monu chauhan sikhism history

8/9/2019 Monu Chauhan Sikhism History

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Sikh History

Sikhism is a distinct religion that originated in India in 1469 with thebirth of Guru Nanak Dev Ji. The Khalsa was created by Guru Gobind

Singh Ji in 1699. In these 537 years, Sikhs have endured throughmany tough times.

The major time periods in Sikh History are:

1) Guru's Period Era2) Banda Singh Bahadur Era

3) Religious Persecution Era

4) Sikh Kingdom Era5) Colonial Era

6) Sikh Immigrants7) Present Era

Sikhism is now the World's 5th largest religion with 26 million followers

worldwide. The picture below shows the location of India, thehomeland of Sikhs.

Guru's Period

The first Sikh prophet, Guru Nanak Dev Ji was born in 1469 and the

10th and last Sikh prophet, Guru Gobind Singh Ji went to his heavenly

abode in 1708. This time period lasted for more than 239 long years.The Sikh religion progressed very well during this time, under the

Guru's proper guidance. While Guru Nanak Dev Ji started the Sikhreligion by preaching against the caste system, animal sacrifice, and

fasting, Guru Gobind Singh Ji completed its form by requiring all Sikhsto get baptized. Many Sikhs, who were very close to Guru Sahib, wrote

Rehatnamas based on his teachings, which are called the Sikh code of
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conduct. All the Gurus preached for service to humanity, sharing withthe needy, and praising God. Guru Angad Dev Ji, the 2nd Guru,

developed the Gurmukhi script of the Punjabi language. Guru AmarDas Ji, the 3rd Guru, wrote the hymns, which are sung at the death

ceremony. Guru Ram Das Ji, the 4th Guru, wrote the hymns which are

sung at the time of marriage. Guru Arjan Dev Ji, the 5th Guru,compiled all the hymns of first four Gurus and himself into Adi Granth.

Guru Gobind Singh Ji added the 9th Guru's hymns into the Adi Granthand completed Granth Sahib. In 1708, he asked Sikhs to follow Granth

Sahib and declared that Granth Sahib will be eternal Guru of the Sikhs

in the future. So by the time Guru Gobind Singh Ji went to hisheavenly abode, the Sikhs had their own language, own holy Guru

Granth Sahib Ji, own religious places, own baptism ceremony, owncode of conduct, own marriage, and own death ceremony. The Sikh

religion is complete.

Banda Singh Bahadur

Banda Singh's original name was Madho Dass and he had manyspiritual powers. He renounced the world lived in Nanded, South India.

Guru Gobind Singh Ji reached there in 1708 and preached to him thatrenouncing the world may not be the right path, when the poor are

being treated unfairly by the rich in this world. He became the Guru's

follower and got baptized and changed his name to Banda Singh. GuruJi sent him to Punjab in northern India, along with 5 Sikhs to fight the

tyrants. He came to Punjab, collected an army and started attacking

the small rulers of villages and towns. Ultimately, he had enoughsoldiers to fight with the ruler of Sirhind, who had mercilessly killed

the two innocent young children of Guru Gobind Singh Ji. The Sirhindarmy was composed of 25,000 men with cannons and elephants.

Banda Singh had a smaller army with no artillery. But Banda Singh'sarmy had something which other side lacked. They were ready to fight

with religious fervor and to avenge the deaths of two innocent children

of Guru Gobind Singh Ji. There was a fierce fight outside of Sirhind.Originally the Sirhind army started moving forward due to their

superiority. Then Banda Singh prayed and used one of the five arrows

given to him by Guru Gobind Singh Ji, who asked him to use themduring these times. It tilted the scales. Now Banda Singh's army

started moving forward. Ultimately, Banda Singh led his army tovictory in that battle. He entered Sirhind and punished the cruel rulers.

The ruler of Sirhind got killed, as with many of his advisors. Heestablished the first Sikh kingdom. He made his close advisors the

rulers of Sirhind and other towns. He established a new fort near


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Nahan and gave it a name of Lohgarh. That became Banda Singh'scapital.

Banda Singh ruled only short time but he made a great contribution for

the poor people of Punjab. He ordered that ordinary peasants, who

were doing agricultural work for the landlords, will actually be the realland owners. So he helped the poor and downtrodden people. Hestarted his own currency in the name of Guru Nanak -- Guru Gobind

Singh Ji. Banda Singh's kingdom stretched all the area of Punjab

between Delhi and Lahore.

