 | |
| Owner | SikhNet branch of 3HO |
|---|---|
| Founder(s) | Ash Singh Gurumustuk Singh Khalsa |
| URL | sikhiwiki |
| Registration | Optional |
| Users | 93,526 (July 2024) |
| Launched | 2005 |
| Current status | Active |
SikhiWiki is a Sikh-centric online encyclopedia operated by the 3HO organization under its SikhNet umbrella. [1]
The idea of creating an online Sikh encyclopedia is attributed to Ash Singh after he had a television interview where the importance of documenting Sikh history, from both the distant past and present, was discussed. [2] Ash Singh partnered with Gurumustuk Singh Khalsa, then webmaster of SikhNet, to create SikhiWiki. [2] SikhiWiki was launched in 2005. [3] The website was inspired by Wikipedia and claims to cover "Sikh philosophy, history, culture and lifestyle". [2] The website is open to the wider community who can freely edit its pages. [2] The operators used the term 'encyclomedia' to describe their website. [2] SikhiWiki is maintained by SikhNet and most of the individuals maintaining it are volunteers. [2]
As of March 2012, there were nearly 6,000 articles hosted on SikhiWiki. [1] As of July 2024, the website contains 6,359 articles and 10,123 uploaded files, with 93,526 registered members. [4]
According to Conner Singh VanderBeek, SikhiWiki provides "... the most comprehensive resource on basic terms, tenets, and histories of the Sikh faith". [3] SikhiWiki does not absolve Sikh separatists as guiltless in its article covering the Khalistan movement. [3] Doctrinal discussions and debates also occur on SikhiWiki, such as on the practice of vegetarianism. [1]
SikhiWiki promotes a mainstream, normative, orthodox, Khalsa-orientated narrative of the Sikh religion. [1] An example of this is on their article covering the heterodoxical Namdhari sect, which contains a disclaimer warning about sects and cults that evolved after the timeline of the Sikh gurus. [1] This disclaimer is followed by a further explanation warning about sects, cults, "fake" babas , deras, "fake" Nihangs, Sanatan Dharmis, "pseudo" Akalis and Mahants, "pseudo" intellectuals and historians, leftists, and agnostics, which it claims are "not considered a part of Sikhism". [1] SikhiWiki asserts that these above groups are distortions of Gurmat (the true teachings of Sikhism) created to damage Sikhism. [1] It further claims that none of the above groups were created by a guru or bhagat. [1] This leads to Sikhs belonging to heterodoxical, non-normative Sikh sects to go elsewhere for information. [1]
Sikhism, also known as Sikhi, is a monotheistic religion and philosophy, that originated in the Punjab region of India around the end of the 15th century CE. Sikhism is classified as an Indian religion or Dharmic religion along with Buddhism, Hinduism, and Jainism. It is one of the most recently founded major religious groups and among the largest in the world with about 25–30 million adherents.
Khalsa refers to both a community that considers Sikhism as its faith, as well as a special group of initiated Sikhs. The Khalsa tradition was initiated in 1699 by the Tenth Guru of Sikhism, Guru Gobind Singh. Its formation was a key event in the history of Sikhism. The founding of Khalsa is celebrated by Sikhs during the festival of Vaisakhi.
The Dasam Granth is a collection of various poetic compositions attributed to Guru Gobind Singh. The text enjoyed an equal status with the Adi Granth, or Guru Granth Sahib, in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries and were installed side by side on the same platform. The Dasam Granth lost favor during the colonial period when reformist Singh Sabha Movement scholars couldn't contextualize the reworkings of Puranic stories or the vast collection of 'Tales of Deceit' Sri Charitropakhyan.
3HO , also known as Sikh Dharma of the Western Hemisphere or Sikh Dharma International, is a controversial American organization founded in 1969 by Harbhajan Singh Khalsa, also called "Yogi Bhajan". Its adherents are popularly referred to as the Sikh Dharma Brotherhood. While referred to as the 3HO movement, "3HO" is strictly speaking the name only of the movement's educational branch. Scholars have defined 3HO as a new religious movement.
Yogi Bhajan, also known as Siri Singh Sahib to his followers, was an American entrepreneur, yoga guru, and spiritual teacher. He introduced his version of Kundalini yoga to the United States. He was the spiritual director of the 3HO foundation, with over 300 centers in 35 countries. He was accused of sexual abuse by several dozen of his female followers; an investigation called the Olive Branch Report found the allegations most likely true.
The Nishan Sahib in Sikhism is a triangular flag made of cotton or silk cloth, with a tassel at its end. The current form of the Nishan Sahib that is in use throughout Gurdwaras around the world has an orange (saffron) background color that has the Khanda symbol in the center of the flag. It is commonly hoisted on a tall flagpole outside Gurdwaras.
