Jump to content

Sikhs

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

This is an old revision of this page, as edited by 81.103.105.94 (talk) at 12:29, 6 July 2007 (Population continuity of 26million). The present address (URL) is a permanent link to this revision, which may differ significantly from the current revision.

Sikhs
Total population
26 million
Regions with significant populations
Religions
Sikhism
Scriptures
Guru Granth Sahib
Languages
English, Punjabi]

A Sikh (English: [siːk] or [sɪk]; Template:Lang-pa, sikkh, IPA: ['sɪk.kʰ]) is an adherent to Sikhism, a monotheistic faith started in the 15th century India by Guru Nanak. The term has its origin in the Sanskrit "shishya", which means disciple or learner. A Sikh can easily be recognized by his turban, beard, and steel bracelet on the right wrist.

Most Sikhs come from the Punjab region of India, although significant communities exist around the world


The Basic philosophy of the Sikh religion

Main article: Sikhism

Guru Nanak, the founder of the faith, summed up the basis of Sikh lifestyle in three requirements: Naam Japo, Kirat Karni and Wand kay Shako, which means meditate on the holy name, Waheguru, work diligently and honestly and share ones fruits.

Sikh religion has some salient features which make it distinct from the other major world religions. The Guru Granth Sahib, is revered as the living Guru, not just a holy book. The Sikh follows the Guru Granth Sahib strictly as his prime guide. It was compiled by the Sikh Gurus, and is maintained in its original form. In addition to their own works the gurus also included the revelations of many saints of that period. Their followers, with their turban and uncut hair, are proud and definitely distinct; yet show respect to the followers of other religions. Non-Sikhs can partake fully in Sikh prayer meetings and social functions. Their daily prayers include the well being of whole mankind.

The concept of saint-soldier is another unique feature which sometimes confuses observers. Every Sikh is required to aspire to be a saint by his devotion to God, and service to mankind, but at the same time, according to the situation, adopt the role of the soldier.

The aspirant is not required to renounce the world, and is to aspire to be the best but not to be obsessed by the act, wanting the best but not craving to accumulate. Seva(service) is an integral part of Sikh worship. This is very easily observed in their Gurdwara(temple). Visitors of any religious or socio-economic background are welcomed. Langar(free food for all) is always served.


Brief Sikh History

Guru Nanak founded the faith in the fifteenth century India , in the state of Punjab. His message was direct, and did away with all the superstitions that have been present in India for centuries. He delivered his divine message in the language of the people, and also gave the holy impartation in music form. Later, he bestowed the Guruship on Guru Angad, and spanning a period of two and half century the sikhs had Ten Gurus. The sikh gurus , thus cemented the message with practical lives of the gurus. It should be noted here, that to emphasis the non issue of age in divintiy, the eighth guru, Guru Harkishen was only five years old when he became guru. Two sikh Gurus were martyed by the ruling mughals, who felt threatened by the growth of the religion. The sixth Guru, Guru hargobind, started the concept of miri-piri, that is, that is while on the spirtual life, temporal duties need to be completely attended to. He started to maintain an army after the fifth guru was martyed by the mughals. The tenth guru, Guru Gobind Singh gave the final form to the followers. They were required to undergo the sweetened water baptisim with the sword, and maintain the five K's, the most visible of which being maintaing natural hair. All sikh men took on the name Singh(Lion) in their name and women, Kaur (princess). On parting form this world Guru Gobind Singh, bestowed the guruship on the now fully complete holy book, The Guru Granth sahib. His followers were also called Khalsa (pure).

The sikhs now were armed and were an extremely formidable fighting force. Under the leadership of Banda bahadur, they briefly took over much of the Punjab from the Mughals. However , mughal reinforcements from the rest of the country turned the situation in favor of the mughals, but the collapse of the mughal rule in Punjab, had begun. They were however very small in number. The mughals then went on a policy of complete extermination. Sikhs had to live in the jungles . Here they developed small fighting bands calle Misls. Eventually the sikh misls started affording protection to the downtrodden Hindu villagers from marauding muslim forces, and thugs. This also served as a source of income. Eventually, under a misl leader, Ranjit Singh, the different misls got together and the first major sikh empire was born. This lasted 40 years and extended all the way to Afghanistan. The sikh empire was completely secular , and all religions were allowed to be practised. After the death of Maharaja Ranjit Singh, the sikhs fought a few losing wars with the British. Punjab was the last bastion to fall after which , British ruled all of India. Recognising the military prowess of the sikhs the British recruited the sikhs in their army, and even made special regiments for them

After the independence of India from the British, the sikhs made up more than one third of the Indian Army. However, on the political front, the ruling Hindu government rescinded on some of its promises made to the sikhs, which resulted in sikhs laying down their lives for basic issues , like right to have their own state, riparian law of water etc.

Today, sikhs are spread all over the world. Given, the disproportionate amount of battles that the sikhs have had to fight since their religion was born, sikhs are sometimes only associated with their martial prowess and abilities. However, it should be noted that it is the spiritual force of the sikh which makes him a saint first and then soldier.