The Emperor of Delhi didn't like Banda Singh's rise. He ordered the

Lahore ruler to collect all the army and attack Banda Singh. The Hinduand Muslim rulers of other towns and cities also obeyed to emperor's

orders and joined the Lahore army. Banda Singh was in the Gurdaspur

area when he was attacked from all sides. The Sikhs fought withbravery, but they were encircled from all sides. Ultimately, they fell

back to Gurdas Nangal fort. There they remained encircled for eightlong months. They ran out of ammunition and all rations. Many died

due to hunger. The remaining were half dead due to hunger.

Ultimately they were made prisoners in December 1715.

Banda Singh and 740 of his associates were brought to Delhi as

prisoners. There they were given the choice to embrace Islam or get

ready to die. All of them refused the forced conversion and wereultimately killed. Banda Singh and his four year old innocent child were

brought out of prison. They were given the same choice but theyrefused. Ultimately Banda Singh's four year old son was killed and his

the child's heart was forcibly put into Banda Singh's mouth. Then he

was killed limb by limb. He was martyred in 1716

Religious Persecution Era

Banda Singh was martyred in 1716. The religious persecution of the

Sikhs started immediately after that. They were outlawed by theGovernment. No laws protected their lands or property. They were

attacked and murdered and their houses were looted. Thousands of

Sikhs lost their lives like this. The remaining Sikhs retreated into theforests. They survived on vegetables, fruits and even the roots of the

trees. But they didn't feel discouraged. They firmly believed in GuruGobind Singh Ji's prophecy that the Sikhs would rule the country one

day. Some time they will come out of the forests to attack the

government forces. The Government was getting more frustrated withthem. Therefore the Government decided to deal with them once and


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for all. A proclamation was made that the Sikhs should be wiped outfrom the face of earth. It was declared that financial sums will be

given to the people who will kill the Sikhs and will bring their heads asa proof to the capital. This practice went on for many years. Everyday

money was given to the people who brought the heads of the Sikhs.

Sikh women and children were arrested and brought to Lahore, thecapital. There all children were killed and their body parts were put

into their mothers laps.

The religious persecution went on for about 50 years. But theGovernment was weakened by the attacks from Ahmad Shah, an

afghan king. Ahmad Shah reached all the way to Delhi and killedthousands of people. He imprisoned about 20,000 young Hindu girls

and was taking them to Afghanistan to make them slaves. Sikhsattacked his convey and released a good portion of those girls and

sent them safely back to their homes. This infuriated Ahmad Shah.

The next year, he again attacked India. Sikhs started retreatingtowards the safer areas. Ahmad Shah followed them and encircled

them. There was a fierce fight and 70% of the Sikh community wasslaughtered in one single day. This black day is also known as

holocaust day in Sikh history. Ahmad Shah also destroyed the

Sikhism's holiest place, the Golden Temple.

Sikhs regrouped and got ready to fight the tyrants. Ultimately they

became strong enough to defeat the tyrants and started ruling the

area around 1760s.

Sikh Kingdom Era

As mentioned in the previous section, the Sikhs became strong enough

to rule the area of Punjab by 1760s. They even conquered the capital

of Lahore in the 1770s. However, they were divided into 12 differentgroups under the local leaders. They were all independent of each

other as there was no main leader.

Maharaja Ranjeet Singh filled that whole. He was born in 1780 and he

conquered Lahore in 1799, at the age of 19. He gained more and more

territory every year he ruled Punjab for 40 years. He had a vastempire by the time he died in 1839 at the age of 59. His kingdom was

so vast that he had to divide his kingdom into 4 different states, andhe appointed Governors for those states. He won territory in far away

places. In fact, the present day boundaries between Pakistan and

Afghanistan and also between Northern India and China were definedhis kingdom. He was so strong that invaders from Afghanistan stopped


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attacking India very year. On the east, the Tibet Government, orpresent day China, signed a peace treaty with him. In the South, the

British also signed a peace treaty with him, which defined hiskingdom's boundaries.

He was a very kind and fair ruler and he never gave the capitalpunishment to anybody during his 40 year rule. He would go tocommon people in the evening and at night in disguise to find out their

problems and their feelings about his kingdom. He would change his

policies based on the true feedback from the people. The British werevery impressed with his personality. He also had many European

Generals, especially French, in his army. Even the RussianGovernment sent their ministers to his kingdom.

The Sikhs went through religious persecution for more than 50 long

years, as described before. Maharaja Ranjeet Singh's kingdom gavethem the opportunity to settle down into civilian life. The Sikh

community prospered during his time. He built many Gurdwarasduring his period. He put all the Gold on Sikhism's most sacred place

in Amritsar, that's why it is now known as Golden Temple.

