Total population | |
---|---|
20,000 | |
Regions with significant populations | |
Athens · Megara · Chalkida · Psachna | |
Religions | |
Sikhism | |
Languages | |
Punjabi · Greek |
Sikhism in Greece dates back to the early 1900s, where many Sikhs came to the country through British Indian Army in the World War I and World War II. As of 2012 [update] , there are approximately 20,000 Sikhs in Greece. [1] The Sikh population in Greece has grown over the years, with many Sikhs migrating to the country for agricultural work or to start their own businesses.
Sikhs have fought and passed through Greece in both World Wars, in large number as part of the British Indian Army.
In 2010, Sikhs from Greece and the UK made the first remembrance visit to the Monastir Road Cemetery in Thessaloniki. They also paid respects to the soldiers who died during World War 1. [2]
This cemetery is for Indian soldiers whom many included Sikhs. Sikhs are cremated when they die, but many soldiers were unable to be cremated therefore were buried. It is estimated there are 26 Sikh soldiers buried at the cemetery. At the Sikh graves there is an inscription in Gurmukhi, 'Ik Onkar Sri Waheguru Ji Ki Fateh'. [3]
In the 1990s, Sikh immigration increased.[ citation needed ] The Sikh community in Athens formed a small organization for their religious and social needs, which led to the building of Gurudwara Shri Guru Nanak Darbar. Other Sikh immigrants also made temples in Athens, Megara, Chalkidiki and Psachna.
Many Sikhs in Greece currently work in agriculture, taxi drivers or construction. [4]
Sikh migrants have been drawn to Greece for various reasons. Many Sikhs migrated to work on Greek shipping lines as no working visa was required. Also some Sikhs entered illegally by jumping offshore as soon as the boat docked into Greece. The geographical location of Greece is an entry in Europe, therefore has been a favourable destination for people in the 2015 European migrant crisis. [5]
There is a large Sikh population in Megara, where hundreds of Sikhs take part in the annual Vaisakhi Nagar Kirtan. [6]
In 2014, Gurdwara Sri Dasmesh Singh Sabha and Gurdwara Bhagat Ravidas Darbar were attacked by gunfire in Greece. As per Sikh Channel report, there were no casualties, however some buildings were damaged. [7]
There are various Gurdwaras in Greece in locations such as Athens, Megara, Chalkidiki and Psachna. [6] [8]
GBhai Randhir Singh Narangwal was a Sikh leader who started the Gurdwara Sudhaar Movement and founded the Akhand Kirtani Jatha.
Vaisakhi, also known as Baisakhi, marks the first day of the month of Vaisakh and is traditionally celebrated annually on 13 April and sometimes 14 April. It is seen as a spring harvest celebration primarily in Punjab and Northern India. Whilst it is culturally significant as a festival of harvest, in many parts of India, Vaisakhi is also the date for the Indian Solar New Year.
Tarn Taran Sahib is a city in the Majha region of the state of Punjab, in northern India. It is the district headquarters and hosts the municipal council of Tarn Taran district. Gurdwara Sri Tarn Taran Sahib, a prominent Sikh shrine, is located in the central part of the city.
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 Akal Takht is one of five takhts of the Sikhs. It is located in the Darbar Sahib complex in Amritsar, Punjab, India. The Akal Takht was built by Guru Hargobind as a place of justice and consideration of temporal issues; the highest seat of earthly authority of the Khalsa and the place of the Jathedar, the highest spokesman of the Sikhs.
Jainism (/ˈdʒeɪnɪzəm/), traditionally known as Jain Dharma, is an ancient Indian religion. Jain dharma traces its spiritual ideas and history through a succession of twenty-four leaders or tirthankaras, with the first in current time cycle being Lord Rishabhanatha, whom the Jain tradition holds to have lived millions of years ago, the twenty-third tirthankara Parshvanatha whom historians date to 8th or 7th century BCE, and the 24th tirthankara, Mahāvīra around 500 BCE. Jains believe that Jainism is an eternal dharma with the tirthankaras guiding every cycle of the Jain cosmology.
Anandpur Sahib, also referred simply as Anandpur, is a city in Rupnagar district (Ropar), on the edge of Shivalik Hills, in the Indian state of Punjab. Located near the Sutlej River, the city is one of the most sacred religious places in Sikhism, being the place where the last two Sikh Gurus, Guru Tegh Bahadur and Guru Gobind Singh, lived. It is also the place where Guru Gobind Singh founded the Khalsa Panth in 1699. The city is home to Takhat Sri Kesgarh Sahib, the third of the five Takhts in Sikhism.
