&pg=PA48|date=2011 |publisher=[[Taylor & Francis]] |location=Abingdon-on-Thames, England |isbn=978-1-136-84629-8|pages=48–51}}</ref> The [[Hola Mohalla]] around the festival of [[Holi]], for example, is a ceremonial and customary gathering every year in [[Anandpur Sahib]] attracting over 100,000 Sikhs.<ref>{{cite book |first=Gene R. |last=Thursby |title=The Sikhs |url= https://books.google.com/books?id=PNsIoNN5ie8C&pg=PA17 |date=1992 |publisher=Brill Academic |isbn=978-90-04-09554-0 |pages=17–18}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |first1=W. O. |last1=Cole |first2=Piara Singh |last2=Sambhi |title=Sikhism and Christianity: A Comparative Study|url= https://books.google.com/books?id=G8KMCwAAQBAJ |date=2016|publisher=Springer |isbn=978-1-349-23049-5|pages=134–135, 168}}</ref> Major Sikh temples feature a ''sarovar'' where some Sikhs take a customary dip. Some take home the sacred water of the tank particularly for sick friends and relatives,<ref name=singha7>{{cite book |first=H. S. |last=Singha |title=The Encyclopedia of Sikhism |url= https://books.google.com/books?id=gqIbJz7vMn0C&pg=PA7 |date=2000 |publisher=Hemkunt Press |isbn=978-81-7010-301-1 |pages=7, 16, 27}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |first1=Nikky-Guninder |last1=Kaur Singh |title=Sikhism |url= https://books.google.com/books?id=k0s2dUUMHbkC&pg=PA101 |date=2004 |publisher=Infobase |isbn=978-1-4381-1779-9 |pages=100–101}}</ref> believing that the waters of such sacred sites have restorative powers and the ability to purify one's ''karma''.<ref>{{cite book |last=Thursby |first=Gene R. |url= https://books.google.com/books?id=PNsIoNN5ie8C&pg=PA17 |title=The Sikhs |publisher=Brill Academic |date=1992 |isbn=978-90-04-09554-0 |pages=14–15}}</ref><ref group="lower-roman">The Sikh scripture contains verses which have been literally interpreted as relevant to pilgrimage and taking dips in waters for salvific value; some criticize it (AG 358, 75); others support it (AG 623–624).</ref><ref name="singha7" /> The various Gurus of Sikhism have had different approaches to pilgrimage.<ref>{{cite book |first1=Louis E. |last1=Fenech |first2=W. H. |last2=McLeod |url= https://books.google.com/books?id=xajcAwAAQBAJ&pg=PA5 |title=Historical Dictionary of Sikhism |publisher=[[Rowman & Littlefield]] |location=Lanham, Maryland |date=2014 |isbn=978-1-4422-3601-1 |pages=5–6, 29, 60–61}}</ref>
 
Upon a child's birth, the Guru Granth Sahib is opened at a random point and the child is named using the first letter on the top left hand corner of the left page. All boys are given the last name [[Singh]], and all girls are given the last name [[Kaur]] (this was once a title which was conferred on an individual upon joining the [[Khalsa]]).<ref>{{cite book |last=Loehlin|first=Clinton Herbert|date=1964 |orig-year=1958 |edition=2nd |title=The Sikhs and Their Scriptures |publisher=Lucknow Publishing |page=42}}</ref>
 
The Sikh marriage ritual includes the ''[[Anand Karaj|anand kāraj]]'' ceremony.<ref>{{cite book |first=Nikky-Guninder |last1=Kaur Singh |title=The Birth of the Khalsa: A Feminist Re-Memory of Sikh Identity |url= https://books.google.com/books?id=IsYucLFfEIsC&pg=PA189 |date=2005 |publisher=[[State University of New York Press]] |location=Albany |isbn=978-0-7914-6583-7 |page=189 |quote=The name of the wedding ceremony, anand karaj (anand=bliss, karaj=event), is derived from Guru Amar Das's rapturous hymn Anand (bliss) and institutionalized by the fourth Sikh Guru, Guru Ram Das.}}</ref><ref name="Ruether2006p700">{{cite book |first1=Rosemary |last1=Skinner Keller |first2=Rosemary |last2=Radford Ruether |first3=Marie |last3=Cantlon |title=Encyclopedia of Women and Religion in North America |url= https://books.google.com/books?id=WPILfbtT5tQC&pg=PA700 |date=2006 |publisher=Indiana University Press |isbn=978-0-253-34687-2 |page=700}}</ref> The marriage ceremony is performed in front of the Guru Granth Sahib by a baptized Khalsa, Granthi of the Gurdwara.<ref name="HaarKalsi2009p10"/><ref name="fenech33" /> The tradition of circling the Guru Granth Sahib and Anand Karaj among Khalsa is practised since the fourth Guru, Guru Ram Das. Its official recognition and adoption came in 1909, during the [[Singh Sabha Movement]].<ref name="fenech33">{{cite book |first1=Louis E. |last1=Fenech |first2=W. H. |last2=McLeod |title=Historical Dictionary of Sikhism |url= https://books.google.com/books?id=xajcAwAAQBAJ&pg=PA220 |date=2014 |publisher=[[Rowman & Littlefield]] |location=Lanham, Maryland |isbn=978-1-4422-3601-1|pages=33–34, 220}}</ref>
 
Upon death, the body of a Sikh is usually cremated. If this is not possible, any respectful means of disposing the body may be employed. The ''kīrtan sōhilā'' and ''ardās'' prayers are performed during the funeral ceremony (known as ''[[Antam Sanskar|antim sanskār]]'').<ref>{{cite web |url= http://sgpc.net/sikhism/antam-sanskar.asp |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20020406164549/http://sgpc.net/sikhism/antam-sanskar.asp |url-status=dead |archive-date=6 April 2002 |title=Sikh Reht Maryada – Funeral Ceremonies (Antam Sanskar) |access-date=8 June 2006 }}</ref>
 
===Initiation and the Khalsa===
 
[[Khalsa]] (meaning "pure and sovereign") is the collective name given by Guru Gobind Singh to those Sikhs who have been fully initiated by taking part in a ceremony called ''[[ammrit sañcār]]'' (nectar ceremony).<ref name="SinghFenech2014p23" /> During this ceremony, sweetened water is stirred with a double-edged sword while liturgical prayers are sung; it is offered to the initiating Sikh, who ritually drinks it.<ref name="SinghFenech2014p23">{{cite book |first1=Pashaura |last1=Singh |first2=Louis E. |last2=Fenech |title=The Oxford Handbook of Sikh Studies |url= https://books.google.com/books?id=7YwNAwAAQBAJ |date=2014 |publisher=[[Oxford University Press]] |isbn=978-0-19-100411-7 |pages=23–24}}</ref> Many Sikhs are not formally and fully initiated, as they do not undergo this ceremony, but do adhere to some components of Sikhism and identify as Sikhs. The initiated Sikh, who is believed to be [[Dvija#The meaning of the two births|reborn]], is referred to as [[Amritdhari]] or Khalsa Sikh, while those who are not initiated or baptised are referred to as Kesdhari or Sahajdhari Sikhs.<ref name="SinghFenech2014p23" /><ref>{{cite book |first1=Louis E. |last1=Fenech |first2=W. H. |last2=McLeod |title=Historical Dictionary of Sikhism |url= https://books.google.com/books?id=xajcAwAAQBAJ |date=2014 |publisher=[[Rowman & Littlefield]] |location=Lanham, Maryland |isbn=978-1-4422-3601-1 |pages=84–85}}</ref>
 
The first time that this ceremony took place was on [[Vaisakhi]], which fell on 30 March 1699 at [[Anandpur Sahib]] in Punjab.<ref name="SinghFenech2014p23" /> It was on that occasion that Gobind Singh baptised the [[Panj Piare|Pañj Piārē]] – the five beloved ones, who in turn baptised Guru Gobind Singh himself. To males who initiated, the last name Singh, meaning "lion", was given, while the last name Kaur, meaning "princess", was given to baptised Sikh females.<ref name="SinghFenech2014p23" />
 
Baptised [[Sikhs]] wear five items, called the [[Five Ks]] (in Punjabi known as ''pañj kakkē'' or ''pañj kakār''), at all times. The five items are: ''[[Kesh (Sikhism)|kēs]]'' (uncut hair), ''[[Kanga (Sikhism)|kaṅghā]]'' (small wooden comb), ''[[Kara (Sikhism)|kaṛā]]'' (circular steel or iron bracelet), ''[[Kirpan|kirpān]]'' (sword/dagger), and ''[[Kaccha|kacchera]]'' (special undergarment).<ref name="SinghFenech2014p23" /> The Five Ks have both practical and symbolic purposes.<ref>{{cite book |last=Simmonds |first=David |date=1992 |title=Believers All: A Book of Six World Religions |publisher=[[Nelson Thornes]] |location=Cheltenham, England |isbn=978-0-17-437057-4 |pages=120–121}}</ref>
 
==History==
{{Main|History of Sikhism}}
Guru Nanak (1469–1539), the founder of Sikhism, was born in the village of ''Rāi Bhōi dī Talwandī'', now called [[Nankana Sahib]] (in present-day Pakistan).<ref>{{cite book |last=Singh |first=Khushwant |author-link=Khushwant Singh |date=2006|title=The Illustrated History of the Sikhs |publisher=[[Oxford University Press]] |location=New Delhi |isbn=978-0-19-567747-8 |pages=12–13}}</ref> His parents were [[Punjabi Khatri]] [[Hindu]]s.<ref>{{cite book |first1=Louis E. |last1=Fenech |first2=W. H. |last2=McLeod |title=Historical Dictionary of Sikhism|url= https://books.google.com/books?id=xajcAwAAQBAJ&pg=PA182|date=2014|publisher=[[Rowman & Littlefield]] |location=Lanham, Maryland |isbn=978-1-4422-3601-1|page=182}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |first=Pritam |last=Singh |title=Federalism, Nationalism and Development: India and the Punjab Economy |url= https://books.google.com/books?id=lQpswqcdDLIC&pg=PA21 |date=2008 |publisher=[[Routledge]] |location=Abingdon-on-Thames, England |isbn=978-1-134-04946-2 |pages=20–21}}</ref> According to the [[hagiography]] ''Puratan Janamsakhi'' composed more than two centuries after his death and probably based on [[oral tradition]],<ref>{{cite book |url= http://www.learnpunjabi.org/eos/index.aspx |title=Puratan Janam Sakhi |via=LearnPunjabi.org |work=Encyclopedia of Sikhism |editor1-first=Harbans |editor1-last=Singh |editor2-first=W. H. |editor2-last=McLeod |date=2008}}</ref> Nanak as a boy was fascinated by religion and spiritual matters, spending time with wandering ascetics and holy men.<ref name=shacklexiii/> His friend was Mardana, a Muslim. Together they would sing devotional songs all night in front of the public, and bathe in the river in the morning. One day, at the usual bath, Nanak went missing and his family feared he had drowned. Three days later he returned home, and declared: "There is no Hindu, there is no Muslim" ("''nā kōi hindū nā kōi musalmān''"). Thereafter, Nanak started preaching his ideas that form the tenets of Sikhism. In 1526, Guru Nanak at age 50, started a small commune in Kartarpur and his disciples came to be known as ''Sikhs''.<ref name="shacklexiii">{{cite book |last1=Shackle |first1=Christopher |last2=Mandair |first2=Arvind-Pal Singh |date=2005 |title=Teachings of the Sikh Gurus: Selections from the Sikh Scriptures |publisher=[[Routledge]] |location=Abingdon-on-Thames, England |isbn=978-0-415-26604-8 |pages=xiii–xiv}}</ref> Although the exact account of his itinerary is disputed, hagiographic accounts state he made five major journeys, spanning thousands of miles: the first tour being east towards [[Bengal]] and [[Assam]]; the second south towards [[Andhra Pradesh|Andhra]] and [[Tamil Nadu]]; the third north to [[Kashmir]], [[Ladakh]], and [[Mount Meru|Mount Sumeru]]<ref>McLeod, W. H.; ''Essays in Sikh History, Tradition and Society'', [[Oxford University Press]], {{ISBN|978-0-19-568274-8}}, pp. 40–44</ref> in [[Tibet]]; and the fourth to [[Baghdad]].<ref>{{cite book |first=Harjinder Singh |last=Dilgeer |date=2008 |title=Sikh Twareekh |publisher=The Sikh University Press}}</ref> In his last and final tour, he returned to the banks of the Ravi River to end his days.<ref>{{cite book |last=Finegan |first=Jack |title=The Archeology of World Religions: the Background of Primitivism, Zoroastrianism, Hinduism, Jainism, Buddhism, Confucianism, Taoism, Shinto, Islam, and Sikhism |url= https://archive.org/details/in.gov.ignca.44705 |date=1952 |publisher=[[Princeton University Press]]}}</ref>
 