Maharaja Ranjeet Singh died in 1839 at the age of 59.

Colonial Era

The sons and advisers of Maharaja Ranjit Singh started fighting among

themselves after his death and many of them were killed. The Britishbought the Generals of the Army and then attacked the Sikh kingdom.So the Sikh kingdom era ended in 1849, and the British annexed

Punjab with the rest of India, where they were already ruling.

The British knew that Sikhs are great warriors so they rewarded theSikhs with jobs in their army and won over them. The Sikhs proved to

very beneficial to the British in many wars that they fought in. TheBritish also gave lands to the Sikhs who retired from the Army. This

induced more Sikhs into the army. By the time British left India and

the country became independent, Sikhs constituted about 80 percentof the Army.

The British sent Sikhs to many battles far and near. The Sikhs fought

for the British in the two world wars at places like Germany, Belgium,Italy, North Africa, Iraq, Burma, Singapore and China. 83,000 Sikh

soldiers died and 146,000 were wounded while fighting in the 2 worldwars. Some Sikhs were decorated with the "Victoria Cross Medal" --


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the highest war time medal. Sikh soldiers were also part of the victoryparade in London after the second world war.

Punjab made a lot of progress during the colonial era. Many cities were

connected by railroads and by paved roads. Schools were opened in all

the towns, where English was also taught, which helped Sikhs whenthey started immigrating to western countries. The big cities hadcolleges also. The British generally tried not to interfere in the Sikhs'

religious affairs.

The Indians' struggle for independence started in the 1920s andcontinued till 1947, when the British left India. The Sikhs were at the

forefront of the independence struggle also. The British tried manyfreedom fighters, and hanged hundreds of them. They sent thousands

to lifetime imprisonments at a prison on an island thousands of miles

in the ocean. The vast majority of them (80 to 90 percent) were Sikhs.

Ultimately, the British left India in 1947. But they divided the country

into two parts before leaving. The Muslim majority area became

Pakistan and the Sikh and Hindu majority area became India. Punjabalso got divided. The West portion was included in Pakistan and the

east portion became part of India. Religious riots broke outimmediately and there was a mass migration of the population. About

one million people lost their lives in the next two months. Millions

more were displaced and were left without homes

Sikh Immigrants

Sikhs started immigrating to the United States in 1897. Some Sikhs

came straight from India, while others came from the far east, wherethey had immigrated decades ago. There were thousands of Sikhs

living in California and the other western states by the end of the firstdecade of the 20th century. But the vast majority of them were singles

because they couldn't bring their families due to the strict immigration

laws. They couldn't buy property and land due to the immigration lawseither. So the majority of them either returned to India after a few

years, or married women of Mexican ancestry. Early Sikhs mainlyworked on agricultural or railroad construction jobs. Some of them

worked in mines and lumber mills also. They built their first USGurdwara in Stockton, California in 1912, which is still in operation

today.


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Bhagat Singh, was one of the educated Sikhs, who came to study atBerkeley University in 1912. When the announcement was made that

anybody who would serve in US Army during first world war , wouldbe given citizenship he joined US Army in 1914. He proudly served

during the first world war and was honorably discharged at the end of

the war in 1918. But he was denied citizenship because he was notCaucasian. He fought his case in courts and went all the way to US

Supreme Court, but ultimately lost. He ended up marrying a localwoman and ended up staying here. He did his PhD and worked as a

professor. He wrote more than a dozen books in his field of expertise.

Dalip Singh Saund was another Sikh who came to study at BerkeleyUniversity. He completed his PhD in Mathematics but couldn't get a job

due to the strict immigration laws. He started working in theagricultural fields and ultimately became a successful farmer. When

immigration laws changed in 1940s, he got his citizenship. He became

a judge in 1950s. He then ran for the US Congress in the 1950s fromRiverside county of California and was a US Congressman for 3

consecutive terms.

Immigration of the Sikhs almost stopped after 1915 due to the strictimmigration laws. The population of the Sikhs dwindled. There were

only few hundred Sikhs living in California at the end of second worldwar. When the immigration laws changed in 1965, a new wave of

Sikhs started coming. Most of them were educated and they got jobs

in almost every profession. Wherever they settled, they also built

Gurdwaras. There are hundreds of Gurdwaras in the United Statestoday. Some of them joined the US Army and proudly served. ThePolice forces in New York, Los Angeles, and the California National

Guard have turbaned Sikh police officers. Since pioneer Sikhs got jobs

in agriculture, they settled in California's central valley. Due to that,10% of Yuba City's population is Sikh. Sikhs get together on the first

Sunday of every November to celebrate the anniversary of the firstinstallation of Guru Granth Sahib Ji. There are an estimated 40 to 50

thousand Sikhs in the parade, which gives a big boost to Yuba City'seconomy.