Gurdwara Sis Ganj Sahib is one of the nine historical Gurdwaras in Delhi. It was first constructed in 1783 as a small shrine by Baghel Singh to commemorate the martyrdom site of the ninth Sikh Guru, Tegh Bahadur and was probably expanded after Indian Rebellion of 1857 or after Partition of India. Before its construction the Mughal Kotwali was situated here. After the Indian Rebellion of 1857 the Mughal Kotwali was demolished by the British and the land was given to the Sikhs as the Maharaja of Patiala and other Sikh soldiers helped the British to defeat the Mughal soldiers by providing large numbers of ammunition and soldiers. Its current building was made by Rai Bahadur Narain Singh a contractor who build most of roads in Lutyens New Delhi construction under British Rule. Situated in Chandni Chowk in Old Delhi, it marks the site where the ninth Sikh Guru was beheaded on the orders of the Mughal emperor Aurangzeb on 11 November 1675. The Sikh regiment of the Indian army salute the Sis Ganj Gurudwara before saluting the president of India since 1979, the only instance of saluting twice in the Republic Day parade by a regiment of Indian army.
Ravidassia or the Ravidas Panth is a religion based on the teachings of Guru Ravidas. It was considered a sect within Sikhism until 2009. However, some Ravidassias continue to maintain Sikh religious practices, including the reverence of the Guru Granth Sahib as their focal religious text, wearing Sikh articles of faith (5Ks), and appending Singh or Kaur to their names.
Sikh architecture is a style of architecture that was developed under the Sikh Confederacy and Sikh Empire during the 18th and 19th centuries in the Punjab region. Due to its progressive style, it is constantly evolving into many newly developing branches with new contemporary styles. Although Sikh architecture was initially developed within Sikhism its style has been used in many non-religious buildings due to its beauty. 300 years ago, Sikh architecture was distinguished for its many curves and straight lines; Keshgarh Sahib and the Harmandir Sahib are prime examples.
Italian Sikhs are a growing religious minority in Italy, which has the second biggest Sikh population in Europe after the United Kingdom (525,000) and sixth largest number of Sikhs in the world. It is estimated that there are 220,000 Sikhs in Italy, constituting 0.3% of the total Italian population.
English Sikhs number over 520,000 people and account for 0.9% of England's population in 2021, forming the country's fourth-largest religious group. In 2006 there were 352 gurdwaras in England. The largest Sikh populations in the U.K. are in the West Midlands and Greater London.
Gurdwara Darbar Sahib Kartarpur, also called Kartarpur Sahib, is a gurdwara in Kartarpur, located in Shakargarh, Narowal District, in the Punjab province of Pakistan. It is built on the historic site where the founder of Sikhism, Guru Nanak, settled and assembled the Sikh community after his missionary travels and lived for 18 years until his death in 1539. It is one of the holiest sites in Sikhism, alongside the Golden Temple in Amritsar and Gurdwara Janam Asthan in Nankana Sahib.
Malaysian Sikhs are known to be the fourth largest Malaysian Indian ethnic group. It is estimated that there are around 100,000 Sikhs in Malaysia.
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 in Indonesia is a small religious minority in Indonesia. There are about 10,000 to 15,000 Sikhs in Indonesia.
Hazur Sahib, also known as Takht Sachkhand Sri Hazur Abchalnagar Sahib, is one of the five takhts in Sikhism. The gurdwara was built between 1832 and 1837 by Maharaja Ranjit Singh (1780–1839). It is located on the banks of the Godavari River at the city of Nanded in the state of Maharashtra, India.
Sikhism in Japan is a small, minority religion. There are gurdwaras located in Tokyo, Ibaraki and Kobe.
The Kartarpur Corridor is a visa-free border crossing and religious corridor, connecting the Gurdwara Darbar Sahib, near Narowal in Pakistan to Gurudwara Dera Baba Nanak, Gurdaspur district, Punjab, India. The crossing allows devotees from India to visit the gurdwara in Kartarpur, Pakistan, 4.7 kilometres from the India–Pakistan border on the Pakistani side without a visa. However, Pakistani Sikhs are unable to use the border crossing, and cannot access Dera Baba Nanak on the Indian side without first obtaining an Indian visa or unless they work there.
Sikhism in Cyprus is a minority religion. The Sikh community in Cyprus is a small but vastly growing one. According to the latest available data, there are approximately 13,280 Sikhs in Cyprus, which makes up 1.1% of the country's population. This makes it the third largest national proportion of Sikhs in the world after Canada (2.1%) and India (1.7%). The Sikh population in Cyprus has grown over the years, with many Sikhs migrating to the country for work or to start their own businesses. Today, Sikhs in Cyprus have established their own places of worship and community centres, and are an integral part of the country's cultural diversity.
The Sikh community in Greece, numbered at around 20,000 according to a 2012 report, joined together to mark the holy day
Greece has attracted Sikh migrants because of two reasons. Greek Shipping Lines recruited Sikhs and for working on a ship no visa is required till one is sailing on high seas. Most of them entered Greece as illegal immigrants by jumping off on the shore as soon as the ship docked in a port. The other reason is that Greece is the entry point to Europe for those who travelled by the land route via Afghanistan, Iran and Turkey.
Two Sikh Gurdwaras- Gurdwara Sri Dasmesh Singh Sabha and Bhagat Ravidas Darbar in Marathon, were attacked by gunfire in Greece. The attack reportedly took place on Sept. 21.