The Sikh Gurus

  1. Guru Nanak Dev
  2. Guru Angad Dev
  3. Guru Amar Das
  4. Guru Ram Das
  5. Guru Arjun Dev
  6. Guru Hargobind
  7. Guru Har Rai
  8. Guru Har Krishan
  9. Guru Teg Bahadur
  10. Guru Gobind Singh
  11. Guru Granth Sahib

Baptism and Five Ks

Every Practising sikh is required to be baptized. The baptizing ceremony followed, is laid down by Guru Gobind Singh, the last living guru. Five baptized sikhs (Panj Pyare) sanctify sweetened water with a double edged sword, along with the recital of the five daily sikh prayers. This water (Amrit), is then administered to the sikh. From the time of baptizing the sikh is required to maintain the five K's, which are:


They are for identification and representation of the ideals of Sikhism, such as freedom, honesty, equality, fidelity, meditating on God, and never bowing to tyranny.

Distribution

Numbering approximately 26 million worldwide, 75% of Sikhs live in India. Of the Indian community, over 60% live in the Northern Indian State of Punjab (India), where they form about two-thirds of the population. Large communities of Sikhs live in the neighboring states of Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Jammu and Kashmir, Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh, Uttaranchal, Maharashtra and Delhi. Migration beginning from the late nineteenth century have found significant communities in Canada, the United Kingdom, the United States, the Middle East, East Africa, Southeast Asia, Western Europe, Australia and New Zealand. In Canada, their numbers are significant and some have become Members of Parliament.

Representation

Sikh people are very well represented in all walks of life. They form a significant segment of India's military services and sports. They are especially well known for their world performance in field hockey, and cricket. The Sikh community also enjoys comparatively greater economic prosperity. In India and across the world, Sikhs are an important mercantile and skilled professional class. They have close-knit community structure. They are world-class agriculturalists and the state of Punjab is known as the breadbasket of India.

There are also a group of Sikhs called Akalis, who were originally followers of a sikh general Akali Singh in the early 19th century during the sikh rule under Maharaja Ranjit Singh. They wear similar clothing worn during that period and usually take part in sikh religious functions, by displaying traditional martial arts, and horseback riding

The Sikh community comprises many diverse sets of peoples. These include different ethnic peoples, tribal and socio-economic groups. Main peoples and tribes include Jatt, Ramgharia, Kalal/Ahluwalia, Kamboj, Rajput and Labana. Urban mercantile Sikh communities include Khatri, Arora, Bhatia and Sood. There are also Sikhs of Brahmin (mostly Mohyal) and Dalit extraction/ancestry. The bulk of Sikhs are of Jatt origin.

Sikhs in the Western World

Sikhs live in almost all the Western countries. They are especially visible in England and Canada, where some are even members of the parliament. They are active in all walks of life, but are very underrepresented in the defense forces. This is mainly due to the turban restriction in lot of these countries. They are outstanding engineers, doctors and entrepreneurs. Most major cities in USA/Canada have sikh gurdwara's (temples).

There is also a general ignorance in the West regarding sikhs. The sikhs wear a turban and are often confused with residents of middle eastern countries, where it is common for muslims to wear turbans. When there have been conflicts with middle eastern nations, sikhs have been subjected to cruel comments, and sometimes even physical violence. Notably, after sept 11, a sikh gas station owner was shot dead in Phoenix, Arizona. The sikhs in the West do usually maintain a gurdwara in any city they settle. Most major cities in USA and Canada have gurdwaras.

Sikhs in World War I & II and other Wars

Sikhs fought in both World Wars, such as, fighting in disproportionately large numbers, approximately 10 fold,[1] in both World War One and World War Two for the allies in the liberation of Europe and displaying exceptional gallantry and heroism. This resulted in them winning one of the highest per capita number of Victoria crosses for bravery, heroism and gallantry.[2]

French postcard depicting the arrival of 15th Sikh Regiment in France during World War I. The post card reads, "Gentlemen of India marching to chasten German hooligans"

.


Battle of Saragarhi

The Battle of Saragarhi, and the Sikh officers and soldiers (British Empire Army) who fought in it (listed below), is considered one of the greatest stories of collective bravery in human history.[3] The contingent of the twenty-one Sikhs was led by Havildar Ishar Singh, and all chose to fight to the death instead of surrendering. In recognition of their supreme sacrifice, the British Parliament rose to pay them respect, and each one of them was awarded the Indian Order of Merit. In the West, it has been compared to the Battle of Thermopylae. Sikh military personnel and Sikh non-military people commemorate the battle around the World every year on September 12th, it is referred to as "Saragarhi

References

  1. ^ http://www.sikhs.nl/Main/World%20War%201%20&%202/WorldwarII.htm
  2. ^ http://www.asht.info/Sikhs+&+British+Empire.html
  3. ^ http://www.tribuneindia.com/2004/20040911/edit.htm#6


Template:IndicText

'

Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Sikhs&oldid=142882259"