Sikhi ; Punjabi: ਸਿੱਖੀ, from ਸਿੱਖ, Sikh, 'disciple', 'seeker', or 'learner'), is a monotheistic religion that originated in the Punjab region of the Indian subcontinent around the end of the 15th century. It is one of the youngest of the major religions and world's fifth largest organized religion, with about 25 million Sikhs as of the early 21st century.
The Dasam Granth, also called the Dasven Pādśāh kā Graṅth,, is a holy book in Sikhism with compositions attributed to Guru Gobind Singh. It is a controversial religious text considered to be the second scripture by some Sikhs, and of disputed authority by other Sikhs. The standard edition of the text contains 1,428 pages with 17,293 verses in 18 sections. These are set in the form of hymns and poems mostly in the Braj language, with some parts in Avadhi, Punjabi, Hindi and Persian. The script is almost entirely the Gurmukhi script except for the letter of the Sikh Guru to Aurangzeb – Zafarnama, and the Hikayat in the Persian alphabet.
Pratap Singh Giani was a Sikh academician, scholar and calligraphist.
Udasi is a religious sect of ascetic sadhus centred in northern India. The Udasis were key interpreters of the Sikh philosophy and the custodians of important Sikh shrines until the Akali movement. They brought many converts into the Sikh fold during the 18th and the early 19th centuries. However, their religious practices border on a syncretism of Sikhism and Hinduism. When the Singh Sabha, dominated by Khalsa Sikhs, redefined the Sikh identity in the early 20th century, the Udasi mahants were expelled from the Sikh shrines. Since then, the Udasis have increasingly regarded themselves as Hindus rather than Sikhs.
A kara is a steel or cast iron bangle worn by Sikhs who have been initiated into the Khalsa. It is one of the five kakars or five Ks — external articles of faith — that identify a Sikh as dedicated to their religious order. The kara was instituted by the tenth Sikh guru Gobind Singh at the Baisakhi Amrit Sanchar in 1699. Guru Gobind Singh Ji explained:
He does not recognize anyone else except me, not even the bestowal of charities, performance of merciful acts, austerities and restraint on pilgrim-stations; the perfect light of the Lord illuminates his heart, then consider him as the immaculate Khalsa.
Nawanshahr (ਨਵਾਂਸ਼ਹਿਰ) is a municipal council in Shaheed Bhagat Singh Nagar district in the Indian state of Punjab. It was previously a town that became a district in 1995. It is also the homeland of India's famous freedom fighter Bhagat Singh.
Sikhism is a recognised minority religion in Thailand, with about 70,000 adherents. The religion was brought by migrants from India who began to arrive in the late 19th century. There are about twenty Sikh temples or Gurdwaras in the country, including the Gurdwara Sri Guru Singh Sabha in Bangkok.
German Sikhs are a religious minority in Germany. Many German Sikhs have their roots from the Punjab region in India. They number between 15,000 and 21,000. Germany had the third highest Sikh population in Europe after United Kingdom and Italy.
Sikhism in Scotland includes all aspects of Sikh life and Sikhism in Scotland. Sikhs have been present in Scotland for over a century, with the first documented Sikh, Maharaja Daleep Singh, arriving in Perthshire in 1855. The next wave of migration was in early-to-mid 1920s when prominent Sikhs of the Bhat/Bhatra community established themselves in Glasgow and Edinburgh. However, the bulk of Sikhs in Scotland come from families who immigrated during the late 20th century. In Scotland Sikhs represent 0.2% of the population (9,055).
Choor Singh Sidhu, known professionally as Choor Singh, was a judge of the Supreme Court of Singapore and, particularly after his retirement from the bench, a philanthropist and writer of books about Sikhism. Born to a family of modest means in Punjab, India, he came to Singapore at four years of age. He completed his secondary education in the top class at Raffles Institution in 1929, then worked as a clerk in a law firm before becoming a civil servant in the Official Assignee's office.
The Singh Sabha Movement was a Sikh movement that began in Punjab in the 1870s in reaction to the proselytising activities of Christians, Hindu reform movements and Muslims. The movement was founded in an era when the Sikh Empire had been dissolved and annexed by the colonial British, the Khalsa had lost its prestige, and mainstream Sikhs were rapidly converting to other religions. The movement's aims were to "propagate the true Sikh religion and restore Sikhism to its pristine glory; to write and distribute historical and religious books of Sikhs; and to propagate Gurmukhi Punjabi through magazines and media." The movement sought to reform Sikhism and bring back into the Sikh fold the apostates who had converted to other religions; as well as to interest the influential British officials in furthering the Sikh community. At the time of its founding, the Singh Sabha policy was to avoid criticism of other religions and political matters.
Jangpura is a neighbourhood in South East Delhi district of Delhi. Beginning from the east and moving clockwise, it is bordered by the Mathura Road, Ring Railway line, Silver Oak Park beyond the Defence Colony Flyover, and the Barapulla Nullah. It encompasses the residential areas of Jangpura A and B on either side of the Mathura Road, jangpura(Bhogal) extending west from the Mathura Road until Jangpura Extension, which in turn extends along the northern side of the Ring Railway line to the east side of the Defence Colony Flyover on Josip Broz Tito Marg. The small colony of Pant Nagar along the Barapulla Nullah is contiguous with Jangpura Extension.
Bhai Jodh Singh was a Sikh theologian, author, mentor and social activist. He played an important role in the Singh Sabha movement. He was a recipient of the civilian honour of the Padma Bhushan.
Sikhism prohibits idol worship, in accordance with mainstream Khalsa norms and the teachings of the Sikh Gurus, a position that has been accepted as orthodox.
Nirmala is a Sikh tradition of ascetics. According to the traditional beliefs, the Nirmala Sikh tradition was founded by Guru Gobind Singh in late 17th century when he sent five Sikhs to Varanasi to learn Sanskrit and Hindu religious texts.
Sects of Sikhism 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 other concepts that differ from the orthodox. The major historic sects of Sikhism, states Harjot Oberoi, have included Udasi, Nirmala, Nanakpanthi, Khalsa, Sahajdhari, Namdhari Kuka, Nirankari and Sarvaria.
Khem Singh Bedi KCIE claims he was a direct descendant of Guru Nanak, a leader, founder of the Singh Sabha in 1873, and a Sanatan Sikh who campaigned for an inclusive interpretation that accepted wide range of beliefs drawn from Hinduism and Islam. It instituted many charitable causes for Sikhs, was a landowner and politician in the Punjab during the British Raj.
Sanatan Sikh, a term and formulation coined by Harjot Oberoi, referred to conservative Sikhs who formed a faction during the Singh Sabha Movement in 1873. They campaigned for an inclusive interpretation that accepted wide range of beliefs drawn from Hinduism and Islam. The Amritsar Singh Sabha was led by Khem Singh Bedi, Avtar Singh Vahiria and others. Sanatan Sikhs accept beliefs and practices such as the belief in the teachings of the Vedas and Puranas, Hindu epics and Sufi Pirs. They also were tolerant to the use of idols and images of Sikh Gurus as well as other icons within Gurdwaras. Instead of treating the scripture as the only guru, Sanatan Sikh campaigned for acceptability of living gurus to guide those Sikhs who seek one which resulted in Khem Singh Bedi considering himself the Guru. The main text of the Sanatan Sikh was Dasam Granth created in 19th century. Amid factional rivalry, the influence of the dominant Tat Khalsa resulted in the decline of Sanatan Sikhs.