There are two competing theories on Guru Nanak's teachings.<ref name="arvindmandair131">{{cite book |first=Arvind-Pal Singh |last=Mandair |date=2013 |title=Sikhism: A Guide for the Perplexed |publisher=Bloomsbury Academic |isbn=978-1-4411-0231-7 |pages=131–134}}</ref> One, according to Cole and Sambhi, is based on hagiographical [[Janamsakhis]],<ref>Cole, William Owen; Sambhi, Piara Singh (1995), ''The Sikhs: Their Religious Beliefs and Practices'', Sussex Academic Press, {{ISBN|978-1-898723-13-4}}, pp. 9–12</ref> and states that Nanak's teachings and Sikhism were a revelation from God, and not a social protest movement nor any attempt to reconcile Hinduism and Islam in the 15th century.<ref name="Cole_Sambhi_Dic">{{cite book |title=A Popular Dictionary of Sikhism: Sikh Religion and Philosophy |publisher=[[Taylor & Francis]] |location=Abingdon-on-Thames, England |first1=W. Owen |last1=Cole |first2=Piara Singh |last2=Sambhi |date=1997 |page=71 |isbn=978-0-203-98609-7}}</ref> The other states that Nanak was a [[guru]]. According to Singha, "Sikhism does not subscribe to the theory of incarnation or the concept of prophethood. But it has a pivotal concept of Guru. He is not an incarnation of God, not even a prophet. He is an illumined soul."<ref name="HS Singha 2009 page 104">{{cite book |first=H. S. |last=Singha |date=2009 |title=The Encyclopedia of Sikhism |page=104}}</ref> The second theory continues that hagiographical ''Janamsakhis'' were not written by Nanak, but by later followers without regard for historical accuracy, and contain numerous legends and myths created to show respect for Nanak.<ref>Kaur Singh, Nikky-Guninder  (2011), ''Sikhism: An Introduction''; London / New York: [[I.B. Tauris]], {{ISBN|978-1-84885-321-8}}, pp. 2–8</ref> The term ''revelation'', clarify Cole and Sambhi, in Sikhism is not limited to the teachings of Nanak, but is extended to all Sikh gurus, as well as the words of past, present and future men and women, who possess divine knowledge intuitively through meditation. The Sikh revelations include the words of non-Sikh [[bhagat]]s, some who lived and died before the birth of Nanak, and whose teachings are part of the Sikh scriptures.<ref>Cole, William Owen; Sambhi, Piara Singh (1995), ''The Sikhs: Their Religious Beliefs and Practices'', Sussex Academic Press, {{ISBN|978-1-898723-13-4}}, pp. 52–53, 46, 95–96, 159</ref> The Adi Granth and successive Sikh gurus repeatedly emphasised, states Mandair, that Sikhism is "not about hearing voices from God, but it is about changing the nature of the human mind, and anyone can achieve direct experience and spiritual perfection at any time".<ref name="arvindmandair131" />
 
===Historical influences===
The roots of the Sikh tradition are, states Louis Fenech, perhaps in the [[Sant (religion)|Sant]]-tradition of India whose ideology grew to become the Bhakti tradition.<ref name="Louis Fenech 2014 page 35" group="lower-roman" /> Furthermore, adds Fenech:<ref>{{cite book |first=Louis |last=Fenech |date=2014 |title=The Oxford Handbook of Sikh Studies |editor1-first=Pashaura |editor1-last=Singh |editor2-first=Louis E. |editor2-last=Fenech |publisher=[[Oxford University Press]] |isbn=978-0-19-969930-8 |page=36}}</ref>
{{quote|Few Sikhs would mention these Indic texts and ideologies in the same breadth as the Sikh tradition, let alone trace elements of their tradition to this chronological and ideological point, {{em|despite the fact}} that the Indic mythology permeates the Sikh sacred canon, the ''Guru Granth Sahib'', and the secondary canon, the ''Dasam Granth''&nbsp;... and adds delicate nuance and substance to the sacred symbolic universe of the Sikhs of today and of their past ancestors.}}
 
The development of Sikhism was influenced by the [[Bhakti movement]];<ref name="David Lorenzen 1995 pages 1-2" group="lower-roman">"Historically, Sikh religion derives from this nirguni current of bhakti religion." (Lorenzen 1995, pp. 1–2).</ref><ref name="Louis Fenech 2014 page 35" group="lower-roman">"Technically this would place the Sikh community's origins at a much further remove than 1469, perhaps to the dawning of the Sant movement, which possesses clear affinities to Guru Nanak's thought sometime in the tenth century. The predominant ideology of the Sant ''parampara'' in turn corresponds in many respects to the much wider devotional Bhakti tradition in northern India. (Pashaura and Fenech 2014, p. 35).</ref><ref name="encyclobritannicasikh" group="lower-roman">"In its earliest stage Sikhism was clearly a movement within the Hindu tradition; Nanak was raised a Hindu and eventually belonged to the Sant tradition of northern India." (McLeod 2019/1998).</ref><ref name="Kitagawa2013">{{cite book |first=Joseph |last=Kitagawa |title=The Religious Traditions of Asia: Religion, History, and Culture|url= https://books.google.com/books?id=kfyzAAAAQBAJ&pg=PA111|date=5 September 2013|publisher=[[Taylor & Francis]] |location=Abingdon-on-Thames, England |isbn=978-1-136-87597-7|pages=111–}}</ref> however, Sikhism was not simply an extension of the Bhakti movement.<ref name="Singha" /><ref name="Pruthi">{{cite book |isbn=978-81-7141-879-4 |title=Sikhism and Indian Civilization |publisher=Discovery Publishing House |last=Pruthi |first=R. K. |date=2004 |location=New Delhi |pages=202–203}}</ref> Sikhism, for instance, disagreed with some of the views of Bhakti saints Kabir and Ravidas.<ref group="lower-roman">These views include Sikhs believing in achieving blissful mukhti while alive, Sikhs placing emphasis on the path of the householder, Sikhs disbelief in [[Ahinsa]], and the Sikhs afterlife aspect of merging with God rather than a physical heaven.</ref><ref name="Pruthi" /> Sikhism developed while the region was being ruled by the [[Mughal Empire]]. Two of the Sikh Gurus, [[Guru Arjan]] and [[Guru Tegh Bahadur]], refused to convert to Islam and were tortured and executed by the Mughal rulers.<ref name=pashauraarjan>Pashaura Singh (2005), Understanding the Martyrdom of Guru Arjan, Journal of Punjab Studies, 12(1), pp. 29–62</ref><ref>Gandhi, Surjit (2008), ''History of Sikh Gurus Retold: 1606–1708''; New Delhi: Atlantic Publishers<!--NOT Atlantic Books, of London.-->; {{ISBN|978-81-269-0858-5}}, pp. 689–690</ref> The Islamic era persecution of Sikhs triggered the founding of the [[Khalsa]], as an order for freedom of conscience and religion.<ref name=pashauraarjan/><ref>{{cite book |last1=Johar|first1=Surinder|title=Guru Gobind Singh: A Multi-faceted Personality|date=1999|publisher=M.D. Publications Pvt. Ltd. |isbn=978-81-7533-093-1|page=89}}</ref><ref name="Gandhi">{{cite book |title=History of Sikh Gurus Retold: 1606–1708 |publisher=Atlantic Publishers<!--NOT Atlantic Books, of London--> |location=New Delhi |last=Gandhi |first=Surjit Singh |date=1 February 2008 |pages=676–677 |isbn=978-81-269-0857-8}}</ref> A Sikh is expected to embody the qualities of a "Sant-Sipāhī"{{spaced ndash}} a [[Khalsa|saint-soldier]].<ref name="Chanchreek 2007 142">{{cite book |last=Chanchreek |first=Jain |title=Encyclopaedia of Great Festivals |date=2007 |publisher=Shree Publishers |isbn=978-81-8329-191-0 |page=142}}</ref><ref name="Dugga 2001 33">{{cite book |last=Dugga|first=Kartar|title=Maharaja Ranjit Singh: The Last to Lay Arms|date=2001|publisher=Abhinav Publications |isbn=978-81-7017-410-3|page=33}}</ref>
 
===Growth of Sikhism===
[[File:Guru.Nanak.with.Hindu.holymen-b.JPG|thumb|[[Guru Nanak]] explaining [[Sikh beliefs|Sikh teachings]] to [[Sadhu]]s]]
After its inception, Sikhism grew as it gained converts among Hindus and Muslims in the Punjab region.<ref name="Singh2008"/><ref name="Singh1989">{{cite book |last1=Singh |first1=Teja |last2=Singh |first2=Ganda |title=A Short History of the Sikhs: 1469–1765 |date=1989 |publisher=[[Punjabi University]] |isbn=978-81-7380-007-8 |page=41 |language=en |quote=He made many converts to Sikhism from the Hindus and the Muslims. In Kashmir particularly he converted thousands who had gone over to Islam.}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |title=Sikhism and Indian Society |date=1967 |publisher=[[Indian Institute of Advanced Study]] |page=197 |language=en |quote=Thus the social barriers between various castes and creeds were broken and intermarriages took place not only between the Sikhs coming from various castes but there were marriages even between Muslim converts to Sikhism with Hindu converts.}}</ref><ref name="Singh1996">{{cite book |last1=Singh |first1=Darshan |title=Sikhism: Issues and Institutions|date=1996 |publisher=Sehgal Book Distributors |isbn=978-81-86023-03-7 |page=14 |language=en |quote=During the time of Guru Nanak, a number of Hindus, Muslims and Dalits joined the fold of Guru Nanak.|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=U3rXAAAAMAAJ&q=%22During+the+time+of+Guru+Nanak,+a+number+of+Hindus,+Muslims+and+Dalits+joined+the+fold+of+Guru+Nanak.%22}}</ref> In 1539, Guru Nanak chose his disciple Lahiṇā as a successor to the Guruship rather than either of his sons. Lahiṇā was named [[Guru Angad]] and became the second Guru of the Sikhs.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Shackle |first1=Christopher |last2=Mandair |first2=Arvind-Pal Singh |date=2005 |title=Teachings of the Sikh Gurus: Selections from the Sikh Scriptures |publisher=[[Routledge]] |location=Abingdon-on-Thames, England |isbn=978-0-415-26604-8 |page=xv}}</ref><ref name="Fenech2014p36">{{cite book |first1=Louis E. |last1=Fenech |first2=W. H. |last2=McLeod |title=Historical Dictionary of Sikhism |url= https://books.google.com/books?id=xajcAwAAQBAJ&pg=PA36 |date=2014 |publisher=[[Rowman & Littlefield]] |location=Lanham, Maryland |isbn=978-1-4422-3601-1 |page=36}}</ref> Nanak conferred his choice at the town of [[Kartarpur (Pakistan)|Kartarpur]] on the banks of the river [[Ravi River|Ravi]]. [[Sri Chand]], Guru Nanak's son was also a religious man, and continued his own commune of Sikhs. His followers came to be known as the [[Udasi]] Sikhs, the first parallel sect of Sikhism that formed in Sikh history.<ref name="Oberoi1994p78">{{cite book |first=Harjot |last=Oberoi |title=The Construction of Religious Boundaries: Culture, Identity, and Diversity in the Sikh Tradition |url= https://books.google.com/books?id=1NKC9g2ayJEC&pg=PA78 |date=1994 |publisher=[[University of Chicago Press]] |isbn=978-0-226-61592-9 |pages=78–80}}</ref> The Udasis believe that the Guruship should have gone to Sri Chand, since he was a man of pious habits in addition to being Nanak's son.<ref name="Oberoi1994p78" />
 
Guru Angad, before joining Guru Nanak's commune, worked as a ''[[Puja (Hinduism)|pujari]]'' (priest) and religious teacher centered around Hindu goddess [[Durga]].<ref name="Fenech2014p36" /><ref name="ColeSambhi1995p18" /> On Nanak's advice, Guru Angad moved from Kartarpur to Khadur, where his wife [[Mata Khivi|Khivi]] and children were living, until he was able to bridge the divide between his followers and the Udasis. Guru Angad continued the work started by Guru Nanak and is widely credited for standardising the [[Gurmukhī script]] as used in the sacred scripture of the Sikhs.<ref name="ColeSambhi1995p18">{{cite book |first1=William Owen |last1=Cole |first2=Piara Singh |last2=Sambhi |title=The Sikhs: Their Religious Beliefs and Practices |url= https://books.google.com/books?id=zIC_MgJ5RMUC&pg=PA18 |date=1995 |publisher=Sussex Academic Press |isbn=978-1-898723-13-4|pages=18–20}}</ref>
 