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Early Sikhs Immigrants and their Role in Nation Building

1906 Sikh Immigrant track workers pose for a picture

(Photo courtesy Plumas County Museum, Quincy, CA.)

1909 Sikh Workers on the Pacific & Eastern Railroad in Oregon

(Photo courtesy of the Southern Oregon Historical Society, Medford, Oregon)


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1912 Sikh Farm Workers Sacramento Valley

(Photo Courtesy of The Tide of Turbans: Asian Indians In America by Ronald Takaki)

Bhagat Singh (1892-1967)

(Photo courtesy of the Thind Family)

Served in the US Army during 1st World War (1914-18). Honorably discharged from

the US army On Dec 16, 1918


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Present Era

Sikhs are thriving in India in the post-independence period. Sikhs can

be seen in all the high posts in every aspect of the country. Thepresent Prime Minister of India, Manmohan Singh, is a Sikh. Gen. J.J.

Singh, the Indian Army Chief, is also a Sikh. The Sikhs have served in

very high posts of the Government and the private industry as well.

60% of the population in Punjab is Sikh, and Punjab is the most

prosperous state in India. Sikhs have started immigrating to Western

countries in the post-independence period. They generally havemigrated to the US, Canada, UK, and Australia. One million Sikhs live

in North America. 2% of Canada's population is Sikh, as well as 10 ofits Parliament members. Canada's ex-health Minister and ex-premier

of British Colombia are also Sikhs.

In America, Sikh Americans continue to contribute to all facets of theUS economy. The first Asian American Congressman was a Sikh. The

father of Fiber Optics, the chief marketing officer of Palm Inc, andAmericas largest peach grower are all Sikhs. The largest Federal Court

security contractor for the US Marshals service is Sikh owned. Sikhs

are seen in most of the prof essions in America today.

Sikh Symbols: What do they signify?

In the Sikh religion, there are quite a few symbols. However, only

some of these symbols apply to all people. What I mean is that someof the major symbols of Sikhism only apply to those people that have

been baptized. The major Sikh Symbols are:

1) Ek-Onkar

2) Khanda3) Kesh

4) Kangha5) Kara

6) Kachhera7) Kirpan

8) Nishan Sahib
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Ek-Onkar

The words Ek-Onkar have a firm place in Sikhism and itsymbolizes a lot. The Guru Granth Sahib Ji opens with

these words. Ek-Onkar means 'There is one God.' ManyGurdwaras and Sikh organizations use this symbol on

letters and other documents. In fact, many Sikhs also use

this symbol on their letters. This constant repetition of Ek-Onkar is done so that Sikhs are constantly reminded that there is only

one God in the universe.

Sikh Symbols

Khanda

The Khanda, like Ek-Onkar is a very important symbol in

Sikhism. The Khanda is commonly seen in Gurdwaras and onthe Sikh flag. The Khanda symbolizes God's Universal and

Creative Power. In it's center is a double edged sword, whichsymbolizes the primal and almighty power of the creator. The 'Chakra'

or the circle is a symbol of the continuity. The two swords on the

outside are symbols of the spiritual and political balance in theuniverse.

Sikh Symbols

Kesh

Kesh is one the 'Panj Kakar' or 'Five Ks' that people have

after being baptized. However, Kesh, or uncut hair from

everywhere on their body, is one of the two Ski's thatmost people have, even if they aren't baptized. Sikh males

tie their hair into a 'Joora', or bun. They cover this with a'Pag', or turban. At a younger age, people cover their

Joora with a 'Patka', a smaller turban. Most females eitherbraid their hair or put it in a bun on the back of their head. There aresome women who tie and cover their hair like the men do. A lot of

emphasis is put on Kesh because it is the body in the natural way thatit was created by God.

Sikh Symbols
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Kangha

The Kangha is another of the Panj Kakar, and it primarily

in the possession of people who have been baptized. It is

a comb and used for the cleanliness of the hair. Sikhs are

asked to clean their hair in the morning and at bed time.

Sikh Symbols

Kara

The Kara is the third of the Panj Kakar and it is the

other Kakar that most people where, regardless of thefact whether they are baptized or not. The Kara is aniron or steel bracelet that binds the Sikh, who is

wearing it, to God. The Kara is used to remind the Sikhto do the right deeds. The Kara is usually worn in the predominant

hand so that the Sikh can see the Kara whenever he does anything.

