Sikh

Sikh
Name	Sikh
Founder	Guru Nanak
Founded date	15th century
Founded location	Punjab
Scriptures	Guru Granth Sahib
Language	Punjabi, Gurmukhi
Headquarters	Harmandir Sahib

Sikh

Sikhism emerged in the late 15th century in the Punjab region under the leadership of Guru Nanak and the successive line of ten Gurus, developing distinct doctrines, liturgy, and institutions. Rooted in the social and political milieu of Mughal India, the tradition produced canonical texts, liturgical practices, martial formations, and communal institutions that influenced regional history and diasporic communities. The tradition interacts with figures, places, and movements across South Asia and the wider world through migration, conflict, and cultural exchange.

Origins and History

The tradition traces its origin to the life and teachings of Guru Nanak and the succession of nine Gurus including Guru Angad, Guru Amar Das, Guru Ram Das, and Guru Arjan, who compiled early hymns and supervised construction projects like the Harmandir Sahib in Amritsar. Political tensions with Mughal authorities culminated during the period of Guru Arjan and Guru Tegh Bahadur, intersecting with events such as the execution of Guru Arjan and the martyrdom of Guru Tegh Bahadur, which in turn influenced militarization under Guru Hargobind and the later formation of the Khalsa by Guru Gobind Singh at Anandpur Sahib. The post-Guru period saw the central role of the Guru Granth Sahib, the Mughal–Sikh wars, the rise of the Sikh Confederacy with Misls, and the establishment of the Sikh Empire under Maharaja Ranjit Singh, which engaged with the British East India Company and later the British Raj, provoking episodes like the Anglo-Sikh Wars. Colonial interactions produced reforms, missionary encounters, and movements for legal recognition, leading into 20th-century developments involving the Akali movement, partition-related violence in 1947, the Anandpur Sahib Resolution, Operation Blue Star at Harmandir Sahib, and subsequent political dynamics in India and Punjab.

Beliefs and Theology

The tradition centers on devotion to a formless, transcendent creator expressed through devotion, remembrance, and ethical living as articulated in the Guru Granth Sahib and the formulations of Guru Nanak, Guru Amar Das, and Guru Gobind Singh. Core theological themes include ik onkar, the oneness of the divine, and the rejection of ritualistic caste hierarchies promoted by contemporaneous elites; these themes appear in hymns preserved alongside compositions by Kabir, Farid, Namdev, and Bhagat Ravidas within the scripture. Doctrinal articulations were debated in encounters with contemporaries such as the Mughal ulema, the Sant tradition, and Sikh reformers like Bhai Kahn Singh Nabha and Giani Sant Singh Maskeen. Concepts of hukam, seva, and kirat karni inform ethical theology and were elaborated by theologians and institutions including the Singh Sabha movement and the Dharam Yudh Morcha. Martial theology, exemplified in the creation of the Khalsa and the code of conduct by Guru Gobind Singh, reconciles spiritual devotion with collective defense in the context of Mughal and regional conflicts.

Practices and Rituals

Liturgical life revolves around congregational worship at gurdwaras including kirtan, ardas, and the continuous reading of the Guru Granth Sahib in akhand paths observed at Harmandir Sahib, Takht Sri Patna Sahib, and Takht Sri Hazur Sahib. The initiation rites of Amrit Sanchar instituted by Guru Gobind Singh, the wearing of the Five Ks, and the daily practice of Nitnem link individual discipline to communal identity as embodied by institutions such as the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee and local sangat. Community practices like langar, influenced by the actions of Guru Amar Das and Guru Ram Das, institutionalize voluntary service and communal meals in gurdwaras worldwide, while rites of passage—Anand Karaj, naam japna, and Antam Sanskar—are administered according to guidance from granthis, ragis, and institutions such as the Shiromani Akali Dal and various sangat organizations.

Scriptures and Sacred Sites

The Guru Granth Sahib serves as the central scripture and living Guru, containing hymns (shabads) composed by the Gurus and selected bhakti poets like Sheikh Farid and Surdas, and is venerated at repositories including Harmandir Sahib, Gurdwara Janam Asthan, and Gurdwara Sis Ganj Sahib. Secondary texts such as the Dasam Granth, attributed to Guru Gobind Singh, and Janamsakhis recount the life of Guru Nanak and interact with historiographical works like Ratan Singh Bhangu’s Panth Prakash. Key sacred sites and takhts—Akal Takht, Takht Sri Patna Sahib, Takht Sri Damdama Sahib, Takht Sri Hazur Sahib, and Takht Sri Kesgarh Sahib—function as centers of religious authority, pilgrimage, and adjudication in matters involving the community, connected to events like the sieges of Anandpur Sahib and historic assemblies.

Community, Society, and Institutions

Institutional frameworks include gurdwaras, sangat and pangat structures, the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee, and educational and philanthropic bodies such as Khalsa College, Punjabi University, and the Sikh Coalition. Political organizations from the Shiromani Akali Dal to contemporary diaspora bodies engage with civil rights issues, legal cases like those before the Supreme Court of India, and social initiatives responding to crises like the 1984 anti-Sikh riots and the rehabilitation efforts that followed. Martial and volunteer formations ranging from the Nihang order and the Taksal to charitable groups like SEWA and health services operate alongside media institutions such as The Tribune and Punjabi-language presses that shape public discourse.

Demographics and Global Presence

The Punjabi heartland in India and communities in Pakistan historically formed the demographic core, with large diasporas established in the United Kingdom, Canada, the United States, Australia, Malaysia, and East Africa following migration during the 19th and 20th centuries linked to indenture, labor recruitment by the British Empire, and postwar migration policies. Census and migration studies document concentrations in provinces and cities such as Punjab, Amritsar, London, Vancouver, Toronto, Calgary, New York City, and Sydney, and note processes of identity negotiation with host-state institutions, multicultural policies, and transnational networks including the World Sikh Organization and local gurdwaras that maintain links to sacred sites and institutions in Punjab. Category:Religions of India