“God is one and men are his creation. We are all in one and one in all.”
- Sant Singh

“We are so involved in our day-to-day routine, that when it comes to the soul, we don’t even realize that there is something else than the material form.”
- Harsimran Batra

“The Sikh tradition is one of justice and equality whether it’s gender equality or the destroying of the caste system.”
- Jaideep Singh

“Suddenly I had an epiphany: real Sikhs … live regular lives, and worship in congregations like everyone else.”
- Siri Kirpal Kaur Khalsa

“The Gurdwara [is the] central gathering place, not only for religious prayer and knowledge, but also [for the] community [to] get together. Your kids can go to the Gurdwara and realize there are a lot of Sikhs out there, and we all believe in the same thing. It’s important and religion’s important and prayer is important and community is important.”
- Sorena Kaur

Construction of the Harmander Sahib began under the guidance of the fifth Guru, Guru Arjan Dev Ji. The foundation stone was laid in 1588 by a Muslim Saint, Hazrat Mian Mir, underlining the Guru’s intention to promote interfaith dialogue and symbolize the universal character of the faith. The structure, sometimes referred to as the Golden Temple, was first plated with gold by Maharaja Ranjit Singh in the early 19th century. At the heart of the structure is the Guru Granth Sahib Ji where Kirtan is continuously sung and read 20 hours a day.

Photograph credit: Panoramic photograph of the Harmander Sahib taken in 1977. Courtesy of Kanwal Inder Singh Neel

History of Sikhism

Sikhs are a people and a religious group sharing a rich culture, tradition, scripture, script and institutions of their own. Twenty-six million people worldwide identify themselves as followers of the Sikh faith, making it the fifth largest world-religion. Sikhism, one of the youngest Asian religions, was revealed to Guru Nanak over 500 years ago in the Punjab (“Punj” = Five + “Aab” = Water, meaning the “Land of Five Rivers”), the Sikh homeland in South Asia. The history of Sikhism is inseparably entwined with the lives of its founders, the Gurus. The word “Guru” means an enlightened Master who takes people from spiritual darkness to light, and followers of the Gurus became known as Sikhs, meaning “disciples” or “students.” The founder of the Sikh religion was Guru Nanak, who was born in 1469 in Punjab in South Asia. During his life, Guru Nanak Dev Ji witnessed people living in great social and religious oppression. Dominant religions divided people into separate classes and gave higher classes a “justifiable” excuse to treat lower classes as they saw fit. Guru Nanak taught a message of love, understanding and constant remembrance of a One Universal Creator or God, common to all people. Hindus and Muslims, the poor and the rich – all were encouraged to live together peacefully and in unity. He used the language of the common people to share his teachings using metaphors that they could easily relate to, and empowered individuals to speak out for their own basic human rights. Guru Nanak (d. 1539) passed on the enlightened leadership of this new religion to nine successive Gurus. The second Guru, Guru Angad Dev Ji (d. 1552), standardized the script – Gurmukhi, which means “from the mouth of the Guru.” He taught this script to all who wanted to learn. The third Guru, Guru Amar Das Ji (d. 1574), affirmed Sikhism’s principle of equality for women and formalized the practice of Langar, a free community kitchen where all sit together as equals removing all distinctions of class or social status. The fourth Guru, Guru Ram Das Ji (d. 1581), designed one of the most significant Sikh places of worship, the Harmander Sahib, which in turn was constructed by the fifth Guru, Guru Arjan Dev Ji (d. 1606). Guru Arjan Dev Ji also compiled Sikh sacred texts – Adi Granth – the first Sikh Holy Book. The compilation included hymns from the first five Gurus and saints from other religions. The sixth Guru, Guru Har Gobind Ji (d. 1644), defended Sikhs against the invading Mughal Empire and introduced martial arts and weaponry to the Sikh followers. He wore two swords – Miri, symbol of temporal authority, and Piri, symbol of spiritual authority. The seventh Guru, Guru Har Rai Ji (d. 1661), and his successor Guru Har Krishan Ji (d. 1664) maintained military efforts. The ninth Guru, Guru Teg Bahadur Ji (d. 1675), sacrificed his life in order to protect Hindus who were being forced to convert to Islam by the Mughal Emperor, an act symbolic of his stand for the individual’s right to practice the religion of their choosing. The tenth Guru, Guru Gobind Singh Ji (d. 1708), would be the last Guru in human form. Guru Gobind Singh Ji furthered the Sikh identity and established the Khalsa Order, which continues to this day. The Khalsa was comprised of individual “saint-soldiers” who participated in an initiation ceremony called the “Khande di pahul.” The primary duty of a Khalsa was to live with honesty and compassion, respect all of God’s creation, and work to abolish injustices in the world. Guru Gobind Singh asked all Sikh men to use “Singh” meaning a lion and women to use “Kaur” meaning a princess as their last names, thus shedding their caste identity. This symbolized that everyone was born equal. Guru Gobind Singh Ji ended the line of human Gurus. He passed the spiritual authority to Guru Granth Sahib Ji, the Sikh scriptures, and the temporal authority to the Guru Khalsa Panth, collectively all initiated Sikhs worldwide. Written in poetic verse, the Guru Granth Sahib Ji contains the teachings of the Sikh Gurus and writings of saints from other faiths. It serves as the eternal spiritual guide of the Sikhs.