Sikh Symbols

Kachhera

The Kachhera is yet another of the Panj Kakar and it's

worn by people who have been baptized. It ensures agilityand freedom of movement. Kachhera is a form of boxer shorts that

symbolize chastity and sexual restraint.

Sikh Symbols

Kirpan

The Kirpan is the last of the Panj Kakar and it is only wornby people who have been baptized. However, like the

other Panj Kakar, it isn't worn at all times. This is because

Sikhs take it off when they ride on airplanes so they don'tstart a commotion. Sikhs agreed to these terms with the

FAA.
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Sikh Symbols

Nishan Sahib

Nishan Sahib is the name for the Khalsa Flag. Saffron in color and of

triangle shape it is a religious flag. It has a black Khanda in themiddle. The flag post is also covered in saffron cloth and has a metallic

Khanda at the top. Sighting of a Nishan Sahib gives the idea that thereis a Gurdwara around.

Gurus: The True Spiritual Teachers

When the Sikh religion was founded, it had 10 Gurus to lead it. The

word Guru means "A teacher and guide in spiritual and philosophicalmatters." However, the Gurus were more than just that. The Gurus

were the leaders of the Sikhs in religious matters, and in later times,they also became the leaders of the Sikhs in worldly matters. In fact,

the Gurus were God in the form of a human being. All the Gurus made

their contributions and a new religion "Sikhism" was formed. The tenGurus are:

1) Guru Nanak Dev Ji (1469-1539)

2) Guru Angad Dev Ji (1504-1552)3) Guru Amar Das Ji (1479-1574)

4) Guru Ram Das Ji (1534-1581)5) Guru Arjan Dev Ji (1563-1606)

6) Guru Hargobind Sahib Ji (1595-1644)7) Guru Har Rai Ji (1630-1661)

8) Guru Har Krishan Ji (1656-1664)

9) Guru Tegh Bahadur Ji (1621-1675)10) Guru Gobind Singh Ji (1666-1708)

11) Guru Granth Sahib Ji (1708-Present)
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Sikh Beliefs

The Sikh Gurus practiced what they preached for well over 200 years

and the Sikh beliefs are born out of their examples and sacredwritings. Due to this, Sikhs have a strong base when it comes to

beliefs. Some of the major Sikh beliefs are:

1) One God

God is the Creator of the Universe

God isn't born and will never dieGod is present everywhere

2) Equality

All human beings are equalPeople of all religions and races are welcome in Sikh Gurdwaras

Women have equal status with men in religious services andceremonies

3) Birth and Death

After a person dies, his soul is born again in another body, human oranimal

One's next life depends on his deeds in the past lifeThe human life is supreme and it is through this life that we can

achieve oneness with God

Finding God takes us out of this life cycle

4) Non-Violence

Sikhs are a peace loving people and stand for Truth and Justice

Guru Gobind Singh Ji said, "It is right to use force as a last resortwhen all other peaceful means fail."
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The four basic principles for living a good life and leaving the life cycleare:

1) Naam Japna or Simran (Meditation)

One of the basic principles for living a good life

Simran helps you get closer to God

Simran brings a peace of mind

2) Kirat Karni (Work)

The second basic principle for living a good life

Sikhs should only accept what they have earned by honesty andhard work

Sikhs shouldn't take away what rightfully belongs to others

Guru Nanak Dev Ji said, "Taking away other's right is as sinful aspork to a Muslim and beef to a Hindu."

3) Wand Chakna (Charity Donations)

Sikhs should give to the poor and needy in the form of charitySikhs should share with others

4) Sewa (Service to Humanity and God)

Sewa is a major part of Sikhism and many people do it at the

GurdwaraA great example of Sewa is the story of Bhai Kanahya, who in a

battle gave water to both Sikhs and MughalsBhai Kanahya was asked by Guru Gobind Singh Ji why he was doing

it and Bhai Kanahya said, "I do not see a friend or foe, I only seeyour face everywhere."

Bhai Kanahya was blessed and started the first Red Cross

Guru Gobind Singh Ji said, "Realize that the human race is one."
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Sikh Festivals

Sikh festivals are occasions for Sikhs to rededicate themselves to the

Faith. Even martyrdoms and death anniversaries of the Gurus arefestivals to inspire the faithful and remind them of their history and

the value of sacrifice for a good cause. People of various faiths are

invited to these celebrations to give them a view of the Sikh faith andway of life.

