1.
Sikhism
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Sikhism, or Sikhi, is a panentheistic religion that originated in the Punjab region of the Indian subcontinent during the 15th century. It is one of the youngest of the world religions. Sikhism has 25-28 million adherents worldwide and is the ninth-largest religion in the world, Sikhism is based on the spiritual teachings of Guru Nanak, the first Guru, and the ten successive Sikh gurus. Guru Nanak established Kartarpur around 1520 and gathered the original core of the Sikh Panth there, an Indian religion, Sikhism rejects claims that any particular religious tradition has a monopoly on Absolute Truth. Sikhism emphasizes simran, that can be expressed musically through kirtan or internally through Nam Japo as a means to feel Gods presence, hand in hand, secular life is considered to be intertwined with the spiritual life. He also established the system of the langar, or communal kitchen, Guru Hargobind, the sixth Sikh Guru, established the political/temporal and spiritual realms to be mutually coexistent. The development of Sikhism was influenced by the Bhakti movement, however, Sikhism developed while the region was being ruled by the Mughal Empire. Two of the Sikh gurus – Guru Arjan and Guru Tegh Bahadur, the Islamic era persecution of Sikhs triggered the founding of the Khalsa, as an order for freedom of conscience and religion. A Sikh is expected to embody the qualities of a Sant-Sipāhī – a saint-soldier, the majority of Sikh scriptures were originally written in Gurmukhī alphabet, a script standardised by Guru Angad out of Laṇḍā scripts used in North India. Adherents of Sikhism are known as Sikhs, which means students or disciples of the Guru, the anglicized word Sikhism is derived from the Punjabi verb Sikhi, with roots in Sikhana, and Sikhi connotes the temporal path of learning. Sikhism is a religion and states that there is one supreme entity holding control of the entire universe. This entity is referred to as Ik Onkar, the basis of Sikhism lies in the teachings of Guru Nanak and his successors. The essence of Sikh teaching is summated by Guru Nanaks words, Sikh teaching emphasizes the principle of equality of all humans and rejects discrimination on the basis of caste, creed, and gender. Sikh principles encourage living life as a householder, Sikhism is a monistic form of monotheistic religion. In Sikhism, the concept of God is Vāhigurū—is shapeless, timeless, and invisible, niraṅkār, akaal, the beginning of the first composition of Sikh scripture is the figure 1—signifying the universality of God. It states that God is omnipresent and infinite with power over everything, Sikhs believe that before creation, all that existed was God and Gods hukam. God in Sikhism is known as Ik Onkar, the One Supreme Reality or the all-pervading spirit and this spirit has no gender in Sikhism, though translations may present it as masculine. It is also Akaal Purkh and Nirankar, in addition, Nanak wrote that there are many worlds on which it has created life
2.
Sikh
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A Sikh is a follower of Sikhism, a monotheistic religion which originated during the 15th century in the Punjab region of Northwestern Indian subcontinent. The term Sikh has its origin in the Sanskrit words शिष्य or शिक्ष, Sikh properly refers to adherents of Sikhism as a religion, not an ethnic group. However, because Sikhism has seldom sought converts, most Sikhs share strong ethno-religious ties, many countries, such as the United Kingdom, therefore recognize Sikh as a designated ethnicity on their censuses. Male Sikhs have Singh, and female Sikhs have Kaur as their middle or last name, initiated male and female Sikhs must cover their hair with a turban. The greater Punjab region is the homeland of the Sikhs. Guru Nanak, founder of Sikhism, was born to Mehta Kalu and Mata Tripta, in the village of Talwandi, now called Nankana Sahib, Guru Nanak was a religious leader and social reformer. However, Sikh political history may be said to begin with the death of the fifth Sikh guru, Guru Arjan Dev, Religious practices were formalised by Guru Gobind Singh on 30 March 1699. Gobind Singh initiated five people from a variety of backgrounds, known as the Panj Piare to form the Khalsa. During the period of Mughal rule in India several Sikh gurus were killed by the Mughals for opposing their persecution of minority communities including Sikhs. Sikhs subsequently militarized to oppose Mughal rule, after defeating the Afghan, Mughal and Maratha invaders, the Misls were formed, under Sultan-ul-Quam Jassa Singh Ahluwalia. The empire is considered the