Sikhism in Norway

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Sikhism in Norway
Sikhismen i Norge
Khanda (Sikh Symbol).svg
Oslo Gurdwara Alnabru.JPG
Gurdwara Sri Guru Nanak Dev Ji, Alnabru, Oslo
Total population
~5,000
Regions with significant populations
Oslo  · Bergen
Languages
Punjabi  · Norwegian

In Norway, Sikhism has approximately 5,000 adherents, mostly living in Oslo. Oslo collectively has two gurdwaras (the Sikh place of worship). [1] [2]

History

Sikhs first came to Norway in the early 1970s. In 1969, the first Sikh who arrived in and settled in Norway was Amarjit Singh Kamboj. [3] Sikhs and other work-related immigrants from India to Norway founded The Indian Welfare Society of Norway (IWS) in 1971. The troubles in Punjab after Operation Blue Star and riots committed against Sikhs in India after the assassination of Indira Gandhi led to an increase in Sikh refugees moving to Norway and other countries.[ citation needed ] Drammen also has a sizeable population of Sikhs; the largest gurdwara in north Europe was built in Lier.[ citation needed ]

A Sikh organization, Ungesikher helps young Sikhs assimilate and has incentives to help make Sikhism better known.[ citation needed ]

To increase knowledge of Sikhs and their culture, a professor of science of religion, Knut A. Jacobsen, who works in the University of Bergen, published a textbook titled Sikhismen: historie tradisjon og kultur, [4] in Norwegian for schools.

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sikhism</span> Religion originating in Punjab, India

Sikhism, also known as Sikhi, is an Indian religion and philosophy in particular for the Sikh ethnoreligious group that originated in the Punjab region of India around the end of the 15th century CE. The Sikh scriptures are written in the Gurumukhi script particular to Sikhs. It is one of the most recently founded major religious groups and among the largest in the world, with about 25–30 million adherents.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sikhs</span> Ethnoreligious group who adhere to Sikhism

Sikhs are an ethnoreligious group who adhere to Sikhism, an Indian religion that originated in the late 15th century in the Punjab region of the Indian subcontinent, based on the revelation of Guru Nanak. The term Sikh has its origin in the Sanskrit word śiṣya, meaning 'seeker', 'disciple' or 'student'. According to Article I of Chapter 1 of the Sikh Rehat Maryada, the definition of Sikh is: Any human being who faithfully believes in

  1. One Immortal Being
  2. Ten Gurus, from Guru Nanak Sahib to Guru Gobind Singh Sahib
  3. The Guru Granth Sahib
  4. The utterances and teachings of the ten Gurus and
  5. The baptism bequeathed by the tenth Guru and who does not owe allegiance to any other religion, is a Sikh.
<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nankana Sahib</span> City in Punjab, Pakistan

Nankana Sahib is a city and capital of Nankana Sahib District in the Punjab province of Pakistan. It is named after the first Guru of the Sikhs, Guru Nanak, who was born in the city and first began preaching here. Nankana Sahib is among the most important religious sites for the Sikh religion. It is located about 91 km (57 mi) west of Lahore and about 75 km (47 mi) east of Faisalabad. According to the census of 2017 the city has a population of 110,135 inhabitants. Until 2005, it was a part of the Sheikhupura District.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Guru Tegh Bahadur</span> Ninth Sikh guru from 1665 to 1675

Guru Tegh Bahadur was the ninth of ten gurus who founded the Sikh religion and was the leader of Sikhs from 1665 until his beheading in 1675. He was born in Amritsar, Punjab, India in 1621 and was the youngest son of Guru Hargobind, the sixth Sikh guru. Considered a principled and fearless warrior, he was a learned spiritual scholar and a poet whose 115 hymns are included in the Guru Granth Sahib, which is the main text of Sikhism.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Vaisakhi</span> Religious, harvest and traditional new year festival

Vaisakhi, also pronounced 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. Further, other Indian cultures and diaspora celebrate this festival too. 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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Anandpur Sahib</span> City in Punjab, India

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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sikh architecture</span> Style of architecture

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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sikhism in India</span> Overview of the presence and role of Sikhism in India

Indian Sikhs number approximately 21 million people and account for 1.7% of India's population as of 2011, forming the country's fourth-largest religious group. The majority of the nation's Sikhs live in the northern state of Punjab, which is the only Sikh-majority administrative division in the world.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sikhism in Thailand</span>

Sikhism is a recognised minority religion in Thailand, with about 100,000 adherents. The religion was brought by migrants from India who began to arrive in the late 19th century. There are about twenty or Gurdwaras in the country, including the Gurdwara Sri Guru Singh Sabha in Bangkok.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bandi Chhor Divas</span> Sikh celebration