[[Guru Amar Das]] became the third Sikh Guru in 1552 at the age of 73. He adhered to the [[Vaishnavism]] tradition of Hinduism for much of his life, before joining the commune of Guru Angad.<ref name="FenechMcLeod2014p29">{{cite book |first1=Louis E. |last1=Fenech |first2=W. H. |last2=McLeod |title=Historical Dictionary of Sikhism|url= https://books.google.com/books?id=xajcAwAAQBAJ&pg=PA29|date=2014|publisher=[[Rowman & Littlefield]] |location=Lanham, Maryland |isbn=978-1-4422-3601-1|pages=29–30}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |first=Eileen |last=Osborne |title=Founders and Leaders|url= https://books.google.com/books?id=GMnpUthHyvEC&pg=PA24|date=2005|publisher=Dublin: Folens Limited |isbn=978-1-84303-622-7|page=24}}</ref> [[Goindval]] became an important centre for Sikhism during the Guruship of Guru Amar Das. He was a reformer, and discouraged veiling of women's faces (a Muslim custom) as well as [[sati (practice)|sati]] (a Hindu custom).<ref name=eosamardas>{{cite encyclopedia |url= http://www.learnpunjabi.org/eos/index.aspx |title=Amar Das, Guru (1479–1574) |last1=Kushwant Singh |encyclopedia=Encyclopaedia of Sikhism |publisher=Punjab University Patiala}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |first=Nikky-Guninder |last=Kaur Singh |title=Sikhism |date=2004 |publisher=Infobase |isbn=978-1-4381-1779-9|page=120}}</ref> He encouraged the [[Kshatriya]] people to fight in order to protect people and for the sake of justice, stating this is [[Dharma]].<ref name="Sambhi2005p29">{{cite book |first1=W. Owen |last1=Cole |first2=Piara Singh |last2=Sambhi |title=A Popular Dictionary of Sikhism: Sikh Religion and Philosophy|url= https://books.google.com/books?id=vcSRAgAAQBAJ&pg=PA29 |date=2005 |publisher=[[Routledge]] |location=Abingdon-on-Thames, England |isbn=978-1-135-79760-7|pages=29–30}}</ref> Guru Amar Das started the tradition of appointing ''manji'' (zones of religious administration with an appointed chief called ''sangatias''),<ref name="FenechMcLeod2014p29" /> introduced the ''dasvandh'' ("the tenth" of income) system of revenue collection in the name of Guru and as pooled community religious resource,<ref name="Farhadian2015p342">{{cite book |first=Charles E. |last=Farhadian |title=Introducing World Religions |url= https://books.google.com/books?id=5VV-BAAAQBAJ&pg=PT342 |date=2015|publisher=Baker Academic |isbn=978-1-4412-4650-9|pages=342}}</ref> and the famed ''[[Langar (Sikhism)|langar]]'' tradition of Sikhism where anyone, without discrimination of any kind, could get a free meal in a communal seating. The collection of revenue from Sikhs through regional appointees helped Sikhism grow.<ref name="FenechMcLeod2014p29" /><ref name="HaarKalsi2009p21">{{cite book |first1=Kristen |last1=Haar |first2=Sewa Singh |last2=Kalsi |title=Sikhism |url= https://books.google.com/books?id=YOI1nB_zTyAC&pg=PA21 |date=2009 |publisher=Infobase |isbn=978-1-4381-0647-2 |pages=21–22}}</ref>
 
Guru Amar Das named his disciple and son-in-law Jēṭhā as the next Guru, who came to be known as [[Guru Ram Das]]. The new Guru faced hostilities from the sons of Guru Amar Das and therefore shifted his official base to lands identified by Guru Amar Das as Guru-ka-Chak.<ref name="Mandair2013p38">{{cite book |first=Arvind-Pal Singh |last=Mandair |title=Sikhism: A Guide for the Perplexed |url= https://books.google.com/books?id=Jn_jBAAAQBAJ&pg=PA38 |date=2013 |publisher=Bloomsbury |isbn=978-1-4411-5366-1 |pages=38–40}}</ref> He moved his commune of Sikhs there and the place then was called Ramdaspur, after him. This city grew and later became [[Amritsar]] – the holiest city of Sikhism.<ref name="McLeod1990p28">{{cite book |first=W. H. |last=McLeod |title=Textual Sources for the Study of Sikhism |url= https://books.google.com/books?id=7xIT7OMSJ44C&pg=PA28 |date=1990 |publisher=[[University of Chicago Press]] |isbn=978-0-226-56085-4|pages=28–29}}</ref> Guru Ram Das expanded the ''manji'' organization for clerical appointments in Sikh temples, and for revenue collections to theologically and economically support the Sikh movement.<ref name="Mandair2013p38" />
 
In 1581, [[Guru Arjan]] – youngest son of [[Guru Ram Das]], became the fifth Guru of the Sikhs. The choice of successor, as throughout most of the history of Sikh Guru successions, led to disputes and internal divisions among the Sikhs.<ref name="ShackleMandair2013xv">{{cite book |last1=Shackle |first1=Christopher |last2=Mandair |first2=Arvind-Pal Singh |title=Teachings of the Sikh Gurus: Selections from the Sikh Scriptures |url= https://books.google.com/books?id=VvoJV8mw0LwC |date=2013 |publisher=[[Routledge]] |location=Abingdon-on-Thames, England |isbn=978-1-136-45101-0 |pages=xv–xvi}}</ref> The elder son of Guru Ram Das named [[Prithi Chand]] is remembered in the Sikh tradition as vehemently opposing Guru Arjan, creating a faction Sikh community which the Sikhs following Guru Arjan called as ''Minas'' (literally, "scoundrels").<ref name=fenech39>{{cite book |first1=Louis E. |last1=Fenech |first2=W. H. |last2=McLeod |title=Historical Dictionary of Sikhism |url= https://books.google.com/books?id=xajcAwAAQBAJ |date=2014 |publisher=[[Rowman & Littlefield]] |location=Lanham, Maryland |isbn=978-1-4422-3601-1 |page=39}}</ref><ref name="McLeod2009p20">{{cite book |first=W. H. |last=McLeod |title=The A to Z of Sikhism|url= https://books.google.com/books?id=vgixwfeCyDAC&pg=PA86 |date=2009|publisher=Scarecrow Press |isbn=978-0-8108-6344-6|page=20}}</ref>
 
Guru Arjan is remembered in the Sikh for many things. He built the first [[Harimandir Sahib]] (later to become the [[Golden Temple]]). He was a poet and created the first edition of Sikh sacred text known as the [[Adi Granth|Ādi Granth]] (literally "the first book") and included the writings of the first five Gurus and other enlightened 13 Hindu and 2 Muslim Sufi saints. In 1606, he was tortured and killed by the [[Mughal Empire|Mughal]] emperor [[Jahangir]],<ref>{{cite book |last1=Shackle |first1=Christopher |last2=Mandair |first2=Arvind-Pal Singh |date=2005 |title=Teachings of the Sikh Gurus: Selections from the Sikh Scriptures |publisher=[[Routledge]] |location=Abingdon-on-Thames, England |isbn=978-0-415-26604-8 |pages=xv–xvi}}</ref> for refusing to convert to Islam.<ref>{{cite book |first=Pashaura |last=Singh |title=Life and Work of Guru Arjan: History, Memory, and Biography in the Sikh Tradition |url= https://books.google.com/books?id=FbPXAAAAMAAJ|date=2006 |publisher=[[Oxford University Press]] |isbn=978-0-19-567921-2 |pages=23, 217–218}}</ref><ref name=pashauraarjan/><ref>Louis E. Fenech (2006), Martyrdom in the Sikh Tradition, Oxford University Press, {{ISBN|978-0-19-567901-4}}, pp. 118–121</ref> His martyrdom is considered a watershed event in the history of Sikhism.<ref name=pashauraarjan/><ref>{{cite book |first=W. H. |last=McLeod |date=1989 |title=The Sikhs: History, Religion, and Society |publisher=Columbia University Press |isbn=978-0-231-06815-4 |pages=26–51}}</ref>
 
===Political advancement===
After the martyrdom of Guru Arjan, his son [[Guru Hargobind]] at age eleven became the sixth Guru of the Sikhs, and Sikhism dramatically evolved to become a political movement in addition to being religious.<ref name=pashaura29>{{cite journal |first=Pashaura |last=Singh |date=2005 |url= http://www.global.ucsb.edu/punjab/journal_12_1/3_singh.pdf |title=Understanding the Martyrdom of Guru Arjan |journal=Journal of Punjab Studies |volume=12 |issue=1 |pages=29–62}}</ref> Guru Hargobind carried two swords, calling one spiritual and the other for temporal purpose (known as ''mīrī'' and ''pīrī'' in Sikhism).<ref>{{cite book |last=Mahmood |first=Cynthia |date=2002 |title=A Sea of Orange |publisher=Xlibris |isbn=978-1-4010-2856-5 |page=16}}{{self-published source|date=December 2017}}</ref>{{Self-published inline|certain=yes|date=December 2017}} According to the Sikh tradition, Guru Arjan asked his son Hargobind to start a military tradition to protect the Sikh people and always keep himself surrounded by armed Sikhs. The building of an armed Sikh militia began with Guru Hargobind.<ref name="pashaura29" /> Guru Hargobind was soon arrested by the Mughals and kept in jail in Gwalior. It is unclear how many years he served in prison, with different texts stating it to be between 2 and 12.<ref name="mandair48">{{cite book |title=Sikhism: A Guide for the Perplexed |first=Arvind-Pal Singh |last=Mandair |url= https://books.google.com/books?id=BEP0Ty-GuVEC&pg=PA48|publisher=[[A & C Black]] |date=2013 |isbn=978-1-4411-1708-3|page=48}}</ref> He married three women, built a fort to defend Ramdaspur and created a formal court called [[Akal Takht]], now the highest Khalsa Sikh religious authority.<ref name="Phyllis2004">{{cite book |title=Holy People of the World: A Cross-cultural Encyclopedia |volume=1 |first=Phyllis G. |last=Jestice |url= https://books.google.com/books?id=H5cQH17-HnMC&pg=PA345 |publisher=[[ABC-CLIO]] |date=2004 |isbn=978-1-57607-355-1 |pages=345, 346}}</ref>
 
In 1644, Guru Hargobind named his grandson [[Guru Har Rai|Har Rai]] as the Guru. The Mughal Emperor [[Shah Jahan]] attempted political means to undermine the Sikh tradition, by dividing and influencing the succession.<ref name="mandair49" /> The Mughal ruler gave land grants to Dhir Mal, a grandson of Guru Hargobind living in Kartarpur, and attempted to encourage Sikhs to recognise Dhir Mal as the rightful successor to Guru Hargobind.<ref name="mandair49" /> Dhir Mal issued statements in favour of the Mughal state, and critical of his grandfather [[Guru Arjan]]. Guru Hargobind rejected Dhir Mal, the latter refused to give up the original version of the Adi Granth he had, and the Sikh community was divided.<ref name="mandair49">{{cite book |title=Sikhism: A Guide for the Perplexed |first=Arvind-Pal Singh |last=Mandair |url= https://books.google.com/books?id=BEP0Ty-GuVEC&pg=PA49 |publisher=[[A & C Black]] |date=2013 |isbn=978-1-4411-1708-3 |pages=48–49}}</ref>
 
Guru Har Rai is famed to have met Dara Shikoh during a time Dara Shikoh and his younger brother Aurangzeb were in a bitter succession fight. Aurangzeb summoned Guru Har Rai, who refused to go and sent his elder son Ram Rai instead.<ref name="McLeod2014p260" /> The emperor found a verse in the Sikh scripture insulting to Muslims, and Ram Rai agreed it was a mistake then changed it. Ram Rai thus pleased Aurangzeb, but displeased Guru Har Rai who excommunicated his elder son. He nominated his younger son [[Guru Har Krishan]] to succeed him in 1661. Aurangzeb responded by granting Ram Rai a [[jagir]] (land grant). Ram Rai founded a town there and enjoyed Aurangzeb's patronage; the town came to be known as Dehradun, after ''Dehra'' referring to Ram Rai's shrine. Sikhs who followed Ram Rai came to be known as [[Ramraiya]] Sikhs.<ref name="McLeod2014p260">{{cite book |first1=Louis E. |last1=Fenech |first2=W. H. |last2=McLeod |title=Historical Dictionary of Sikhism |url= https://books.google.com/books?id=xajcAwAAQBAJ |date=2014|publisher=[[Rowman & Littlefield]] |location=Lanham, Maryland |isbn=978-1-4422-3601-1|pages=260–261}}</ref><ref>[http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/490354/Ram-Raiyas Rām Rāiyā], ''[[Encyclopædia Britannica]] Online'' |access-date=7 August 2018}}</ref> However, according to rough estimates, there are around 120–150 million (12–15 [[crore]])<ref>[http://www.learnpunjabi.org/eos/index.aspx Ram Rai], ''Encyclopedia of Sikhism''. Harbans, Singh (ed.). Punjab University.</ref> Guru Har Krishan became the eighth Guru at the age of five, and died of smallpox before reaching the age of eight. No hymns composed by these three Gurus are included in the Guru Granth Sahib.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Shackle |first1=Christopher |last2=Mandair |first2=Arvind-Pal Singh |date=2005 |title=Teachings of the Sikh Gurus: Selections from the Sikh Scriptures |publisher=[[Routledge]] |location=Abingdon-on-Thames, England |isbn=978-0-415-26604-8 |page=xvi}}</ref>
 