Some of the major Sikh festivals are:

1) Baisakhi (Vaisakhi)2) Diwali

3) Hola Mohalla

Baisakhi (Vaisakhi)

Baisakhi is a New Year Festival in the Sikh calendar. Khalsa wascreated by Guru Gobind Singh Ji on this day by performing the Amrit

ceremony in 1699. Traditionally, on this day which usually falls on

13th April, 'Nishan Sahib', the Sikh Flag, is replaced by a new one. Aservice in the open compound is held, led by 'Panj Pyara'. The Flag

post is taken down and 'Chola', the flag cloth, is removed and the flagpost is cleaned and washed. It is covered with a new 'Chola' and re-

hoisted. The ceremony is completed by an Ardas. The whole scene isvery inspiring.

In common with other festivals, 'Akhand Path' (continuous reading of

Guru Granth Sahib for 48 hours) is arranged to 2 days earlier and

'Bhog' (completion ceremony) takes place on the morning of Baisakhi.This is followed by the singing of divine hymns. Later, learned

preachers give talks on the importance of Baisakhi. Amrit ceremony isperformed at most places for those ready to take Amrit. Competitions

are held in sports, martial arts, poetry and essay writing on the

festival theme. In addition the Sikh men, women and children takepart in 'Sewa' in Langar which stays open throughout the three days

for the worshipers.

Sikh Festivals
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Diwali

Diwali means the Festival of Lights. The Sikhs celebrate Diwali because

Guru Hargobind reached Amritsar on Diwali day after his release from

Gwalior jail. He had also got 52 princes freed from prison. That is why

this festival is very important for the residents of Amritsar. The GoldenTempe complex is illuminated and wonderful displays of fireworks areheld. Priceless historic treasures and weapons used by the Gurus are

put on display..

The Indian festival of lights held around October 25th. Guru Amar Dasinstitutionalized this as one of the special days when all Sikhs would

gather to receive the Gurus blessings at Goindwal. In 1577 thefoundation stone of The Golden Temple was laid on Diwali. On Diwali

1619 the Golden Temple was illuminated with many lights to welcome

home and celebrate the release of Guru Hargobind from imprisonmentin Gwalior fort. Sikhs have continued this annual celebration with

lamps being lit outside gurdwaras and sweets distributed to all. Thelargest gathering happens at The Golden Temple which is lit up with

thousands of lights.

Sikh Festivals

Hola Mohalla

An annual festival of thousands held at Anandpur Sahib. It was started

by Guru Gobind Singh as a gathering of Sikhs for military exercisesand mock battles on the day following the Indian festival of Holi. Themock battles were followed by music and poetry competitions. The

Nihang Singh's carry on the martial tradition with mock battles anddisplays of swordsmanship and horse riding. There are also a number

of durbars where Sri Guru Granth Sahib is present and kirtan andreligious lectures take place. The festival culminates in a large parade

headed by the Nishan Sahibs of the gurdwaras in the region. Hola

Mohalla is held aroun d March 17.

Language: Punjabi
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Punjabi is the language of the Sikhs. As you can tell, its name

originates from Punjab, the land of five rivers. Punjabi is spoken

primarily in Punjab, although many Punjabi descendents also speak it

around the world. Like all other languages, Punjabi has its ownalphabet. This alphabet is called "Gurmukhi."

The literal definition of Gurmukhi is "from the mouth of the Guru."Gurmukhi is used in the Sikh scriptures, or Guru Granth Sahib Ji. It is

believed that Gurmukhi is evolved from the old Brahmi scripts andtherefore would be a member of the Brahmi family. Gurmukhi was

widely used to record the sayings coming from the Guru's mukh, ormouth. This is how Gurmukhi got its name.

The Gurmukhi script was made by the second Sikh Guru, Guru Angad

Dev Ji. I want to point out that Punjabi had been around for some timewhen Guru Angad Dev Ji made Gurmukhi. At that time, Punjabi was

said but it was an unorganized language because it didn't have a

proper alphabet. In order to invent Gurmukhi, Guru Angad Dev Ji hadto take many steps. Guru Ji retained and slightly modified certain

letters of the Brahmi scripts. These letters depicted sounds of Punjabi.Guru Ji also created some other letters for each of the Punjabi

phonemes. Once Guru Angad Dev Ji was done in making the letters,

he rearranged them into what we have today.
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However, the letters aren't all the Gurmukhi Sikhs have. Guru Angad

Dev Ji also made numbers as part of the Gurmukhi script.

These are only the first 10 numbers in the Gurmukhi script. In order to

right greater numbers, we just repeat the figures until we have thedesired number.

