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Demographics
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Sikhism began in about 1500 AD as a movement to counter Islam. Sikhs make up about 2 per cent of India's population. Most live in the north. They are the country's leading wheat farmers. Sikhs also form one of the largest groups in the army. Sikhism was born of the teachings of Guru Nanak, at the beginning of the 16th Century. This movement rejected the hegemony and the socio-economic divisions of the brahmanical society. Sikhism was founded by Guru Nanak in 1469. Its basic tenets are similar to that of Hinduism, with the important modification that the Sikhs are opposed to caste distinctions. Sikhs worship in the Gurdwaras, baptize their children at a ceremony known as 'pahul'. The Holy Book of the Sikhs is the Granth Sahib which contains the works of ten Sikh gurus. It was the tenth guru of the Sikhs who gave them their identity by enjoining upon them the Five Ks. All followers of Sikhism are never to be without the kanga (comb), karha (bangle), kacha (distinctive kind of underwear), carry a kirpan (sword) and kesh (leave their hair uncut). The sikhs are immediately recognizable by their turbans and beards. The belief that all men and women are born equal is part of the tenets of sewa (service or inter-aid). Every man, woman and child gives his or her time to help in the Gurudwaras. Food is cooked by the devotees and distributed twice a day which, people from all social strata eat together.
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Fast Facts: - Sikhs are the amongst the bravest of all warriors - Sikhs form one of the largest groups in the Indian army. - Sikhs are the country's leading wheat farmers |
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