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WaheGuru Ji Ka Khalsa, WaheGuru Ji Ki Fateh.
 Sikhism is only 500 years old but with over 20 million Sikhs around the world, is the fifth largest world religion. Sikhism was founded by Guru Nanak Dev Ji (left), the first Guru in the 15th century in the Punjab (the land of 5 rivers). Following partition in 1947, Punjab is now divided between Pakistan and the northern Indian state of Punjab.The word Guru is composed of Gu meaning darkness and Ru meaning Light. In Sikhism therefore 'Guru' is the "Light that dispels all darkness" and Guru Nanak Dev Ji was the Embodiment of Divine Light. Sikhism is based on compassion; service; equality between males, females and all religions and encourages an honest, truthful living with a rejection of idol worship, the caste system, ritualism and superstitions. In Sikhism, heaven and hell are states of mind represented by joy and sorrow, bliss and agony or light and darkness. Sikhism is a distinct religion and shouldn't be viewed as linked to either Islam or Hinduism. Guru Nanak Dev Ji said "I am neither a Hindu nor a Muslim, I am a human being". Guru Nanak Dev Ji spread a simple message of Ek Onkar, we are all one, created by the one Creator of all Creation. He said that there is one God and the name of God is Sat Nam (truth). To show it's importance, Ek Onkar is the first line at the head of all gurbani and forms the first line of the Mool Mantar which begins the Guru Granth Sahib Ji. Guru Nanak Dev Ji's followers were the Sikhs (the seekers of truth) and came from different communities and castes. Guru Nanak Dev Ji taught the Sikhs to bow only before God and that in order to experience God within themselves they should:
By following this path, a Sikh can achieve liberation by becoming gur-mukh (God centred) instead of being mun-mukh (self centred).  There have been 10 human Gurus in the Sikh religion, each making a distinguished contribution to the development of the religion. Whilst Sikhs hold the Gurus in high regard they are not worshipped; Sikhs only worship one God "Ek Onkar".The 10th and last human Guru, Guru Gobind Singh Ji (left) transformed the Sikhs into the Khalsa. Guru Gobind Singh Ji baptised five brave men, the "Panj Pyarey" (five beloved ones) who heeded his call for sacrifice. Guru Gobind Singh Ji gave the name "Singh" for men and "Kaur" for women and ordered everyone in the Khalsa to obverse the five "Ks".
Guru Gobind Singh Ji passed the guruship to the Guru Granth Sahib Ji, the Book of Holy Scriptures. Guru Granth Sahib Ji is the 11th Guru of the Sikhs and serves as the source of spiritual and moral guidance. Within it's pages are the holy scriptures, hymns and musical measures that were written, composed, and compiled by the Sikh Gurus along with Hindu and Muslim saints. Harmandir Sahib (also known as The Golden Temple) at Amritsar in the Indian State of Punjab is the inspirational and historical centre of Sikhism. But it isn't required that a Sikh should undertake a pilgrimage to or worship at Harmandir Sahib. All places, where the Guru Granth Sahib Ji is installed are considered equally holy. This is just a brief introduction to Sikhism. On the useful links page we have listed other information sources or alternatively, why not come to one of the Sikhism classes? Guru Granth Sahib Ji WaheGuru Ji Ka Khalsa, WaheGuru Ji Ki Fateh. The Guru Granth Sahib Ji is the 11th Guru of the Sikhs and contains the hymns composed by the Sikh Gurus along with hymns from non-Sikhs, Hindus and Muslims. The Granth thus shows that spiritual truth was welcomed from whatever source. Granth is a Sanskrit word implying a holy book. Sahib is added to it's name in the Sikh tradition of expressing respect and veneration towards the Lord. The Guru Granth Sahib Ji is a collection of 1430 pages, with 3384 hymns consisting of 15575 stanzas. The Granth is treasure house of spiritual and moral teaching, and contains the eternal Truth, proclaims God and shows the way of His realisation. Sections of the Guru Granth Sahib Ji are known as Japji, Rehras, Kirtan Sohila and Anand Sahib which form the basis of the Sikh daily prayers. The Guru Granth Sahib Ji starts with the Mool Mantar, which defines the basic beliefs of the Sikhs set by Guru Nanak Dev Ji, the founder of the Sikh faith. The first edition of the Granth was compiled by Guru Arjan Dev Ji. He started preparation in 1601 and completed compiling the Granth in August 1604. The scribe for this edition of the Granth was Bhai Gurdas, an uncle of Guru Arjan Dev Ji. It was compiled at Ramsar, which is today known as Amritsar. The Granth was installed in Harmandir Sahib (also known as The Golden Temple) on Diwali, 30th August 1604. The second edition of the Granth was compiled by Guru Gobind Singh Ji in 1706 at Damdama Sahib. The scribe for this edition was Bhai Mani Singh, a classmate of Guru Gobind Singh Ji. The Guru Granth Sahib Ji contains gurbani by the following Gurus:
Guru Gobind Singh Ji (1666 - 1708) WaheGuru Ji Ka Khalsa, WaheGuru Ji Ki FatehGuru Gobind Singh Ji was the 10th and the last human Guru of the Sikhs. He was the son of Guru Teg Bhadur Ji, the 9th Guru and took the guruship in 1675, aged 9. Guru Gobind Singh Ji held the guruship for 33 years, until he left for heavenly abode in 1708. Guru Gobind Singh Ji was a great scholar studying Persian, Sanskrit, Brig Bhasha and Arabic but also a great military genius. Guru Gobind Singh Ji accepted the use of power and the sword to fight tyranny in defense of religous freedom when other approaches failed. He fought twelve battles and the Guru's four sons (Char Sahib Zaday) were killed in campaigns against tyranny. Char Sahib Zaday:
Guru Gobind Singh Ji received amrit from the Panj Pyarey and gave the Sikhs the new greeting of Waheguru ji Ka Khalsa, Waheguru ji Ki Fatech, meaning "The Khalsa belongs to God; all victory is the victory of God", the Sikh National Anthem along with the name Singh to males meaning lion and Kaur to females meaning princess. After taking amrit both the Panj Pyarey and Guru Gobind Singh Ji took the name Singh. Guru Gobind Singh Ji was Guru Gobind Rai before he took amrit and the Panj Pyarey became:
In 1706, Guru Gobind Singh Ji compiled the second edition of the Granth at Damdama Sahib. The scribe for this edition was Bhai Mani Singh, a classmate of Guru Gobind Singh Ji. In 1708, Guru Gobind Singh Ji passed the Guruship to the Guru Granth Sahib Ji. The Guru Granth Sahib Ji is the 11th Guru of the Sikhs and serves as the source of spiritual and moral guidance. This is just a brief introduction to Guru Gobind Singh Ji. On the useful links page we have listed other information sources or alternatively, why not come to one of the Gurmat classes? Khanda WaheGuru Ji Ka Khalsa, WaheGuru Ji Ki Fateh. The Khanda is found on the Nishan Sahib and on the canopy over the Guru Granth Sahib Ji. The name is derived from the central symbol a Khanda which is a special type of double edged sword. A Khanda was used by Guru Gobind Singh Ji when preparing Amrit for the Panj Pyarey (five beloved ones). Khanda - the central double edged sword Represents the creative power of One God.
Festivals and Gurpurbs WaheGuru Ji Ka Khalsa, WaheGuru Ji Ki Fateh. Sikhism like every other religion has it's own festivals and important days to celebrate. Gurpurbs celebrate all events connected with the Sikh Gurus, these include the birthdays of the Sikh Gurus, Gurus leaving for heavenly abode or the martyrdom days of the Sikh Gurus. The other main events are Vaisakhi, Diwali and Hola Mohalla. Gurpurbs The Gurpurbs that are celebrated are:
Viasakhi Vaisakhi is celebrated on 14th of April and is associated with the creation of the Khalsa by Guru Gobind Singh Ji and the start of the harvest in Punjab. The chola (cloth covering the flagpole) of the Nishan Sahib is changed as part of the Vaisakhi celebrations and a Nagar Kirtan is held when the Guru Granth Sahib Ji is taken in a procession. At the head of the procession there will be the Panj Pyarey (five beloved ones) followed by the members of the Walsall Sikh community. Bandi Chhor Divas (Diwali) The Bandi Chhor Divas signifies freedom and justice to the Sikhs and is celebrated to commemorate the release in 1619 of Guru Hargobind Ji from imprisonment." Guru Hargobind Ji was the 6th Guru, he was the son of Guru Arjan Dev Ji and was imprisoned because Guru Arjan Dev Ji had refused to change his faith away from Sikhism. Eventually, the Emperor Jehangir ordered the release of Guru Hargobind Ji but Guru Hargobind Ji refused to leave prison unless 52 imprisoned Hindu Rajas were also freed. The Emperor agreed that Guru Hargobind Ji could take as many Hindu Rajas with him that could hold onto his cloak whilst going through the narrow passages of the prison. Guru Hargobind Ji had a cloak made such that it allowed all 52 Hindu Rajas to hold on and so he was able to free all the prisoners. On Guru Hargobind's arrival at Amritsar, he found that the Sikhs had used lamps to decorate Harmandir Sahib (also known as The Golden Temple) in honour of his release. Thus Diwali symbolises freedom of conscience, freedom to practice one's own faith, to respect another person's faith and to fight persecution. Guru Gobind Singh Gurdwara celebrates this festival with a religious service, with langer being served and with a fireworks display in the evening. Hola Mohalla Guru Gobind Singh Ji instigated the festival of Hola Mohalla in 1680 at Anandpur Sahib and coincides with the Hindu Holi festival. Hola Mohalla is a time to practice military exercises. |