[[Guru Tegh Bahadur]], the uncle of Guru Har Krishan, became Guru in 1665. Tegh Bahadur resisted the forced conversions of [[Kashmir]]i [[Pandit]]s<ref>{{cite book |first1=Pashaura |last1=Singh |first2=Louis E. |last2=Fenech |title=The Oxford Handbook of Sikh Studies |publisher=[[Oxford University Press]] |date=2014 |isbn=978-0-19-969930-8|pages=236–445}}, Quote:"This is the reputed place where several Kashmiri pandits came seeking protection from Auranzeb's army.", Quote:"this second martyrdom helped to make 'human rights and freedom of conscience' central to its identity."</ref> and non-Muslims<ref name="Mandair2013p53">{{cite book |first=Arvind-Pal Singh |last=Mandair |title=Sikhism: A Guide for the Perplexed |url= https://books.google.com/books?id=vdhLAQAAQBAJ&pg=PA53 |date=2013 |publisher=Bloomsbury Academic |isbn=978-1-4411-0231-7 |pages=53–54}}, Quote: "The Guru's stance was a clear and unambiguous challenge, not to the sovereignty of the Mughal state, but to the state's policy of not recognizing the sovereign existence of non-Muslims, their traditions and ways of life".</ref> to [[Islam]], and was publicly beheaded in 1675 on the orders of [[Mughal Empire|Mughal emperor]] [[Aurangzeb]] in [[Delhi]] for refusing to convert to Islam.<ref name=cs2013>{{cite book |last=Seiple |first=Chris |title=The Routledge Handbook of Religion and Security |publisher=[[Routledge]] |location=Abingdon-on-Thames, England |date=2013 |isbn=978-0-415-66744-9 |page=96}}</ref><ref name=fenech4>{{cite book |first1=Pashaura |last1=Singh |first2=Louis E. |last2=Fenech |title=The Oxford Handbook of Sikh Studies|url= https://books.google.com/books?id=8I0NAwAAQBAJ |date=2014|publisher=[[Oxford University Press]] |isbn=978-0-19-969930-8|pages=236–238}};<br />{{cite journal |last=Fenech |first=Louis E. |title=Martyrdom and the Execution of Guru Arjan in Early Sikh Sources |journal=Journal of the American Oriental Society |volume=121 |issue=1 |date=2001 |doi=10.2307/606726 |pages=20–31 |jstor=606726}};<br />{{cite journal |last=Fenech |first=Louis E. |title=Martyrdom and the Sikh Tradition |journal=Journal of the American Oriental Society |volume=117 |issue=4 |date=1997 |doi=10.2307/606445 |pages=623–642 |jstor=606445}};<br />{{cite journal |last=McLeod |first=Hew |title=Sikhs and Muslims in the Punjab |journal=South Asia: Journal of South Asian Studies |volume=22 |issue=sup001 |date=1999 |issn=0085-6401 |doi=10.1080/00856408708723379 |pages=155–165}}</ref> His beheading traumatized the Sikhs. His body was cremated in Delhi, the head was carried secretively by Sikhs and cremated in [[Anandpur Sahib|Anandpur]]. He was succeeded by his son, Gobind Rai, who militarised his followers by creating the [[Khalsa]] in 1699, and baptising the ''[[Panj Piare|Pañj Piārē]]''.<ref name="MandairShackle2013p25">{{cite book |first=Arvind-Pal Singh |last1=Mandair |first2=Christopher |last2=Shackle |first3=Gurharpal |last3=Singh |title=Sikh Religion, Culture and Ethnicity |url= https://books.google.com/books?id=D8xdAgAAQBAJ |date=2013 |publisher=[[Routledge]] |location=Abingdon-on-Thames, England |isbn=978-1-136-84627-4 |pages=25–28}}</ref> From then on, he was known as [[Guru Gobind Singh]], and Sikh identity was redefined into a political force resisting religious persecution.<ref name=ws1981>{{cite book |first=Wilfred |last=Smith |date=1981 |page=191 |title=On Understanding Islam: Selected Studies |publisher=Walter De Gruyter |isbn=978-90-279-3448-2 |url= https://archive.org/details/onunderstandingi0000smit/page/191}}</ref>
<gallery widths="200" heights="200">
File:Interior-view-Gurudwara-Sis-Ganj-Sahib.jpg|[[Gurudwara Sis Ganj Sahib]] in Delhi. The long window under the marble platform is the location where [[Guru Tegh Bahadur]] was executed by the Mughals.
File:Bhai Mati Das.jpg|Artistic rendering of the execution of [[Bhai Mati Das]] by the Mughals. This image is from a [[Sikh Ajaibghar]] near the towns of Mohali and Sirhind in Punjab, India.
</gallery>
 
====Sikh confederacy and the rise of the Khalsa====
<gallery widths="200px" heights="200px">
Mehdiana 5.jpg|Sculpture at [[Mehdiana Sahib]] of the execution of [[Banda Singh Bahadur]] in 1716 by the Mughals.
Bodyguard of Ranjit Singh.jpg|Some bodyguards of [[Ranjit Singh|Maharaja Ranjit Singh]] at the Sikh capital, Lahore, Punjab.
</gallery>
[[Guru Gobind Singh]] inaugurated the [[Khalsa]] (the collective body of all [[Amrit Sanskar|initiated Sikhs]]) as the Sikh temporal authority in the year 1699. It created a community that combines its spiritual purpose and goals with political and military duties.<ref>{{cite book |last=Shani |first=Giorgio |title=Sikh Nationalism and Identity in a Global Age |date=2008 |publisher=[[Routledge]] |location=Abingdon-on-Thames, England |isbn=978-0-415-42190-4 |page=24}}</ref><ref name="granthfinalguru" /><ref name="parrinderp259" /> Shortly before his death, Guru Gobind Singh proclaimed the [[Guru Granth Sahib|Gurū Granth Sāhib]] (the Sikh Holy Scripture) to be the ultimate spiritual authority for the Sikhs.<ref>{{cite book |last=Wolfe|first=Alvin|title=Anthropological Contributions to Conflict Resolution|date=1996|publisher=University of Georgia Press |isbn=978-0-8203-1765-6|page=14}}</ref>
 
The Sikh Khalsa's rise to power began in the 17th century during a time of growing militancy against Mughal rule. The creation of a [[Sikh Empire]] began when Guru Gobind Singh sent a Sikh general, [[Banda Singh Bahadur]], to fight the Mughal rulers of India<ref>{{cite book |last=Hansra |first=Harkirat |title=Liberty at Stake |date=2007 |publisher=iUniverse |isbn=978-0-595-87563-4 |page=67}}{{self-published source|date=December 2017}}</ref>{{Self-published inline|certain=yes|date=December 2017}} and those who had committed atrocities against [[Pir Buddhu Shah]]. Banda Singh advanced his army towards the main Muslim Mughal city of Sirhind and, following the instructions of the Guru, punished all the culprits. Soon after the invasion of Sirhind, while resting in his chamber after the Rehras prayer Guru Gobind Singh was stabbed by a [[Pathan]] assassin hired by [[Mughal Empire|Mughals]]. Gobind Singh killed the attacker with his sword. Though a European surgeon stitched the Guru's wound, the wound re-opened as the Guru tugged at a hard strong bow after a few days, causing profuse bleeding that led to Gobind Singh's death.
 
After the Guru's death, Baba [[Banda Singh Bahadur]] became the commander-in-chief of the [[Khalsa]].<ref>{{cite book |title=Indian Armed Forces Year Book|date=1959|publisher=the University of California|page=419}}</ref> He organised the civilian rebellion and abolished or halted the [[Zamindar]]i system in time he was active and gave the farmers [[Self-ownership|proprietorship]] of their own land.<ref>{{cite book |last=Jawandha |first=Nahar |title=Glimpses of Sikhism |date=2010 |publisher=Sanbun Publishers |location=New Delhi |isbn=978-93-80213-25-5 |page=81}}</ref> Banda Singh was executed by the emperor [[Farrukhsiyar|Farrukh Siyar]] after refusing the offer of a pardon if he converted to Islam. The [[Sikh Confederacy|confederacy of Sikh warrior bands]] known as ''[[misls]]'' emerged, but these fought between themselves. Ranjit Singh achieved a series of military victories and created a [[Sikh Empire]] in 1799.
 
The Sikh empire had its capital in [[Lahore]], spread over almost {{convert|200000|mi2|km2|abbr=off}} comprising what is now northwestern [[Indian subcontinent]]. The Sikh Empire entered into a treaty with the colonial British powers, with each side recognizing Sutlej River as the line of control and agreeing not to invade the other side.<ref>{{cite book |last=Singh |first=Khushwant |author-link=Khushwant Singh|date=2006|title=The Illustrated History of the Sikhs |publisher=[[Oxford University Press]] |location=New Delhi |isbn=978-0-19-567747-8 |pages=47–53}}</ref> Ranjit Singh's most lasting legacy was the restoration and expansion of the [[Harmandir Sahib]], most revered [[Gurudwara]] of the Sikhs, with marble and gold, from which the popular name of the "[[Golden Temple]]" is derived.<ref>{{cite book |first=Eleanor |last=Nesbitt |title=Sikhism: A Very Short Introduction |url= https://books.google.com/books?id=XebnCwAAQBAJ&pg=PA64 |date=2016 |publisher=[[Oxford University Press]] |isbn=978-0-19-874557-0 |pages=64–65}}</ref> After the death of Ranjit Singh in 1839, the Sikh Empire fell into disorder. Ranjit Singh had failed to establish a lasting structure for Sikh government or stable succession, and the Sikh Empire rapidly declined after his death. Factions divided the Sikhs, and led to [[First Anglo-Sikh War|Anglo-Sikh wars]]. The British easily defeated the confused and demoralised [[Sikh Khalsa Army|Khalsa forces]], then disbanded them into destitution.<ref name="Oberoi1994p207">{{cite book |first=Harjot |last=Oberoi |title=The Construction of Religious Boundaries: Culture, Identity, and Diversity in the Sikh Tradition|url= https://books.google.com/books?id=dKl84EYFkTsC |date=1994|publisher=[[University of Chicago Press]] |isbn=978-0-226-61593-6 |pages=207–208}}</ref> The youngest son of Ranjit Singh, named [[Maharaja Duleep Singh|Duleep Singh]], ultimately succeeded, but he was arrested and exiled after the defeat of Sikh Khalsa.<ref>{{cite encyclopedia |url= http://www.learnpunjabi.org/eos/index.aspx |title=Jind Kaur, Maharani (1817–1863) |last1=Hasrat |first1=B. J. |encyclopedia=Encyclopaedia of Sikhism |publisher=Punjabi University Patiala}}</ref>
 
====Singh Sabha movement====
{{Main|Singh Sabha Movement}}
The [[Singh Sabha movement]], a movement to revitalize Sikhism, also saw the resurgence of the [[Khalsa]] after their defeat in wars with the British<ref>{{cite book |first1=Pashaura |last1=Singh |first2=Louis E. |last2=Fenech |title=The Oxford Handbook of Sikh Studies|url= https://books.google.com/books?id=8I0NAwAAQBAJ&pg=PA28|date=2014|publisher=[[Oxford University Press]] |isbn=978-0-19-969930-8|page=28}}</ref> - latterly in the [[Second Anglo-Sikh War]] - and the subsequent decline and corruption of Sikh institutions during colonial rule, and the proselytization of other faith groups in the Punjab.<ref name=barrierssm>{{cite book |last1=Barrier |first1=N. Gerald |last2=Singh |first2=Nazer |editor1-last=Singh |editor1-first=Harbans |title=Singh Sabha Movement |date=1998 |publisher=Punjab University, Patiala, 2002 |location=Patiala, Punjab, India |isbn=978-81-7380-349-9 |pages=44, 50, 110, 121, 126, 212, 349 |edition=4th |url= https://archive.org/details/TheEncyclopediaOfSikhism-VolumeIA-d/page/n3 |access-date=12 November 2019}}</ref><ref name="Encyclopædia Britannica Online">{{cite encyclopedia |url= https://www.britannica.com/topic/Singh-Sabha |title=Singh Sabha (Sikhism) |encyclopedia=[[Encyclopædia Britannica]] Online |date=2010}}</ref>  It was started in the 1870s, and after a period of interfactional rivalry, united under the Tat Khalsa to reinvigorate Sikh practice and institutions.<ref name="perplexed84">{{cite book |first=Arvind-Pal Singh |last=Mandair |title=Sikhism: A Guide for the Perplexed |url= https://books.google.com/books?id=vdhLAQAAQBAJ&pg=PA85 |date=2013 |publisher=Bloomsburg Academic |isbn=978-1-4411-0231-7 |page=84}}</ref>
 
The last Maharaja of the Sikh Empire, Duleep Singh, converted to Christianity in 1853, a controversial but influential event in Sikh history. Along with his conversion, and after Sikh Empire had been dissolved and the region made a part of the colonial British Empire, [[Proselytism|proselytising]] activities of [[Christians]], [[Brahmo Samaj]]is, [[Arya Samaj]], Muslim Anjuman-i-Islamia and Ahmadiyah sought to convert the Sikhs in northwestern Indian subcontinent into their respective faiths.<ref name=barrierssm/><ref name="Encyclopædia Britannica Online" /> These developments launched the [[Singh Sabha Movement]].<ref name=barrierssm/><ref name="Encyclopædia Britannica Online" />
 
The first meeting of the movement was in the [[Golden Temple]], Amritsar in 1873, and it was largely launched by the [[Sanatan Sikh]]s, Gianis, priests, and granthis.<ref>Dr Harjinder Singh Dilgeer, Sikh History in 10 Volumes, Sikh University Press, Belgium, published in 2012; vol 4, pp 49–69</ref> Shortly thereafter, Nihang Sikhs began influencing the movement, followed by a sustained campaign by the [[Tat Khalsa]], which had quickly gained dominance by the early 1880s.<ref name="perplexed84" /><ref name="Oberoi1994">{{cite book |first=Harjot |last=Oberoi |title=The Construction of Religious Boundaries: Culture, Identity, and Diversity in the Sikh Tradition|url= https://books.google.com/books?id=dKl84EYFkTsC&pg=PA382|date=1994|publisher=[[University of Chicago Press]] |isbn=978-0-226-61593-6|pages=382–383}}</ref> The movement became a struggle between Sanatan Sikhs and Tat Khalsa in defining and interpreting Sikhism.<ref name="SinghFenech2014p28" /><ref name="Mandair 2013 85–86">{{cite book |first=Arvind-Pal Singh |last=Mandair |title=Sikhism: A Guide for the Perplexed |url= https://books.google.com/books?id=vdhLAQAAQBAJ&pg=PA85 |date=2013 |publisher=Bloomsburg Academic |isbn=978-1-4411-0231-7 |pages=85–86}}</ref><ref name="fenech273" />
 