The Gurmukhi script is special in the sense that in some cases an ' a 'is added to a consonant. This ' a ' is added to consonants as long as it

isn't pronounced at the end of the syllable. For example, ' j ' and ' l '

combine to become ' jal ' in Punjabi. In this case, the ' j ' becomes ' ja' and the 'l' stays as ' l .' Another way that a vowel can be used after a

consonant is by using the first three letters of the Gurmukhi script. Thefirst and third letters can't be used independently and they need a

vowel sign, which changes their pronunciation. The second letter of the


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script can also be used with these vowel signs. In the Gurmukhi scriptthere are 10 different ways to say a letter. Out of these 10 vowel

signs, only Sihari comes before the consonant but, like the others, it ispronounced after it.

Like specific vowel signs, Gurmukhi also has nasalization signs. What I

mean by this is that these signs are used to nasalize the sound of thevowels. There are two basic nasalization signs in Gurmukhi: the Tippeeand the Bindee. Out of these two, the Tippee is used more often and is

portrayed as a half-circle that is concave down and is located abovethe end of the letter. The Tippee is used with :

The Bindee is portrayed as a dot above or slightly after the vowel sign.

The Bindee is used with :

Both the Tippee and the Bindee create a half ' n ' sound.

Another sign that is used in Gurmukhi is called the Adhak. Some

people confuse the Adhak with the Tippee because the Adhak is


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portrayed as a half-circle that is concave up and is located above theend of the letter. The only difference in look between the Adhak and

the Tippee is the direction of the concavity. The job of the Adhak is tocreate the sound of a double consonant. In other words, it emphasizes

the consonant that it is placed before.

Guru Angad Dev Ji has created a beautiful script for Sikhs. This isshown with the proportions of the letters. All of the letters have the

same height with the exception of ooraa, the first letter, whose top

curve extends above the line. The width of all the letters is also thesame.

Since its induction, Gurmukhi has played a major role in Sikh faith andtraditions. Although the script was originally used only for Sikh books,

it spread under Maharaja Ranjit Singh. This was because Maharaja

Ranjit Singh used it for administrative purposes by putting Gurmukhion the monetary coins of his kingdom. Another reason that Gurmukhi

was spread was due to the fact that it has been the bare minimum forliteracy in Punjab and nearby areas where schools were attached to

Gurdwaras.

Gurmukhi has been very important to the Sikhs. This is because,without Gurmukhi, Punjabi would still be a Persian script. The Punjabi

language has extended throughout the world today because Sikhs

have settled in many countries and Gurmukhi has followed them.Today Punjabi is used in culture, arts, education, and administration.

Punjabi is also the state language of Punjab.

Sikhism

World's 5th largest religion26 million followers worldwide

Over 500 years oldOriginated in India

Sikhism is a distinct religion, having no links with Hinduism or Islam


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Sikhs

Sikhs have lived in America for over 100 years

People who wear turbans in the US are Sikhs26 million Sikhs worldwide

Sikhs are living in America since 1897

Early Sikhs built railroads, and worked in lumber mills and on farms83,000 Sikh soldiers died during 2 World wars

One million Sikhs live in North America, including 15,000 in theGreater Sacramento area

7 Sikh Temples in Capital area

First US Sikh Temple in Stockton, 1912

(Photo courtesy of Stockton RecordNewspaper Dated November 22, 1915)

Sikhs believe in:

Freedom of speech, religionJustice and liberty for all

Defending civil liberties and protecting the defenseless

Tolerance and absolute equality of all people without regardto gender, race, caste, or religion

One God common to allEqual right for women

SikhsDO NOTBelieve In:


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Sikhsdo notbelieve in terrorism or hurting innocent peopleSikhs do not believe in hate or racial profilingSikhsdo not believe in war based on religionSikhsdo notbelieve in proselytismSikhsdo notbelieve in fasting

Sikhs Turbans

99.9% of people with turbans in US are Sikhs

U cover long, uncut hair and provides the distinct identity

Approx. 15 feet of cloth wrapped neatly around the head every

time it is put on

Symbolizes discipline, integrity, humility, and spirituality

Religious requirement - must be worn at all times in public

A turban is not a hat. It cannot be casually taken on and off. Itmust be carefully retied each time it is removed

Turbans are a mandatory part of Sikh faith, not a socialcustom

Sikhs feel humiliated if asked to remove their turban in public,as doing so exposes an intimate part of their body

Sikh Americans are easily identified by their colorful turbans and

unshorn hair


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Sikh population by each Indian state

# State Total Males Females

1 Andaman & Nicobar Islands 1,587 873 714

2 Andhra Pradesh 30,998 17,264 13,734

3 Arunachal Pradesh 1,865 1,475 390

4 Assam 22,519 13,508 9,011

5 Bihar 20,780 11,057 9,723

6 Chandigarh 545,175 76,000 69,175

7 Chhattisgarh 69,621 36,662 32,959


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8 Dadra & Nagar Haveli 123 96 27