Bandi Chhor Divas is a Sikh celebration commemorating the day the sixth Guru of Sikhs, Guru Hargobind and 52 Hindu Kings were released from Gwalior Fort, who had been imprisoned by Mughal Emperor Jahangir. Emperor Jahangir had held 52 Kings at the Gwalior Fort for several months. Gurdwara Data Bandi Chhor Sahib is located at the place of the Guru's internment in the Fort. The day falls in autumn and often overlaps with Hindu Diwali, the festival of lights celebrated across Punjab and the rest of India. Historically, from the time of the third Sikh Guru Amar Das, Sikhs and Hindus of the time used the occasion of Diwali, Vaisakhi and other such festivals to congregate at the seat of the Gurus. In 2003, Sikh religious leaders and the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee led by Prof. Kirpal Singh Badungar formally adopted this day into the Nanakshahi calendar.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Harjinder Singh Dilgeer</span>

Harjinder Singh Dilgeer He is the only author who has written Complete History of the Sikhs and has translated Guru Granth Sahib in English and has published NEW MAHAN KOSH Encyclopedia of Sikh literature, Punjab & Sikh History {3 of the 4 volumes of the NEW Mahan Kosh have been published in March 2021. He has written in detail about the concept and the history of Akal Takht Sahib, Sikh culture, Shiromani Akali Dal, history of Anandpur Sahib, and Kiratpur Sahib, Dictionary of Sikh Philosophy etc. The Sikh Reference Book is his magnum opus. 'The Sikh Reference Book' is an encyclopedia consisting of more than 2400 biographies, complete chronology of Sikh history, 400 concepts of Sikh philosophy as well more than 800 Sikh shrines. He has produced a Sikh Encyclopedia CD-ROM. His latest books are Encyclopedia of Jalandhar (English), Banda Singh Bahadur, Sikh Twareekh in five volumes, Sikh History in ten volumes ; and English translations of Nitnaym and Sukhmani Sahib.. His latest work is the English translation of Guru Granth Sahib, in seven volumes and a Sikh encyclopedia named Nawah Mahan Kosh consisting of four volumes.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Guru Nanak</span> Founder and first guru of Sikhism (1469–1539)

Gurū Nānak, also known as Bābā Nānak, was the founder of Sikhism and is the first of the ten Sikh Gurus. His birth is celebrated as Guru Nanak Gurpurab on Katak Pooranmashi, i.e. October–November.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Golden Temple</span> Sikh religious site in Amritsar, Punjab, India

The Golden Temple (also known as the Harmandir Sahib, or the Darbār Sahib, is a gurdwara located in the city of Amritsar, Punjab, India. It is the pre-eminent spiritual site of Sikhism. It is one of the holiest sites in Sikhism, alongside the Gurdwara Darbar Sahib Kartarpur in Kartarpur, and Gurdwara Janam Asthan in Nankana Sahib.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Singh Sabha Movement</span> 1870s Sikh movement in Punjab

The Singh Sabha Movement, also known as the Singh Sabha 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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hazur Sahib</span> One of the 5 Takhts in Sikhism

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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Idolatry in Sikhism</span> View of idolatry in Sikhism

Sikhism prohibits idolatry, in accordance with mainstream Khalsa norms and the teachings of the Sikh Gurus, a position that has been accepted as orthodox.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Shiromani Akali Dal</span> Political party in India

The Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) is a centre-right Sikh-centric state political party in Punjab, India. The party is the second-oldest in India, after Congress, being founded in 1920. Although there are many parties with the description Akali Dal, the party that is recognized as "Shiromani Akali Dal" by the Election Commission of India is the one led by Sukhbir Singh Badal. The party has a moderate Punjabi agenda. On 26 September 2020, they left the NDA over the farm bills.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sikhism in Japan</span>

Sikhism in Japan is a small, minority religion. There are gurdwaras located in Tokyo, Ibaraki and Kobe.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sikhism in Finland</span>

Sikhism is a small minority religion Finland. There are approximately 700 Sikhs living in the country.

Sikhism in Denmark is a minority religion. There are estimated to be 5,000 Sikhs living in Denmark.

References

  1. Religious Statistics of Norway
  2. Singh, Pashaura (18 April 2019), "Northern Europe, Sikhs in", A Dictionary of Sikh Studies, Oxford University Press, doi:10.1093/acref/9780191831874.001.0001/acref-9780191831874-e-251;jsessionid=2ffc28cc5d913137a12d40b346f6cfe2, ISBN   978-0-19-183187-4 , retrieved 2 June 2023
  3. History of Sikhism in Norway
  4. (‘Sikhism: history, tradition and culture’) [Kristiansand, Høyskoleforlag 2007, ISBN   978-8276346763) in 2007