Sikhism

This is Guru Nanak Dev Ji who lived in the 15th and 16th centuries in the state of Punjab in the north of what is today called India. Guru means something like spiritual teacher and in the fifteenth century this guru founded a new religion. In his language Punjabi the word for student is sikh. So the religion came to be called Sikhism. In those days, Hindus and Muslims lived side by side in Punjab, like today.

Guru Nanak Dev Ji had a spiritual revelation, and understood that it doesn’t matter if you call yourself a Hindu or a Muslim. All humans are equal regardless of religion, social group—caste, or gender. The goal of Sikhism is, just like in Hinduism, to get free from rebirth; to become one with god. But the Sikhs say that there is only one, eternal god - Sikhism is monotheistic. The Sikhs have many words for God.

One of the most important words is Waheguru. It means something like “Wonderful Teacher bringing light to remove darkness”. Sometimes the Sikhs also use the Arabic word for god: Allah. After Guru Nanak Dev Ji came nine other gurus. The tenth guru was killed by the ruler of Punjab: the Muslim Mughal emperor.

But the tenth guru didn’t choose any person as a successor. Instead he decided that important texts from earlier gurus would be combined into one sacred book. A book that would be the eternal eleventh guru: the Adi Granth. The Sikhs think that all humans have the right to follow their own path to God without anyone condemning or trying to influence them. So after the death of the tenth guru the Sikhs have had no priests or religious leadership, other than the words in the Adi Granth.

During the lifetimes of the first gurus there was much inequality in Indian society. People were treated differently depending on religion or caste. Women whose husbands died were burned alive on their husband’s funeral pyre. Sikhism turned against this inequality. And still does so today.

To show that it doesn’t matter what family you are from, all women who wish to become part of the Sikh congregation get a new surname: Kaur - which means princess. All men get the name Singh - lion. Also, both women and men share all areas of responsibility. The sixth guru considered the Sikhs to be saint-soldiers. They were to defend the rights of all the oppressed or persecuted, regardless of colour, caste, or creed.

Because of this every Sikh wears five things every day, like a kind of uniform. These five things all begin with the letter k and are: Uncut, but tidy hair and beard: Kesh. This hair is covered by a turban or head cloth. A small wooden comb: Kangha. This is used on the hair twice a day.

A dagger: Kirpan. The dagger is only for use in self defence, or to save another person’s life. It is also a symbol of how the power of truth cuts through untruths. A type of shorts or underpants: Kachera. These are to remind the wearer not to have sex outside marriage.

A bracelet of steel or iron: Kara. This unbroken circle is to remind its wearer that God is eternal, but also about the oneness with God and the bond that ties each Sikh to the congregation. There are about 25 million Sikhs in the world, most of them are to be found in Punjab. Here you also find the Sikhs’ sacred city Amritsar. And here in a temple is kept a handwritten copy of the Eleventh Guru.