9 Daman & Diu 145 92 53

1

0Delhi 1,555,602 288,675 266,927

1

1Goa 970 590 380

1

2Gujarat 45,587 24,987 20,600

1

3Haryana 2,170,662 618,558 552,104

1

4 Himachal Pradesh 472,355 38,118 34,237

1

5Jammu & Kashmir 207,154 114,524 92,630

16

Jharkhand 83,358 45,348 38,010

1

7Karnataka 15,326 8,811 6,515

1

8Kerala 2,762 1,611 1,151


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1

9Lakshadweep 6 6 0

20

Madhya Pradesh 1,150,772 80,122 70,650

21

Maharastra 815,337 117,736 97,601

2

2Manipur 1,653 1,091 562

2

3Meghalaya 3,110 1,810 1,300

24

Mizoram 326 251 75

2

5Nagaland 1,152 774 378

2

6Orissa 17,492 9,448 8,044

27

Pondicherry 108 70 38

28 Punjab 14,592,387 7,692,776 6,899,611

2

9Rajasthan 818,420 432,534 385,886


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3

0Sikkim 1,176 1,061 115

31

Tamil Nadu 479,545 5,515 4,030

32

Tripura 1,182 1,074 108

3

3Uttar Pradesh 1,678,059 361,320 316,739

3

4Uttaranchal 212,025 111,723 100,302

35

West Bengal 66,391 36,738 29,653

Mission

Waheguru Ji Ka Khalsa Waheguru Ji Ki Fateh

This site is put together for Sikhs and non-Sikhs to learn the truth aboutSikhism. Purpose of this site is to educate people how Sikhism is a differentreligion from all other religions and how Sikhism is not a separate movement oran offshoot of Hinduism and/or Islam. Many people out there know nothingabout Sikhism and Sikh youth is going away from Sikhism because of lack ofknowledge about this beautiful religion which is why we made "Sikhism"

category under which all the basic beliefs of Sikhism are included. Thiscategory tells almost everything a new person to Sikhism should know about."Sikhism" is a very good introductory course to Sikhism. "Khalsa" category iscreated for people to learn little bit about Sikh history and how Sikhs being thegreat warriors freed India from Mughals and became rulers of northern India.

"Gurus" and "Martyrs" categories are created so that people can actually learnabout Sikh Gurus and rich heritage of sacrifices Sikhs made for freedom. No


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other religion has produced these many martyrs. Only Sikhism, the youngestreligion, has more martyrs than any other religion. Reading about Sikh martyrswould surely touch the hearts of the Sikh youth and would make them proud tobe Sikhs.

"Articles" category goes into depth of Sikhism. Without enough knowledge youmight not be able to understand most of the articles. This section includes themajor differences between Sikhism, Hinduism and Islam. Many peoplemistakenly think of Sikhism as another movement or a sect of Hinduism or Islamwhich is not true. Articles section explains this very well. Also, other articleson RSS and Khalistan are included which are written especially for Sikhs.Purpose of these articles is to aware the Sikhs about the dangers to Sikhism andpropaganda of Indian government. These articles will educate Sikhs about thetruth that goes on in India. Many websites out there talk about Khalistan butvery few actually go into details on why Khalistan is really needed and thosewebsites fail to address the current problems Sikhs are facing today in India

and around the world. These articles will get the message across.

We have included picture gallery for our people. This is also a good source tolearn about Sikh history such as Operation Blue Star. A picture is equal tothousand words. By looking at the pictures people would understand Sikhhistory better because this is s solid proof of what really happened. We decidedto put up stories of people who become Sikhs under Stories section. Thesestories will inspire people to join Sikhism. Many people get confused abouttaking Amrit, or want to know if there are other people who think about joiningSikhism and this section will serve the purpose very well. These stories arecollected from different web sites. No other web site has decided to collect

these stories and put them all in one place. So we decided to save those storiesfor our readers to inspire them to join Sikhism. We have tried to present themost accurate information on Sikhism. We really hope after reading thiswebsite people will have better understanding about Sikhism. Our overallpurpose for this website sums up as follows:

1) To educate Sikhs and non-Sikhs about the true teaching of Sikhism.

2) Sikhism is a separate religion and not a movement or sect of any otherreligion.

3) Khalistan is a MUST for Sikhs in order to survive.

Waheguru Ji Ka Khalsa Waheguru Ji Ki Fateh


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monu chauhan sikhism history

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