Sanatan Sikhs led by [[Khem Singh Bedi]] – who claimed to be a direct descendant of Guru Nanak, Avtar Singh Vahiria and others supported a more inclusive approach which considered Sikhism as a reformed tradition of Hinduism, while Tat Khalsa campaigned for an exclusive approach to the Sikh identity, disagreeing with Sanatan Sikhs and seeking to modernize Sikhism.<ref name="fenech273" /><ref name="Oberoi1994" /><ref name="Mandair2013p82">{{cite book |first=Arvind-Pal Singh |last=Mandair |title=Sikhism: A Guide for the Perplexed|url= https://books.google.com/books?id=vdhLAQAAQBAJ&pg=PA82 |date=2013|publisher=Bloomsbury Academic |isbn=978-1-4411-0231-7|pages=82–90}}</ref> The Sikh Sabha movement expanded in north and northwest Indian subcontinent, leading to more than 100 Singh Sabhas.<ref name="fenech273" /><ref name="SinghFenech2014p28" /> By the early decades of the 20th century, the influence of Tat Khalsa increased in interpreting the nature of Sikhism and their control over the Sikh Gurdwaras.<ref name="fenech273" /><ref name="SinghFenech2014p28">{{cite book |first1=Pashaura |last1=Singh |first2=Louis E. |last2=Fenech |title=The Oxford Handbook of Sikh Studies|url= https://books.google.com/books?id=8I0NAwAAQBAJ&pg=PA28|date=2014|publisher=[[Oxford University Press]] |isbn=978-0-19-969930-8|pages=28–29, 73–76}}</ref><ref name="Oberoi1994" /> The Tat Khalsa banished Brahmanical practices including the use of the ''[[yajna|yagna]]'' fire,<ref>{{cite book |first=Gurnam Singh Sidhu |last=Brard |title=East of Indus: My Memories of Old Punjab |url= https://books.google.com/books?id=UUdYFH9skIkC&pg=PA291 |date=2007 |publisher=Hemkunt Press |isbn=978-81-7010-360-8 |pages=291–292}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |first1=Pashaura |last1=Singh |first2=Michael |last2=Hawley |title=Re-imagining South Asian Religions |url= https://books.google.com/books?id=4SLhLakpsNsC&pg=PA30 |date=2012 |publisher=Brill Academic |isbn=978-90-04-24236-4 |pages=30–31}}</ref> replaced by the ''[[Anand Karaj]]'' marriage ceremony in accordance with Sikh scripture, and the idols and the images of Sikh Gurus from the [[Golden Temple]] in 1905, traditions which had taken root during the administration of the ''[[Singh Sabha Movement#Colonial rule|mahants]]'' during the 1800s.<ref>{{cite book |first1=Pashaura |last1=Singh |first2=Louis E. |last2=Fenech |title=The Oxford Handbook of Sikh Studies|url= https://books.google.com/books?id=CzYeAwAAQBAJ&pg=PT542 |date=2014 |publisher=[[Oxford University Press]] |isbn=978-0-19-100412-4 |pages=542–543}}</ref> They undertook a sustained campaign to standardize how Sikh Gurdwaras looked and ran, while looking to Sikh scriptures and the early Sikh tradition<ref name="perplexed85">{{cite book |first=Arvind-Pal Singh |last=Mandair |title=Sikhism: A Guide for the Perplexed |url= https://books.google.com/books?id=vdhLAQAAQBAJ&pg=PA85 |date=2013 |publisher=Bloomsburg Academic |isbn=978-1-4411-0231-7 |page=85}}</ref> to purify the Sikh identity.<ref>{{cite book |first1=Pashaura |last1=Singh |first2=Louis E. |last2=Fenech |title=The Oxford Handbook of Sikh Studies |url= https://books.google.com/books?id=8I0NAwAAQBAJ&pg=PA28 |date=2014 |publisher=[[Oxford University Press]] |isbn=978-0-19-969930-8 |pages=329–330, 351–353}}</ref>
 
The spiritual successors of the Singh Sabha include the [[Akali movement]] of the 1920s, as well as the modern-day Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee ([[SGPC]]), a [[gurdwara]] administration body, and the [[Akali Dal]] political party.<ref name="SinghFenech2014p30">{{cite book |first1=Pashaura |last1=Singh |first2=Louis E. |last2=Fenech |title=The Oxford Handbook of Sikh Studies |url= https://books.google.com/books?id=8I0NAwAAQBAJ&pg=PA28 |date=2014 |publisher=[[Oxford University Press]] |isbn=978-0-19-969930-8 |page=30}}</ref>
 
====Partition of India====
Sikhs participated and contributed to the decades-long Indian independence movement from the colonial rule in the first half of the 20th century. Ultimately when the British Empire recognized independent India, the [[partition of India|land was partitioned]] into Hindu majority India and Muslim majority Pakistan (East and West) in 1947. This event, states Banga, was a watershed event in Sikh history.{{sfn|Banga|2017|pp=99–100}}<ref name="Shani2007p86">{{cite book |first=Giorgio |last=Shani |title=Sikh Nationalism and Identity in a Global Age |url= https://books.google.com/books?id=HKu66SixH6AC |date=2007 |publisher=[[Routledge]] |location=Abingdon-on-Thames, England |isbn=978-1-134-10189-4 |pages=86–93}}</ref> The Sikhs had historically lived in northwestern region of Indian subcontinent on both sides of the partition line ("[[Radcliffe Line]]"). According to Banga and other scholars, the Sikhs had strongly opposed the [[All-India Muslim League|Muslim League]] demands and saw it as "perpetuation of Muslim domination" and anti-Sikh policies in what just a hundred years before was a part of the Sikh Empire. As such, 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 largely thus [[opposition to the partition of India|strongly opposed 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, rival 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> During the discussions with the colonial authorities, Tara Singh emerged as an important leader who campaigned to prevent the partition of colonial India and for the recognition of Sikhs as the third community.{{sfn|Banga|2017|pp=99–100}}
 
When partition was announced, the newly created line divided the Sikh population into two halves. Along with the Hindus, the Sikhs suffered organized violence and riots against them in West Pakistan, and Sikhs moved en masse to the Indian side leaving behind their property and the sacred places of Sikhism.<ref name="Abid2014"/> This reprisals on Sikhs were not one sided, because as Sikhs entered the Indian side, the Muslims in East Punjab experienced reprisals and they moved to West Pakistan.{{sfn|Banga|2017|pp=99–100}}<ref name="Mann2014p81" /> Before the partition, Sikhs constituted about 15% of the population in West Punjab that became a part of Pakistan, the majority being Muslims (55%). The Sikhs were the economic elite and wealthiest in West Punjab, with them having the largest representation in West Punjab's aristocracy, nearly 700 Gurdwaras and 400 educational institutions that served the interests of the Sikhs.{{sfn|Banga|2017|pp=99–103}} Prior to the partition, there were a series of disputes between the majority Muslims and minority Sikhs, such as on the matters of [[jhatka]] versus [[halal]] meat, the disputed ownership of [[Shaheed Ganj Mosque|Gurdwara Sahidganj]] in Lahore which Muslims sought as a mosque and Sikhs as a Gurdwara, and the insistence of the provincial Muslim government in switching from Indian [[Gurmukhi]] script to Arabic-Persian [[Nastaliq]] script in schools.{{sfn|Banga|2017|pp=99–100}} During and after the [[Simla Conference]] in June 1945, headed by Lord Wavell, the Sikh leaders initially expressed their desire to be recognized as the third party, but ultimately relegated their demands and sought a United India where Sikhs, Hindus and Muslims would live together, under a Swiss style constitution. The Muslim League rejected this approach, demanding that entire Punjab should be granted to Pakistan.{{sfn|Banga|2017|pp=99–104}} The Sikh leaders then sought the partition instead, and Congress Working Committee passed a resolution in support of partitioning Punjab and Bengal.{{sfn|Banga|2017|pp=99–104}}<ref name="Mann2014p81">{{cite book |first=Michael |last=Mann |title=South Asia's Modern History: Thematic Perspectives |url= https://books.google.com/books?id=TBscBQAAQBAJ |date=2014 |publisher=[[Routledge]] |location=Abingdon-on-Thames, England |isbn=978-1-317-62446-2 |pages=81–83}}</ref>
[[File:Sikh Light Infantry.jpg|thumb|[[Sikh Light Infantry]] personnel march past during the [[Delhi Republic Day parade|Republic day parade]] in New Delhi, India]]
 
Between March and August 1947, a series of riots, arson, plunder of Sikh and property, assassination of Sikh leaders, and killings in Jhelum districts, Rawalpindi, Attock and other places made Tara Singh call the situation in Punjab as "civil war", while [[Lord Mountbatten]] stated "civil war preparations were going on".<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 fire-arms. (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 which 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> The riots had triggered the early waves of migration in April, with some 20,000 people leaving northwest Punjab and moving to Patiala.{{sfn|Banga|2017|pp=104–105}}<ref name="Shani2007p86" /> In Rawalpindi, 40,000 people became homeless. The Sikh leaders made desperate petitions, but all religious communities were suffering in the political turmoil. Sikhs, states Banga, were "only 4 million out of a total of 28&nbsp;million in Punjab, and 6&nbsp;million out of nearly 400&nbsp;million in India; they did not constitute the majority, not even in a single district".{{sfn|Banga|2017|pp=104–105}}<ref name="Wolpert2010p9">{{cite book |first=Stanley |last=Wolpert |title=India and Pakistan: Continued Conflict or Cooperation?|url= https://archive.org/details/indiapakistancon0000wolp |url-access=registration|date=2010|publisher=University of California Press |isbn=978-0-520-94800-6|pages=[https://archive.org/details/indiapakistancon0000wolp/page/n10 9]–12, 16–23}}</ref>
 
When the partition line was formally announced in August 1947, the violence was unprecedented, with Sikhs being one of the most affected religious community both in terms of deaths, as well as property loss, injury, trauma and disruption.{{sfn|Banga|2017|pp=108–111}}<ref name="Mann2014p81" /> Sikhs and Muslims were both victims and perpetrators of retaliatory violence against each other. Estimates range between 200,000 and 2&nbsp;million deaths of Sikhs, Hindus and Muslims.{{sfn|Banga|2017|pp=108–111}}<ref name="Mann2014p81" /> There were numerous rapes of and mass suicides by Sikh women, they being taken captives, their rescues and above all a mass exodus of Sikhs from newly created Pakistan into newly independent India. The partition created the "largest foot convoy of refugees recorded in [human] history, stretching over 100 kilometer long", states Banga, with nearly 300,000 people consisting of mostly "distraught, suffering, injured and angry Sikhs". Sikh and Hindu refugees from Pakistan flooded into India, Muslim refugees from India flooded into Pakistan, each into their new homeland.{{sfn|Banga|2017|pp=108–111}}<ref name="Wolpert2010p9" />
 
====Khalistan====
[[File:Thousands-Sikhs-protest-in-London.jpg|thumb|Sikhs in [[London]] protesting against the Indian government]]
In 1940, a few Sikhs such as the victims of [[Komagata Maru incident|Komagata Maru in Canada]] proposed the idea of Khalistan as a buffer state between an independent India and what would become Pakistan.{{sfn|Banga|2017|pp=99–103}} These leaders, however, were largely ignored.{{sfn|Banga|2017|pp=99–100}}<ref name="Shani2007p86" /> The early 1980s witnessed some Sikh groups seeking an independent nation named [[Khalistan]] carved out from India and Pakistan. The [[Golden Temple]] and Akal Takht were occupied by various militant groups in 1982. These included the [[Dharam Yudh Morcha]] led by [[Jarnail Singh Bhindranwale]], the Babbar Khalsa, the AISSF and the National Council of Khalistan.<ref name="Chima2008p85" /> Between 1982 and 1983, there were [[Anandpur Resolution]] demand-related terrorist attacks against civilians in parts of India.<ref name=horowitz482/> By late 1983, the Bhindranwale led group had begun to build bunkers and observations posts in and around the [[Golden Temple]], with militants involved in weapons training.<ref name="Chima2008p85" /> In June 1984, the then [[Prime Minister of India]] [[Indira Gandhi]] ordered Indian Army to begin [[Operation Blue Star]] against the militants.<ref name="Chima2008p85">{{cite book |first=Jugdep S. |last=Chima |title=The Sikh Separatist Insurgency in India: Political Leadership and Ethnonationalist Movements|url= https://books.google.com/books?id=qJaHAwAAQBAJ&pg=PA85|date=2008|publisher=SAGE Publications |isbn=978-81-321-0538-1|pages=85–95}}</ref> The fierce engagement took place in the precincts of Darbar Sahib and resulted in many deaths, including Bhindranwale, the destruction of the Sikh Reference Library, which was considered a national treasure that contained over a thousand rare manuscripts,<ref name="mann 114">{{cite book |first=Michael |last=Mann |title=South Asia's Modern History: Thematic Perspectives |url= https://books.google.com/books?id=TBscBQAAQBAJ |date=2014 |publisher=[[Routledge]] |location=Abingdon-on-Thames, England |isbn=978-1-317-62446-2 |page=114}}</ref> and destroyed Akal Takht. Numerous soldiers, civilians and militants died in the cross fire. Within days of the Operation Bluestar, some 2,000 Sikh soldiers in India mutinied and attempted to reach Amritsar to liberate the [[Golden Temple]].<ref name="Chima2008p85" /> Within six months, on 31 October 1984, Indira Gandhi's Sikh bodyguards [[Satwant Singh|Satwant]] and [[Beant Singh (assassin)|Beant Singh]] [[Assassination of Indira Gandhi|assassinated her]]. The assassination triggered the [[1984 anti-Sikh riots]].<ref name=horowitz482>{{cite book |last=Horowitz|first=Donald L.|date=2003|title=The Deadly Ethnic Riot|publisher=University of California Press |isbn=978-0-520-23642-4|pages=[https://archive.org/details/deadlyethnicriot00horo/page/482 482–485]|url= https://archive.org/details/deadlyethnicriot00horo/page/482}}</ref> According to Donald Horowitz, while anti-Sikh riots led to much damage and deaths, many serious provocations by militants also failed to trigger ethnic violence in many cases throughout the 1980s. The Sikhs and their neighbors, for most part, ignored attempts to provoke riots and communal strife.<ref name=horowitz482/>
 
