History

Sikhism: History Guru Nanak (1469-1539) was the founder of Sikhism, the religion that draws its basics from Hinduism & Islam. The followers of the religion were known as Sikhs and their worship places is called Gurudwaras. Nanak was a believer in 'Karma' as the only means of attaining 'moksha'. He introduced the concept of a common kitchen (the langar) to feed the poor and preached the importance of Satnam & Waheguru (true name or one god) and that having a right guru is important for self realization. He received a vision to preach the way to enlightenment and God as he said "There is no Hindu, there is no Muslim", which is now one of the pillars of Sikhism. Guru Nanak also preached a message of love and understanding and criticized the blind rituals of the Hindus and Muslims. He and Panth (his followers) built the very first Sikh temple at Katarpur. He passed on his enlightened leadership of this new religion to 9 successive Gurus. The final living Guru, Guru Gobind Singh, established the Sikh rite of initiation (khandey di pahul). The Fifth Guru, Arjun Dev, was put to death on instructions of the Mughal court. This resulted in the Khalsas the ' pure ones'-those who are pure in the heart and pure in their actions. This conversion lead the males adding the word 'Singh' and the females 'Kaurs' to their names which means a loin and lioness respectively. Gobind Singh established the Khalsa order (meaning 'The Pure'). The Khalsa maintains the highest Sikh virtues of commitment, dedication and a social conscious. The Khalsa are men and women who have went through the Sikh baptism ceremony and strictly follow the Sikh Code of Conduct and Conventions and wear the prescribed physical articles of the faith. (i) Kesh - Long hair tied in a turban (ii) Kangha - (saintliness), the wooden or ivory comb - (cleanliness) (iii) Kuchha - shorts (alertness) (iv) Kara - the steel bracelet (determination) and (v) kripan - the sword (for the defence of the weak). The turban worn by the Sikh men is to hide the long hair that they wear in a knot. They practice tolerance & love of others and are firm believers in accepting the situations of life and getting on with them.

//All people of all religions are welcome to the Gurdwara. A free community kitchen can be found at every Gurdwara which serves meals to all people of all faiths. Guru Nanak first started this institution which outlines the basic Sikh principles of service, humility and equality. //

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__MLA CITATION __

1. Sikh Symbol Picture  2. 10 Gurus Picture  3. Sahota, S.S. __Sikhism - It's Origin and History__. 17 Dec 2010. 4. The House, ARC. __Beginnings in the Punjab.__ 17 Dec 2010.  5. Net Industries and its Licensors, __Sikhism - The Origins and Development of Sikhism__ 17 Dec 2010. http://family.jrank.org/pages/1568/Sikhism-Origins-Development-Sikhism.html