Spiritual India & Pilgrimages > Sikhism - by S. Chatterjee

Five important symbols Sikhs always have to bear:

‘kesh’ or hair
‘kera’ or an iron bracelet
‘kachha’ or short drawers
‘kangha’ or comb and ‘kirpan’, or dagger

Important Festivals:
The birthdays of the 10 Sikh gurus. Baisakhi, to celebrate end of the winter season.

“O mind thou art the spark of the supreme light, know thy essence. O my mind, the Lord is ever with thee! So through the Gurus word, enjoy this love.” O mind meet the Guru who will make you firm on truth, give you knowledge of the unknown and unite you with shabad.” Guru Nanak.

Sikhism is the religion of the Sikhs, literally disciples. It originated in Punjab in the late 15th century as a reaction to the rigidities in Hinduism and Islam. The religion was founded by Guru Nanak Dev, also the first guru of the Sikhs. It was more a way of life than a religion until the 17th century when Guru Govind Singh formalised it. He formed the order of the Khalsa or a chosen race of soldier saints who abide by a strict code of moral conduct.

A monotheistic and egalitarian faith, Sikhism is based on the teachings of its 10 gurus. A Sikh believes in one and only one God and not in idol worship. Like Hindus & Buddhists, they also believe in karma or destiny and the concept of salvation. However, they do not believe that only an ascetic or monastic life leads to salvation.

Sikhism stresses the importance of devotion, intense faith in the gurus and repetition of the name of god as a means of salvation. It opposes caste differences, fasting, vegetarianism, pilgrimage, idolatry, celibacy and asceticism. It believes that man grows spiritually by living truthfully, serving selflessly and by repeating the name of god.

The Sikhs are a small but strong community in India with their base in Punjab. Their effervescent charm and love for life has made them the most prominent, joyous and adored of all races. As many would say– they are every where!

The Sikhs have a superb ability to grasp and mingle, and can be easily titled Punjabi-Sikh, Hindu-Sikh, Muslim-Sikh, South-Indian-Sikh or Pahari-Sikh.

As a community, they are very religious. They are devout followers who make regular trips to gurudwaras and indulge in various community activities. Sikhism is a community-based religion and community service is an integral part of being a Sikh. Langar or community eating is a peculiar custom, which entails the rich and the poor, the urchins and the officials, to sit together and eat jointly at the gurudwaras.

Birth, deaths, festivals, success or failure call for special religious services called paths that extend to 2-3 days.

Celebrations at any festival include recitals of excerpts from the Guru Grantha Sahib (the religious book of the Sikhs), shabad singing and Langar or community eating.

The Sikhs are traditionally an agricultural community and share many harvest festivals of Punjab with Hindu Punjabis. Baisakhi and Lohri are extremely important to them. The Sikhs also celebrate Hindu festivals like Raksha Bandhan and Diwali.

Like the Hindus, the Sikhs also undertake pilgrimages. The Golden Temple at Amritsar is the most important shrine for the Sikhs. The Hemkund Sahib in the lap of the Himalayas, is also a popular pilgrimage centre.

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