Udasis, also spelt as Udasins, also known as Nanak Putras, are a religious sect of ascetic sadhus centred in northern India who follow a tradition known as Udasipanth. Becoming custodians of Sikh shrines in the 18th century, they were notable interpreters and spreaders of the Sikh philosophy during that time. However, their religious practices border on a syncretism of Sikhism and Hinduism, and they did not conform to the Khalsa standards as ordained by Guru Gobind Singh. When the Lahore Singh Sabha reformers, dominated by Tat Khalsa Sikhs, would hold them responsible for indulging in ritual practices antithetical to Sikhism, as well as personal vices and corruption, the Udasi mahants were expelled from the Sikh shrines.
The Nihang or Akali, also known as Dal Khalsa, is an armed Sikh warrior order originating in the Indian subcontinent. Nihangs are believed to have originated either from Fateh Singh and the attire he wore or from the "Akal Sena" started by Guru Hargobind. Early Sikh military history was dominated by the Nihang, known for their victories where they were heavily outnumbered. Traditionally known for their bravery and ruthlessness in the battlefield, the Nihang once formed the irregular guerrilla squads of the armed forces of the Sikh Empire, the Sikh Khalsa Army.
Sant Singh Maskeen (1934–2005) was a Sikh scholar and theologian known for his expertise of Gurmat and Gurbani. He was honoured with the rare title of "Panth Rattan" for his services to mankind by the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee.
Nirankari is a sect of Sikhism. It was a reform movement founded by Baba Dyal Das in northwest Punjab in 1851. He sought to restore the practices and beliefs of Sikhs back to what he believed were prevalent when Guru Nanak was alive. This movement emerged in the aftermath of the end of Sikh Empire and the Sikh history after Ranjit Singh's death.
Sandeep Singh Brar is a Sikh historian, internet pioneer and photographer.
The Singh Sabhā Movement, also known as the Singh Sabhā Lehar, 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 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.
Sikhism prohibits idolatry, in accordance with mainstream Khalsa norms and the teachings of the Sikh Gurus, a position that has been accepted as orthodox.
Sikhism has often been criticised by non-Sikhs regarding its texts, practices, and societal norms, but Sikhs and other scholars argue that these criticisms are flawed and are based on a biased and poor understanding of the texts, especially of the multiple languages used in the Sikh scriptures. They also argue that most Western scholars who attempted to interpret Eastern religious texts were missionaries and could not overcome the bias they carried with them, irrespective of whether they were translating the Quran, Vedas, Puranas or the Guru Granth Sahib. Sikhism's founder Guru Nanak rejected ritualistic worship and encouraged belief in one God: Waheguru. The veneration and bowing to the Guru Granth Sahib, has often been interpreted by Western scholars as akin to idolatry, as observed by the Hindu faith, which defeats the ideology of Guru Nanak. Other scholars dismiss Sikhism as, either consciously or spontaneously, a syncretism of the Hindu Bhakti and Islamic Sufi movements.
Nirmala also known as Nirmala Saṁpardā or Nirmal Paṅth, is a Sikh sect of ascetics. According to the traditional beliefs, the Sanatan Nirmala Sikh tradition was founded by Guru Gobind Singh in late 17th century when he sent five Sikhs to Varanasi to learn Sanskrit and Vedanta texts.
Sikh sects, denominations, traditions, movements, sub-traditions, also known as sampardai in the Punjabi language, are sub-traditions within Sikhism that believe in different approaches to practicing the religion. All sampradas believe in the One Creator God typically rejecting both idol worship and caste systems. Different interpretations have emerged over time, some of which have a living teacher as the leader. The major historic traditions in Sikhism, states Harjot Oberoi, have included Udasi, Nirmala, Nanakpanthi, Khalsa, Sahajdhari, Namdhari Kuka, Nirankari and Sarvaria.
Neeldharis are a heterodoxical sect within Sikhism that was founded by Harnam Singh.
SikhNet is a Sikh-centric website operated by the 3HO organization. SikhNet is a tax exempt 501(c)3 not-for-profit corporation in the U.S.A. It caters to what it has termed as the "cyber sangat".
NeverForget84.com, written-out in prose as Never Forget '84, was a Khalistani-affiliated Sikh website that covered the 1984 Operation Blue Star military operation and the personal stories of Sikh militants. Indian media outlets had described the website as being "a popular hub of radical Sikh voices".
sikhchic.com is a Sikh online magazine covering Sikh culture, art, and humour. It is one of the leading online magazines for Sikhs.