==Sikh people==
{{Main|Sikh}}
{|class="sortable wikitable floatright"
|+ Sikhs in India<ref name=census2011sikhs/>
! State/UT !! Percentage
|-
|-
|Punjab||58%
|'''4'''
|Guru Ram Das Ji
|24 September 1534
|1 September 1574
|1 September 1581
|46
|Baba Hari Das
|Mata Daya Vati
|-
|-
|Chandigarh||13.1%
|'''5'''
|Guru Arjan Dev Ji
|15 April 1563
|1 September 1581
|30 May 1606
|43
|Rām Dās
|Mata Bhani
|-
|-
|Haryana||4.9%
|'''6'''
|Guru Har Gobind Sahib Ji
|19 June 1595
|25 May 1606
|28 February 1644
|48
|Arjun Dēv
|Mata Ganga
|-
|-
|Delhi||3.4%
|'''7'''
|Guru Har Rai Ji
|16 January 1630
|3 March 1644
|6 October 1661
|31
|Baba Gurditta
|Mata Nihal
|-
|-
|Uttarakhand||2.3%
|'''8'''
|Guru Har Krishan Ji
|7 July 1656
|6 October 1661
|30 March 1664
|7
|Hari Rā'i
|Mata Krishan
|-
|-
|Jammu and Kashmir||1.9%
|'''9'''
|Guru Tegh Bahadur Ji
|1 April 1621
|20 March 1665
|11 November 1675
|54
|Hari Gōbind
|Mata Nanki
|-
|-
|Rajasthan||1.3%
|'''10'''
|Guru Gobind Singh Ji
|22 December 1666
|11 November 1675
|7 October 1708
|41
|Tēġ Bahādur
|Mata Gujri
|-
|-
|Himachal Pradesh||1.2%
|'''11'''
|Guru Granth Sahib Ji
|n/a
|7 October 1708
|n/a
|n/a
| –
| –
|}
|}
Estimates state that Sikhism has some 25-30&nbsp;million followers worldwide.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-birmingham-50374567|title = Sikhs in Wolverhampton celebrate 550 years of Guru Nanak|work = BBC News|date = 12 November 2019}}</ref> According to Pew Research, a religion demographics and research group in Washington DC, "more than nine-in-ten Sikhs are in India, but there are also sizable Sikh communities in the United States, the United Kingdom and Canada."<ref>[http://www.pewforum.org/2012/12/18/global-religious-landscape-other/ The Global Religious Landscape: Other Religions], Pew Research Center, Washington DC.</ref> Within India, the Sikh population is found in every state and union territory, but it is predominantly found in the northwestern and northern states. Only in the state of Punjab do Sikhs constitute a majority (58% of the total, per 2011 census).<ref name=census2011sikhs/> The states and union territories of India where Sikhs constitute more than 1.5% of its population are Punjab, Chandigarh, Haryana, Delhi, Uttarakhand and Jammu & Kashmir.<ref name=census2011sikhs>[http://www.censusindia.gov.in/2011census/Religion_PCA.html Religion demographics: 2011 Census], Office of the Registrar General & Census Commissioner, Ministry of Home Affairs, Government of India</ref> Forming 4.7% of the total population, the western Canadian province of [[British Columbia]] is home to over 200,000 Sikhs and is the only province (or similar major subnational division) in the world outside India with Sikhism as the second most followed religion among the population.<ref>{{cite web |title=B.C. breaks records when it comes to religion and the lack thereof|url= https://vancouversun.com/news/staff-blogs/b-c-breaks-records-when-it-comes-to-religion-and-the-lack-thereof}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url= https://www12.statcan.gc.ca/nhs-enm/2011/dp-pd/prof/details/page.cfm?Lang=E&Geo1=PR&Code1=59&Data=Count&SearchText=british%20columbia&SearchType=Begins&SearchPR=01&A1=Religion&B1=All&Custom=&amp;TABID=1|title=NHS Profile, British Columbia, 2011|date=8 May 2013|publisher=Statistics Canada |access-date=8 September 2019}}</ref>
=== 5 Ks ===
 
Khalsa is the military community of Sikhism. A Sikh must follow the 5 Ks:
Sikhism was founded in northwestern region of the Indian subcontinent in what is now Pakistan. Some of the Gurus were born near [[Lahore]] and in other parts of Pakistan. Prior to 1947, in British India, millions of Sikhs lived in what later became Pakistan. During the partition, Sikhs and Hindus left the newly created Muslim-majority Pakistan and mostly moved to Hindu-majority India — with some moving to Muslim-majority [[Afghanistan]]<ref>{{cite web |title=Explainer: Who are the Afghan Sikhs? |work=The Conversation |date=20 August 2014|url= https://theconversation.com/explainer-who-are-the-afghan-sikhs-30699}}</ref>) — while numerous Muslims in India moved to Pakistan.<ref>{{cite book |first1=L. A. |last1=Kosinski |first2=K. M. |last2=Elahi |title=Population Redistribution and Development in South Asia |url= https://books.google.com/books?id=tGiSBAAAQBAJ&pg=PA186 |date=2012 |publisher=Springer |isbn=978-94-009-5309-3 |pages=186–203}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |first1=Nigel |last1=Eltringham |first2=Pam |last2=Maclean |title=Remembering Genocide |url= https://books.google.com/books?id=6OfpAwAAQBAJ&pg=PT30 |date=2014 |publisher=[[Taylor & Francis]] |location=Abingdon-on-Thames, England |isbn=978-1-317-75421-3 |pages=30–32}}</ref> According to 2017 news reports, only about 20,000 Sikhs remain in Pakistan, and their population is dwindling ({{nowrap|0.01%}} of the country's estimated 200&nbsp;million population).<ref>[https://www.dawn.com/news/1176521 Pakistan's dwindling Sikh community wants improved security], ''The Dawn'', Pakistan (17 April 2017)</ref><ref>[https://www.dawn.com/news/1321294 Pakistan's Sikh community disappointed at being 'left out' of national census], Ali Akbar, ''The Dawn'' (March 2017)</ref>
 
===Sikh sects===
{{main|Sects of Sikhism}}
Sikh sects are sub-traditions within Sikhism that believe in an alternate lineage of gurus, or have a different interpretation of the Sikh scriptures, or believe in following a living guru, or hold other concepts that differ from the orthodox Khalsa Sikhs.<ref name="Syan2014p170">{{cite book |first=Hardip Singh |last=Syan |editor1-first=Pashaura |editor1-last=Singh |editor2-first=Louis E. |editor2-last=Fenech |title=The Oxford Handbook of Sikh Studies |url= https://books.google.com/books?id=8I0NAwAAQBAJ |date=2014 |publisher=[[Oxford University Press]] |isbn=978-0-19-969930-8|pages=170–180}}</ref><ref name="Takhar2014p350" /> The major historic sects of Sikhism have included Udasi, Nirmala, Nanakpanthi, Khalsa, Sahajdhari, Namdhari Kuka, Nirankari, and Sarvaria.<ref name="Oberoi1994p24">{{cite book |first=Harjot |last=Oberoi |title=The Construction of Religious Boundaries: Culture, Identity, and Diversity in the Sikh Tradition |url= https://books.google.com/books?id=1NKC9g2ayJEC&pg=PA78 |date=1994 |publisher=[[University of Chicago Press]] |isbn=978-0-226-61592-9 |pages=24–25}}</ref>
 
[[File:Ustad Baljit Singh Luxmi Namdhari and Fateh Singh.jpg|left|thumb|Namdhari Sikhs, also called the ''Kuka'' Sikhs are a sect of Sikhism known for their crisp white dress and horizontal ''pagari'' (turban).<ref name=britsikhssects>[https://www.britannica.com/topic/Sikhism/Sects-and-other-groups "Sects and other groups: Sikhism"], ''[[Encyclopaedia Britannica]] Online''.</ref><ref name="HaarKalsi2009p10">{{cite book |first1=Kristen |last1=Haar |first2=Sewa Singh |last2=Kalsi |title=Sikhism |url= https://books.google.com/books?id=YOI1nB_zTyAC |date=2009 |publisher=Infobase |isbn=978-1-4381-0647-2 |pages=10–11}}</ref> Above: Namdhari singer and musicians.]]
The early Sikh sects were [[Udasi]]s and [[Mina (Sikhism)|Minas]] founded by [[Sri Chand]] – the elder son of [[Guru Nanak]], and [[Mina (Sikhism)|Prithi Chand]] – the elder son of [[Guru Ram Das]] respectively, in parallel to the official succession of the Sikh Gurus. Later on [[Ramraiya]] sect grew in [[Dehradun]] with the patronage of Aurangzeb.<ref name="FenechMcLeod2014p260" /> Many splintered Sikh communities formed during the [[Mughal Empire]] era. Some of these sects were financially and administratively supported by the Mughal rulers in the hopes of gaining a more favorable and compliant citizenry.<ref name="Takhar2014p350">{{cite book |first1=Opinderjit Kaur |last1=Takhar |editor1-first=Pashaura |editor1-last=Singh |editor2-first=Louis E. |editor2-last=Fenech |title=The Oxford Handbook of Sikh Studies |url= https://books.google.com/books?id=8I0NAwAAQBAJ |date=2014|publisher=[[Oxford University Press]] |isbn=978-0-19-969930-8|pages=350–359}}</ref><ref name="FenechMcLeod2014p260">{{cite book |first1=Louis E. |last1=Fenech |first2=W. H. |last2=McLeod |title=Historical Dictionary of Sikhism|url= https://books.google.com/books?id=xajcAwAAQBAJ&pg=PA260|date=2014|publisher=[[Rowman & Littlefield]] |location=Lanham, Maryland |isbn=978-1-4422-3601-1|pages=260–261}}</ref>
 
After the collapse of Mughal Empire, and particularly during the rule of Ranjit Singh, Udasi Sikhs protected Sikh shrines, preserved the Sikh scripture and rebuilt those that were desecrated or destroyed during the Muslim–Sikh wars. However, Udasi Sikhs kept idols and images inside these Sikh temples.<ref name="Oberoi1994p78" /><ref name="Fenech2014p375">{{cite book |first1=Pashaura |last1=Singh |first2=Louis E. |last2=Fenech |title=The Oxford Handbook of Sikh Studies|url= https://books.google.com/books?id=8I0NAwAAQBAJ |date=2014|publisher=[[Oxford University Press]] |isbn=978-0-19-969930-8|pages=375–377}}</ref> In the 19th century, [[Namdhari]]s and [[Nirankari]]s sects were formed in Sikhism, seeking to reform and return to what each believed was the pure form of Sikhism.<ref name="fenech273">{{cite book |first1=Louis E. |last1=Fenech |first2=W. H. |last2=McLeod |title=Historical Dictionary of Sikhism|url= https://books.google.com/books?id=xajcAwAAQBAJ&pg=PA273|date=2014|publisher=[[Rowman & Littlefield]] |location=Lanham, Maryland |isbn=978-1-4422-3601-1|pages=151, 273}}</ref><ref name="SinghFenech2014p28" /><ref name="Mandair 2013 85–86"/>
 
All these sects differ from Khalsa orthodox Sikhs in their beliefs and practices, such as continuing to solemnize their weddings around fire and being strictly vegetarian.<ref name=britsikhssects/><ref name="HaarKalsi2009p10" /> Many accept the concept of living Gurus such as Guru [[Baba Dyal Singh]]. The Nirankari sect, though unorthodox, was influential in shaping the views of Tat Khalsa and the contemporary-era Sikh beliefs and practices.<ref name=britsikhsects>[https://www.britannica.com/topic/Sikhism/Sects-and-other-groups "Sects in Sikhism"], [[Encyclopædia Britannica]] Online |access-date=7 August 2018}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |page=141 |title=The Culture of India |first=Kathleen |last=Kuiper |publisher=Rosen}}</ref> Another significant Sikh sect of the 19th century was the Radhasoami movement in Punjab led by Baba Shiv Dyal.<ref name="HaarKalsi2009p9">{{cite book |first1=Kristen |last1=Haar |first2=Sewa Singh |last2=Kalsi |title=Sikhism |url= https://books.google.com/books?id=YOI1nB_zTyAC&pg=PA9 |date=2009 |publisher=Infobase |isbn=978-1-4381-0647-2 |pages=9–14}}</ref> Other contemporary era Sikhs sects include the [[Crypto-Hinduism|quasi Hindu]] [[3HO]], formed in 1971, which exists outside India, particularly in North America and Europe.<ref name="HaarKalsi2009p9" /><ref name=verne560>{{cite book |first=Verne |last=Dusenbery |editor1-first=Pashaura |editor1-last=Singh |editor2-first=Louis E. |editor2-last=Fenech |title=The Oxford Handbook of Sikh Studies |url= https://books.google.com/books?id=8I0NAwAAQBAJ |date=2014 |publisher=[[Oxford University Press]] |isbn=978-0-19-969930-8 |pages=560–570}}</ref><ref>{{cite journal |last=Mooney |first=Nicola |title=Reading Weber Among the Sikhs: Asceticism and Capitalism in the 3HO/Sikh Dharma |journal=Sikh Formations |volume=8 |issue=3 |date=2012 |issn=1744-8727 |doi=10.1080/17448727.2012.745305 |pages=417–436 |s2cid=145775040}}</ref>
 
