by Stella
India is home to many different religions. There are a great number of Sikhs in India, as well as the world, and although Sikhism may appear similar to Hinduism, these two religions are actually very different.
One major difference is the origin of the religion. Sikhism came about in the 1400s, when the first of the Ten Gurus, Guru Nanak, started to gain followers. The last living guru, Guru Gobind Singh, died in 1708 after founding the Khalsa and the Guru Granth Sahib, which is the holy scripture of Sikhism. The Khalsa is a group of Sikhs who are willing to die for their religion, and live by the five K's.
The five K's are kara, kangha, kesh, kachera, and kirpan. Kara is an iron or steel bracelet, worn to symbolize strength and eternity. Sikhs wear turbans because they do not cut their hair, to show their acceptance of God's creation. This practice is known as kesh. The Kangha is a comb that Sikhs use to keep their long hair clean and secure the knot that it is kept in. Kachera are shorts that Sikhs wear under their clothes, and Kirpan is a knife that reminds members of the Khalsa that they are willing to die for their faith.
Sikhism involves many other traditions, such as praying in the gurdwara, where a granthi, similar to a priest, reads from the Guru Granth Sahib Ji. Several festivals are held, including Baisakhi, Divali Mela, and Hola Mohalla Mela. They also observe all of the Gurus' births and deaths, called gurpurbs.
Despite its over 22 million adherents, Sikhism is often overlooked and thought of as no more than a relative of Hinduism, but it is really a separate religion with its own beliefs and practices.
Works Cited
Barnes, Trevor. Hinduism and Other Eastern Religions. Boston: Kingfisher, 2005. Print.
Dalton, David. Sikhism. Great Britain: Barrons, 2006. Print. This Is My Faith.
Mayled, Jon. Sikhism. Chicago: Raintree, 2003. Print. Living Religions.
Ross, Stephen. "Statistics Population, World, Countries, Cities, Religions, Roman Catholic, Muslims - Worldwide Missions - Wholesome Words." Wholesome Words Christian Website. 2010. Web. 28 Nov. 2010. http://www.wholesomewords.org/missions/greatc.html
What are the main actions this group, then? Is it a more personal belief system or are they more about community/others? - Ms. H
ReplyDeleteI should have worded my question this way: What are the main activities of this group, then? Are they more inwardly-focused (is it more about individuals) as a belief system or do they focus more on community/others? I think this makes more sense - I typed way too fast - sorry! - Ms. H
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