{"id":43,"date":"2026-04-09T11:11:47","date_gmt":"2026-04-09T11:11:47","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/prabhmilnekachao.ca\/?page_id=43"},"modified":"2026-05-05T16:00:50","modified_gmt":"2026-05-05T16:00:50","slug":"sikhism","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/prabhmilnekachao.ca\/?page_id=43","title":{"rendered":"SIKHISM"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

A Brief Introduction for Our Non-Sikh Visitors<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Since we welcome people of all faiths (and no faith), we want to provide a basic introduction to Sikhism for those who may be unfamiliar.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Core Beliefs<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Sikhism is the world’s fifth-largest religion, founded over 500 years ago in the Punjab region of South Asia by Guru Nanak Dev Ji and continued by nine successive Gurus. The core beliefs include:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Belief<\/td>Description<\/td><\/tr><\/thead>
One God (Ik Onkar)<\/strong><\/td>There is only one Divine reality, the Creator of all. God has no gender, no form, and is beyond human comprehension.<\/td><\/tr>
Equality of All Humans<\/strong><\/td>All humans are equal regardless of caste, creed, gender, or religion. No one is superior or inferior by birth.<\/td><\/tr>
No Rituals<\/strong><\/td>Sikhism rejects empty rituals (idol worship, pilgrimages, astrology, superstitions). Only love and devotion matter.<\/td><\/tr>
Three Pillars<\/strong><\/td>Naam Japo (meditate on God’s name), Kirat Karno (earn an honest living), Vand Chakko (share with others).<\/td><\/tr>
Reincarnation & Karma<\/strong><\/td>The soul reincarnates until it merges with God through grace and good deeds.<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

The Ten Gurus<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

#<\/td>Guru Name<\/td>Key Contribution<\/td><\/tr><\/thead>
1<\/td>Guru Nanak Dev Ji (1469\u20131539)<\/td>Founder of Sikhism; taught equality and devotion<\/td><\/tr>
2<\/td>Guru Angad Dev Ji (1504\u20131552)<\/td>Developed Gurmukhi script<\/td><\/tr>
3<\/td>Guru Amar Das Ji (1479\u20131574)<\/td>Established Langar (free kitchen) as mandatory<\/td><\/tr>
4<\/td>Guru Ram Das Ji (1534\u20131581)<\/td>Founded the city of Amritsar<\/td><\/tr>
5<\/td>Guru Arjan Dev Ji (1563\u20131606)<\/td>Compiled the Adi Granth (first version of Guru Granth Sahib)<\/td><\/tr>
6<\/td>Guru Hargobind Singh Ji (1595\u20131644)<\/td>Introduced concept of Miri-Piri (spiritual + temporal authority)<\/td><\/tr>
7<\/td>Guru Har Rai Ji (1630\u20131661)<\/td>Continued missionary work<\/td><\/tr>
8<\/td>Guru Har Krishan Ji (1656\u20131664)<\/td>The youngest Guru; served during smallpox epidemic<\/td><\/tr>
9<\/td>Guru Tegh Bahadur Ji (1621\u20131675)<\/td>Martyred defending religious freedom of Hindus<\/td><\/tr>
10<\/td>Guru Gobind Singh Ji (1666\u20131708)<\/td>Established Khalsa (baptized Sikh order); declared Guru Granth Sahib as eternal Guru<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Sri Guru Granth Sahib Ji<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Sri Guru Granth Sahib Ji is the eternal Guru of the Sikhs. It is not a book\u2014it is a living Guru. It contains 1,430 pages (Angs) of hymns written by the Sikh Gurus as well as Hindu and Muslim saints (Bhagats) including Kabir, Namdev, Ravidas, and Farid.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This inclusion of non-Sikh writings reflects Sikhism’s deep commitment to religious pluralism. Truth is not exclusive to one faith.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Key Facts:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Fact<\/td>Detail<\/td><\/tr><\/thead>
Language<\/td>Gurmukhi (Punjabi script), with sections in Hindi, Persian, and Sanskrit<\/td><\/tr>
Composition Period<\/td>1469\u20131708 CE<\/td><\/tr>
Central Message<\/td>“Truth is high, but higher still is truthful living.”<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

The Five Ks (For Initiated Sikhs)<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Baptized Sikhs (Amritdhari Khalsa) wear five articles of faith:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

K<\/td>Meaning<\/td><\/tr><\/thead>
Kesh<\/strong><\/td>Uncut hair (a sign of acceptance of God’s will)<\/td><\/tr>
Kangha<\/strong><\/td>Wooden comb (symbol of cleanliness)<\/td><\/tr>
Kara<\/strong><\/td>Steel bracelet (reminder to do good deeds)<\/td><\/tr>
Kirpan<\/strong><\/td>Ceremonial sword (symbol of defending the oppressed)<\/td><\/tr>
Kachera<\/strong><\/td>Cotton undergarment (symbol of modesty and self-restraint)<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Important for visitors:<\/strong> You do NOT need to wear any of these to enter our Gurdwara. Only initiated Sikhs wear them.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

A Brief Introduction for Our Non-Sikh Visitors Since we welcome people of all faiths (and no faith), we want to provide a basic introduction to Sikhism for those who may be unfamiliar. Core Beliefs Sikhism is the world’s fifth-largest religion, Read More …<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":82,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-43","page","type-page","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/prabhmilnekachao.ca\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages\/43","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/prabhmilnekachao.ca\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/prabhmilnekachao.ca\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/prabhmilnekachao.ca\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/prabhmilnekachao.ca\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=43"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/prabhmilnekachao.ca\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages\/43\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":44,"href":"https:\/\/prabhmilnekachao.ca\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages\/43\/revisions\/44"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/prabhmilnekachao.ca\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/82"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/prabhmilnekachao.ca\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=43"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}