===Sikh castes===
[[File:Nagar Kirtan.jpg|thumb|[[Nagar Kirtan]] in [[Bangalore]]]]
According to Surinder Jodhka, the state of Punjab with a Sikh majority has the "largest proportion of [[Dalit|scheduled caste]] population in India". Although decried by Sikhism, Sikhs have practiced a caste system. The system, along with untouchability, has been more common in rural parts of Punjab. The landowning dominant Sikh castes, states Jodhka, "have not shed all their prejudices against the lower castes or [[dalits]]; while dalits would be allowed entry into the village gurdwaras they would not be permitted to cook or serve langar." The Sikh dalits of Punjab have tried to build their own gurdwara, other local level institutions and sought better material circumstances and dignity. According to Jodhka, due to economic mobility in contemporary Punjab, castes no longer mean an inherited occupation, nor are work relations tied to a single location.<ref>{{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|pages=1813–1823|jstor=4412102}}</ref>
In 1953, the government of India acceded to the demands of the Sikh leader, [[Tara Singh (activist)|Master Tara Singh]], to include Sikh Dalit castes in the list of scheduled castes.<ref name="Harish K. Puri 2004">{{cite book |title=Dalits in Regional Context |first=Harish K. |last=Puri |isbn=978-81-7033-871-0|date=2004}}</ref> In the [[Shiromani Gurdwara Prabandhak Committee]], 20 of the 140 seats are reserved for low-caste Sikhs.<ref name="Harish K. Puri 2004" />
 
Over 60% of Sikhs belong to the [[Jat Sikh|Jat]] caste, which is an agrarian caste. Despite being very small in numbers, the mercantile [[Khatri]] and [[Arora]] castes wield considerable influence within the Sikh community. Other common Sikh castes include [[Saini]]s, [[Ramgarhia]]s (artisans), [[Ahluwalia (caste)|Ahluwalias]] (formerly brewers), [[Rai Sikh|Rai sikh]] (Raa), [[Kamboj]]s (rural caste), [[Labana]]s, [[Kumhar]]s and the two Dalit castes, known in Sikh terminology as the [[Mazhabi]]s (the Chuhras) and the [[Ravidasia]]s (the Chamars).<ref>{{cite encyclopedia |title=Sikhism (religion)|url= http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/543916/Sikhism/253170/The-rejection-of-caste |encyclopedia=[[Encyclopædia Britannica]] Online |access-date=25 November 2014}}</ref>
 
===Sikh diaspora===
{{Further|Sikhism in India|Sikh diaspora|Sikhism by country}}
[[File:Sikhs on the move!.jpg|thumb|Sikhs celebrating [[Vaisakhi]] in [[Toronto]], [[Ontario]], Canada]]
Sikhism is [[Major religious groups#Religious demographics|the fourth-largest amongst the medium-sized world religions]], and one of the youngest.<ref name="Partridge2013">{{cite book |first=Christopher |last=Partridge |title=Introduction to World Religions|url= https://books.google.com/books?id=Z3AjAwAAQBAJ&pg=PA429|date=1 November 2013|publisher=Fortress Press |isbn=978-0-8006-9970-3|pages=429–}}</ref><ref name="McDowellBrown2009">{{cite book |first1=Michael |last1=McDowell |first2=Nathan Robert |last2=Brown |title=World Religions at Your Fingertips |url= https://books.google.com/books?id=K0_dHrRY3gIC&pg=PA232 |date=2009 |publisher=Alpha Books |isbn=978-1-59257-846-7 |page=232}}</ref><ref name="Teece2005">{{cite book |first=Geoff |last=Teece |title=Sikhism |url= https://books.google.com/books?id=kJO1WIABhPQC&pg=PA4|date=2005 |publisher=Black Rabbit Books |isbn=978-1-58340-469-0 |pages=4–}}</ref> Worldwide, there are 30&nbsp;million Sikhs, which makes up 0.4% of the world's population. Approximately 75% of Sikhs live in [[Punjab, India|Punjab]], where they constitute over 58% of the state's population. Large communities of Sikhs migrate to the neighboring states such as Indian State of Haryana which is home to the second largest Sikh population in India with 1.1&nbsp;million Sikhs as per 2001 census, and large immigrant communities of Sikhs can be found across India. However, Sikhs only comprise about 2% of the Indian population.<ref name="Singh Kalsi 2007 12">{{cite book |title=Sikhism |last=Singh Kalsi |first=Sewa |date=2007 |publisher=Bravo Ltd |location=London |isbn=978-1-85733-436-4 |page=12}}</ref>
 
Sikh migration to Canada began in the 19th century and led to the creation of significant Sikh communities, predominantly in South [[Vancouver]] and [[Surrey, British Columbia]], and [[Brampton, Ontario]]. Today temples, newspapers, radio stations, and markets cater to these large, multi-generational [[Indo-Canadians|Indo-Canadian]] groups. Sikh festivals such as Vaisakhi and [[Bandi Chhor Divas|Bandi Chhor]] are celebrated in those Canadian cities by the largest groups of followers in the world outside the Punjab.
 
Sikhs also migrated to East Africa, West Africa, the Middle East, Southeast Asia, the United Kingdom, the United States, and Australia. These communities developed as Sikhs migrated out of Punjab to fill in gaps in imperial labour markets.<ref>{{cite book |last=Ballantyne|first=Tony|date=2006|title=Between Colonialism and Diaspora: Sikh Cultural Formations in an Imperial World|publisher=Duke University Press |isbn=978-0-8223-3824-6|pages=69–74}}</ref> In the early twentieth century a significant community began to take shape on the west coast of the United States. Smaller populations of Sikhs are found within many countries in Western Europe, Pakistan, Mauritius, Malaysia, Philippines, Fiji, Nepal, China, Afghanistan, Iran, Singapore, United States, and many other countries.
 
==Prohibitions in Sikhism==
{{further|Prohibitions in Sikhism|Diet in Sikhism}}
These prohibitions are strictly followed by initiated [[Khalsa]] Sikhs who have undergone baptism. While the Sikh gurus did not enforce religion and did not believe in forcing people to follow any particular religion in general, the Sikh community does encourage all people to become better individuals by following the Guru's Way ([[Gurmat|Gur-mat]]), as opposed to living life without the Guru's code of disciple (Man-mat):
 
4 major transgressions:<ref>Sikh Rehat Maryada: [https://old.sgpc.net/rehat_maryada/section_four.html Section Four, Chapter X, Article XVI, i.]; [https://old.sgpc.net/rehat_maryada/section_six.html Section Six, Chapter XIII, Article XXIV, p. 1.-4.]</ref>
* Hair removal – [[Hair]] [[cutting]], trimming, removing, [[shaving]], [[Plucking (hair removal)|plucking]], [[Threading (epilation)|threading]], [[Dyeing hair|dyeing]], or any other alteration from any body part is strictly forbidden.<ref>Sikh Rehat Maryada: [https://old.sgpc.net/rehat_maryada/section_four.html Section Four, Chapter X, Article XVI, i.]; [https://old.sgpc.net/rehat_maryada/section_six.html Section Six, Chapter XIII, Article XXIV, p. 1. & q. 3.]</ref>
* Eating [[Kutha meat|Kutha]] meat.<ref>[https://old.sgpc.net/rehat_maryada/section_six.html Sikh Rehat Maryada: Section Six, Chapter XIII, Article XXIV, p. 2.]</ref> This is the absolute minimum required by all [[Khalsa|initiated Sikhs]]. Many Sikhs refrain from eating [[non-vegetarian]] food, and believe all should follow this diet. This is due to various social, cultural, political, and familial aspects. As such, there has always been major disagreement among Sikhs over the issue of eating [[non-vegetarian]] food. Sikhs following the rahit (code of conduct) of the [[Damdami Taksal]] & [[Akhand Kirtani Jatha|AKJ]] also subscribe to this view. The [[Nihang|Akali Nihangs]] have traditionally eaten meat and are famous for performing [[Jhatka]].<ref>{{cite web |quote=A Nihang carries out 'Chatka' on a 'Chatanga' (a specially selected goat for sacrifice) |title=The Multifarious Faces of Sikhism throughout Sikh History |url=http://www.sarbloh.info/htmls/article_samparda_kartar17.html |website=sarbloh.info |access-date=2010-08-18 |archive-date=2011-07-18 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110718132057/http://www.sarbloh.info/htmls/article_samparda_kartar17.html |url-status=live }}</ref><ref name="Mahaprashad">''"The most special occasion of the Chhauni is the festival of Diwali which is celebrated for ten days. This is the only Sikh shrine at Amritsar where Maha Prasad (meat) is served on special occasions in Langar"'', The Sikh review, Volume 35, Issue 409 – Volume 36, Issue 420, Sikh Cultural Centre., 1988</ref><ref name="Sikh Goat Sacrifice">''"The tradition traces back to the time of Sri Guru Hargobind Sahib Ji who started the tradition of hunting for Sikhs ... The tradition of ritually sacrificing goats and consuming Mahaparshad remains alive not only with the Nihang Singh Dals, but also at Sachkhand Sri Hazoor Sahib and Sachkhand Sri Patna Sahib (two of the Sikhs holiest shrines)."'' [http://www.nihangsingh.org/website/trad-jhatka.html Panth Akali Budha Dal] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100523054532/http://www.nihangsingh.org/website/trad-jhatka.html |date=2010-05-23 }}</ref><ref name="Sikh Goat Sacrifice2">''"Another noteworthy practice performed here is that a goat is sacrificed on Dussehra night every year. This ceremony was performed on Diwali day this year (Oct 28, 2008). The fresh blood of the sacrificed goat is used for tilak on the Guru's weapons."'', SIGNIFICANT DEVELOPMENTS OF THE SIKH COMMUNITY, Dr Madanjit Kaur, Institute of Sikh Studies [http://sikhinstitute.org/apr_2009/10-madakaur.html Institute of Sikh Studies, Madan Kaur] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100612142006/http://sikhinstitute.org/apr_2009/10-madakaur.html |date=2010-06-12 }}</ref> Thus, there is a wide range of views that exist on the issue of a proper "Sikh diet" in the [[Panth]]. Nonetheless, all Sikhs agree with the minimum consensus that meat slaughtered via the Muslim ([[Halal]]) or Jewish ([[Shechita]]) methods is strictly against Sikh dogma and principles.<ref>"Sikhism, A Complete Introduction" by Dr. H.S. Singha & Satwant Kaur Hemkunt, Hemkunt Press, New Delhi, 1994, {{ISBN|81-7010-245-6}}</ref><ref>"Sikh Identity: An Exploration of Groups Among Sikhs" by Opinderjit Kaur Takhar, pg. 51, Ashgate Publishing, Ltd, 2005, {{ISBN|0-7546-5202-5}}</ref> The [[Akal Takht]] represents the final authority on controversial issues concerning the Sikh [[Panth]] (community or collective). The [[Hukamnama]] (edict or clarification), issued by [[Akal Takht]] [[Jathedar]] [[Jathedar Sadhu Singh Bhaura|Sadhu Singh Bhaura]] dated February 15, 1980, states that eating meat does not go against the code of conduct of the Sikhs. [[Khalsa|Amritdhari]] Sikhs can eat meat as long as it is [[Jhatka]] meat.<ref name="Singh 2001 89">{{cite book|last=Singh|first=Dharam|title=Perspectives on Sikhism: Papers Presented at the International Seminar on Sikhism: a Religion for the Third Millennium Held at Punjabi University, Patiala on 27-29 March 2000|year=2001|publisher=Publication Bureau, Punjabi University|isbn=9788173807367|page=89}}</ref>
* [[Adultery]]: Cohabiting with a person other than one's spouse (sexual relations with anyone who you are not married to).<ref>[https://old.sgpc.net/rehat_maryada/section_six.html Sikh Rehat Maryada: Section Six, Chapter XIII, Article XXIV, p. 3.]</ref><ref>{{cite book |last=Jakobsh |first=Doris R. |title=Relocating Gender in Sikh History: Transformation, Meaning and Identity |location=New Delhi |publisher=[[Oxford University Press]] |date=2003 |pages=39–40}}</ref><ref>Jakobsh, Doris R. 2003. ''Relocating Gender In Sikh History: Transformation, Meaning and Identity''. New Delhi: Oxford University Press. pp. 39–40</ref><ref>{{Cite book |last=McLeod |first=W. H. |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=vgixwfeCyDAC&pg=PA119 |title=The A to Z of Sikhism |date=2009-07-24 |publisher=Scarecrow Press |isbn=978-0-8108-6344-6 |pages=119 |language=en |author-link=W. H. McLeod}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book |last1=Fenech |first1=Louis E. |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=xajcAwAAQBAJ&pg=PA214 |title=Historical Dictionary of Sikhism |last2=McLeod |first2=W. H. |date=2014-06-11 |publisher=Rowman & Littlefield |isbn=978-1-4422-3601-1 |pages=214 |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book |last=Grewal |first=J. S. |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=YDLNDwAAQBAJ&pg=PT95 |title=Guru Gobind Singh (1666–1708): Master of the White Hawk |date=2019-07-25 |publisher=Oxford University Press |isbn=978-0-19-099038-1 |pages=95 |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book |last=Beckerlegge |first=Gwilym |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=pgmNpPoYabwC&pg=PA456 |title=World Religions Reader |date=2001 |publisher=Routledge |isbn=978-0-415-24748-1 |pages=456 |language=en}}</ref>
* [[Intoxications|Intoxication]] – A Sikh must not take [[hemp]] ([[cannabis]]), [[opium]], [[liquor]], [[tobacco]], in short, any [[intoxicant]].<ref>Sikh Rehat Maryada: [https://old.sgpc.net/rehat_maryada/section_four.html Section Four, Chapter X, Article XVI, j.]</ref> Consumption of [[tobacco]] and [[intoxicants]] ([[hemp]], [[opium]], [[liquor]], [[Narcotic|narcotics]], [[cocaine]], etc.) is not allowed.<ref>Sikh Rehat Maryada: [https://old.sgpc.net/rehat_maryada/section_six.html Section Six, Chapter XIII, Article XXIV, p. 4. & q. 1., q. 5.]</ref>{{sfn|Macauliffe|1909|p=[[s:Page:The Sikh Religion, its gurus, sacred writings and authors Vol 1.djvu/27|xxi]]}} [[Cannabis and Sikhism|Cannabis is generally prohibited]], but ritually consumed in edible form by some Sikhs.<ref name="SinghFenech2014">{{cite book |first1=Pashaura |last1=Singh |first2=Louis E. |last2=Fenech |title=The Oxford Handbook of Sikh Studies |url= https://books.google.com/books?id=8I0NAwAAQBAJ&pg=PA378 |date=March 2014 |publisher=[[Oxford University Press]] |isbn=978-0-19-969930-8|pages=378–}}</ref><ref name="SinghHawley2012">{{cite book |first1=Pashaura |last1=Singh |first2=Michael |last2=Hawley |title=Re-imagining South Asian Religions: Essays in Honour of Professors Harold G. Coward and Ronald W. Neufeldt |url= https://books.google.com/books?id=4SLhLakpsNsC&pg=PA34 |date=7 December 2012 |publisher=Brill Academic |isbn=978-90-04-24236-4|pages=34–}}</ref> Some Sikh groups, like the [[Damdami Taksal]], are even opposed to drinking [[caffeine]] in [[Tea|Indian tea]]. Indian tea is almost always served in Sikh [[Gurdwara|Gurudwaras]] around the world. Some [[Nihang|Akali Nihang]] groups consume [[Cannabis (drug)|cannabis-containing]] shaheedi degh ({{lang|pa|ਭੰਗ}}), purportedly to help in [[meditation]].<ref>{{cite book
  | last = Richard Beck
  | first =  David Worden
  | title = Gcse Religious Studies for Aqa
  | year = 2002
  |page= 64
  | isbn = 0-435-30692-8}}</ref><ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20110811031946/http://articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/2003-03-19/chandigarh/27281595_1_bhang-united-colours-procession Hola Mohalla: United colours of celebrations],</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.telegraphindia.com/1040103/asp/opinion/story_2735311.asp |title=Mad About Words |publisher=Telegraphindia.com |date=2004-01-03 |access-date=2014-01-04}}</ref>''Sūkha parshaad'' ({{lang|pa|ਸੁੱਖਾ ਪ੍ਰਰਸਾਦ}}), "Dry-sweet", is the term [[Nihang|Akali Nihangs]] use to refer to it. It was traditionally crushed and consumed as a liquid, especially during festivals like [[Hola Mohalla]]. It is never smoked, as this practice is forbidden in Sikhism.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://philtar.ucsm.ac.uk/encyclopedia/sikhism/akalis.html |title=UCSM.ac.uk |publisher=Philtar.ucsm.ac.uk |access-date=2014-01-04 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101016012718/http://philtar.ucsm.ac.uk/encyclopedia/sikhism/akalis.html |archive-date=2010-10-16 }}</ref> In 2001, [[Jathedar Santa Singh]], the leader of [[Budha Dal]], along with 20 chiefs of [[Nihang]] sects, refused to accept the ban on consumption of '' shaheedi degh'' by the apex Sikh clergy of [[Akal Takht]] - in order to preserve their traditional practices.<ref>[http://www.tribuneindia.com/2001/20010326/punjab1.htm#3 Nihangs 'not to accept' ban on shaheedi degh]. [[The Tribune (Chandigarh)|The Tribune]]. March 26, 2001.</ref> According to a recent BBC article, "Traditionally they also drank shaheedi degh, an infusion of cannabis, to become closer with God".<ref>{{cite web|last=Hegarty |first=Stephanie |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-15480741 |title=BBC News - The only living master of a dying martial art |publisher=Bbc.co.uk |date=2011-10-29 |access-date=2014-01-04}}</ref> Baba Santa Singh was excommunicated and replaced with Baba Balbir Singh, who agreed to shun the consumption of ''bhang''.<ref>[http://www.tribuneindia.com/2001/20010310/main7.htm#2 No 'bhang' at Hola Mohalla]. [[The Tribune (Chandigarh)|The Tribune]]. March 10, 2001.</ref>
 
Other mentioned practices to be avoided, as per the Sikh Rehat Maryada:
* Piercing of the nose or ears for wearing ornaments is forbidden for Sikh men and women.<ref>Sikh Rehat Maryada: [https://old.sgpc.net/rehat_maryada/section_four.html Section Four, Chapter X, Article XVI, k.]</ref>
* Female infanticide: A Sikh should not kill his daughter; nor should he maintain any relationship with a killer of daughter.<ref>Sikh Rehat Maryada: [https://old.sgpc.net/rehat_maryada/section_four.html Section Four, Chapter X, Article XVI, l.]</ref>
* A Sikh shall not [[Theft|steal]], form dubious associations or engage in [[gambling]].<ref>Sikh Rehat Maryada: [https://old.sgpc.net/rehat_maryada/section_four.html Section Four, Chapter X, Article XVI, o.]</ref>
* It is not proper for a Sikh [[woman]] to wear [[veil]] or keep her [[face]] hidden by [[veil]] or cover.<ref>Sikh Rehat Maryada: [https://old.sgpc.net/rehat_maryada/section_four.html Section Four, Chapter X, Article XVI, s.]</ref>
* Sikhs cannot wear any token of any other faith. Sikhs must not have their head bare or wear [[cap]]s. They also cannot wear any [[Ornament (art)|ornament]]s piercing through any part of the body.<ref>Sikh Rehat Maryada: [https://old.sgpc.net/rehat_maryada/section_four.html Section Four, Chapter X, Article XVI, i.]; [https://old.sgpc.net/rehat_maryada/section_six.html Section Six, Chapter XIII, Article XXIV, d.]</ref>
* Hereditary priest – Sikhism does not have priests, as they were abolished by Guru Gobind Singh (the 10th Guru of Sikhism).<ref name=autogenerated2>{{cite web |url= http://www.sikhs.org/summary.htm |title=Sikhism Religion of the Sikh People |publisher=sikhs.org}}</ref> The only position he left was a [[Granthi]] to look after the Guru Granth Sahib; any Sikh is free to become Granthi or read from the Guru Granth Sahib.<ref name=autogenerated2 />
 
==See also==
<!-- Please add related topics to the Outline of Sikhism and Index of Sikhism-related articles -->
{{div col |colwidth=22em}}
* [[Bebe Nanaki]]
* [[Mai Bhago]]
* [[Five Virtues]]
* [[Hari Singh Nalwa]]
* [[Indian religions]]
* [[Turban training centre]]
* [[Women in the Guru Granth Sahib]]
{{div col end}}


==Notes==
# Having unshorn/uncut hair. This is called a Kesh. Whether male or female, a person is required to keep their Kesh covered. People usually cover their Kesh with a [[turban]], or a [[scarf]] (Chunni).
{{reflist|group=lower-roman}}
# A wooden [[comb]] in their hair. This is called a Kanga. This symbolizes cleanliness which is an important part of Sikhism.
# A [[steel]] bangle. This is for protection and physical reminder that a one is bound to the Guru. This is called a Kara. This is to show that God has no beginning and no end.
# [[Cotton]] [[underwear]] that has to be always worn. This is called a Kachera. It is a reminder to stay away from lust and attachment.
# A [[sword]]. This is worn to defend one's faith and protect the weak. This is called Kirpan. It is only to be used in self-defense. Many of these are now welded shut.


==References==
== References ==
{{reflist|group=general references}}
{{reflist}}
{{reflist}}


==Further reading==
== External links ==
{{refbegin|30em}}
{{commonscat|Sikhism}}
* {{cite book|title=Brill's Encyclopedia of Sikhism|publisher=Brill Academic|first=Indu|last=Banga|display-editors=etal|editor-first=Knut A.|editor-last=Jacobsen|date=2017|isbn=978-90-04-29745-6}}
* [http://www.sikhs.org/topics.htm Sikhs.org]
* Dilgeer, Harjinder Singh (1997), ''The Sikh Reference Book''; Sikh University Press / Singh Brothers Amritsar, 1997.
* [http://www.gurmat.info/sms/smssikhism/ Sikh Missionary Society (UK)]—Non-profit organization dedicated to promoting the Sikh religion, culture and history
* Dilgeer, Harjinder Singh (2005), ''Dictionary of Sikh Philosophy''; Sikh University Press / Singh Brothers Amritsar, 2005.
* [http://www.religioustolerance.org/sikhism.htm Religious Tolerance]
* Dilgeer, Harjinder Singh (2008), ''Sikh Twareekh''; Sikh University Press / Singh Brothers Amritsar, 2008.
* [http://www.bbc.co.uk/religion/religions/sikhism/ BBC]
* Dilgeer, Harjinder Singh (2012), ''Sikh History'' (in 10 volumes); Sikh University Press / Singh Brothers Amritsar, 2010–2012.
* [http://www.sikhnet.com/ Siknet]
* {{cite book|last=Duggal|first=Kartar Singh|date=1988|title=Philosophy and Faith of Sikhism|publisher=Himalayan Institute Press|isbn=978-0-89389-109-1}}
* [http://www.singhsahib.com/ Sikhism]
* Kaur, Surjit; ''Amongst the Sikhs: Reaching for the Stars''; New Delhi: Roli Books, 2003, {{ISBN|81-7436-267-3}}
* [https://www.trendpunjabi.com/what-is-sikhism/ What is Sikhism]
* Khalsa, Guru Fatha Singh; ''Five Paragons of Peace: Magic and Magnificence in the Guru's Way'', Toronto: Monkey Minds Press, 2010, {{ISBN|0-9682658-2-0}}, [https://web.archive.org/web/20110711135252/http://www.gurufathasingh.com/five-paragons-of-peace.html GuruFathaSingh.com]
* [http://www.sikhiwiki.org/index.php?title=Main_Page Sikh Wiki]
* Khalsa, Shanti Kaur; ''The History of Sikh Dharma of the Western Hemisphere''; Espanola, New Mexico, US: Sikh Dharma; 1995 {{ISBN|0-9639847-4-8}}
* [http://www.karsewa.org/ Sikh Karsewa]
* {{cite book|last=Singh|first=Khushwant|date=2006|title=The Illustrated History of the Sikhs|publisher=[[Oxford University Press]]|isbn=978-0-19-567747-8|author-link=Khushwant Singh}}
* [http://searchgurbani.com/ English translations of sacred texts]
* {{cite book|last=Singh|first=Patwant|date=1999|title=The Sikhs|publisher=Random House|isbn=978-0-385-50206-1|author-link=Patwant Singh}}
* Takhar, Opinderjit Kaur, ''Sikh Identity: An Exploration of Groups Among Sikhs''. Burlington, Vermont: Ashgate; 2005 {{ISBN|0-7546-5202-5}}
{{refend}}
 
==External links==
{{Sister project links|d=Q9316|n=no|c=Category:Sikhism|s=Portal:Sikhism|v=no}}
 
* [https://www.britannica.com/topic/Sikhism "Sikhism"]. ''[[Encyclopædia Britannica]] Online''.
* {{Curlie|Society/Religion_and_Spirituality/Sikhism/}}
* [https://www.deutsches-informationszentrum-sikhreligion.de/ German Information Center on the Sikh Religion]
* [https://nitnemsahib.com/sikh-gurus-infographic-with-brief-description/ All Sikh Gurus Infographic]
* [http://www.bbc.co.uk/religion/religions/sikhism/ Religion & Ethics – Sikhism] A number of introductory articles on Sikhism from the [[BBC]]


{{Sikhism|state=expanded}}
{{Classic World Religions}}
{{Religion topics}}
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[[Category:Sikhism| ]]
[[Category:Sikhism| ]]
[[Category:Nirguna worship traditions]]
[[Category:Indian religions]]
[[Category:1500 establishments in Asia]]
[[Category:Religious organizations established in the 15th century]]
[[Category:15th-century establishments in India]]
[[Category:Punjab]]
[[Category:Monotheism]]
[[Category:Moksha-aligned dharmas]]
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