zenith of political Sikhism, encompassing Kashmir, Ladakh, hari Singh Nalwa, the commander-in-chief of the Sikh Khalsa Army in the North West Frontier, expanded the confederacy to the Khyber Pass. Its secular administration implemented military, economic and governmental reforms, after the annexation of the Sikh kingdom by the British, the latter recognized the martial qualities of the Sikhs and Punjabis in general and started recruiting from that area. During the 1857 Indian mutiny, the Sikhs stayed loyal to the British and this resulted in heavy recruiting from Punjab to the colonial army for the next 90 years of the British Raj. The distinct turban that differentiates a Sikh from other turban wearers is a relic of the rules of the British Indian Army, the British colonial rule saw the emergence of many reform movements in India including Punjab. This included formation in 1873 and 1879 of the First and Second Singh Sabha respectively, the Sikh leaders of the Singh Sabha worked to offer a clear definition of Sikh identity and tried to purify Sikh belief and practice. The later part of British colonial rule saw the emergence of the Akali movement or the Gurdwara Reform Movement to bring reform in the gurdwaras during the early 1920s. The movement led to the introduction of Sikh Gurdwara Bill in 1925, the months leading up to the partition of India in 1947 were marked by conflict in the Punjab between Sikhs and Muslims. This caused the migration of Punjabi Sikhs and Hindus from West Punjab
3.
Guru Granth Sahib
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Guru Granth Sahib is the central religious scripture of Sikhism, regarded by Sikhs as the final, sovereign and eternal living Guru following the lineage of the ten human Gurus of the religion. The Adi Granth, the first rendition, was compiled by the fifth Sikh Guru, Guru Arjan and this second rendition became known as Guru Granth Sahib. After Guru Gobind Singh died, Baba Deep Singh and Bhai Mani Singh prepared many copies of the work for distribution, the text consists of 1430 Angs and 6,000 śabads, which are poetically rendered and set to a rhythmic ancient north Indian classical form of music. The bulk of the scripture is classified into thirty-one rāgas, with each Granth rāga subdivided according to length, the hymns in the scripture are arranged primarily by the rāgas in which they are read. Guru Granth Sahib is predominantly composed by six Sikh Gurus, Guru Nanak, Guru Angad, Guru Amar Das, Guru Ram Das, Guru Arjan, and Guru Teg Bahadur. It also contains the traditions and teachings of fourteen Hindu Bhakti movement sants, such as Ramananda, Kabir and Namdev among others, the vision in the Guru Granth Sahib, states Torkel Brekke, is a society based on divine justice without oppression of any kind. While the Granth acknowledges and respects the scriptures of Hinduism and Islam and it is installed in a Sikh gurdwara, many Sikhs bow or prostrate before it on entering the temple. The Granth is revered as eternal gurbānī and the authority in Sikhism. During the guruship of Guru Nanak, collections of his hymns were compiled and his successor, Guru Angad, began collecting his predecessors writings. This tradition was continued by the third and fifth gurus as well, in order to prevent spurious scriptures from gaining legitimacy, Guru Arjan began compiling a sacred book for the Sikh community. In addition, he sent disciples to go across the country to find and he also invited members of other religions and contemporary religious writers to submit writings for possible inclusion. Guru Arjan selected hymns for inclusion into the book, and Bhai Gurdas acted as his scribe, while the manuscript was being put together, Akbar, the Mughal Emperor, received a report that the manuscript contained passages vilifying Islam. Therefore, while travelling north, he stopped en route and asked to inspect it, Baba Buddha and Bhai Gurdas brought him a copy of the manuscript as it then existed. After choosing three random passages to be read, Akbar decided that this report had been false, in 1604 Guru Arjans manuscript was completed and installed at the Harmandir Sahib with Baba Buddha as the first granthi, or reader. Since communities of Sikh disciples were scattered all over northern India, the sixth, seventh, and eighth gurus did not write religious verses, however, the ninth guru, Guru Tegh Bahadur, did. The tenth guru, Guru Gobind Singh, included Guru Tegh Bahadurs writings into the Guru Granth Sahibbut did not include any of his own verses in the Guru Granth Sahib. The religious verses of Guru Gobind Singh were not included in Guru Granth Sahib, but some of his religious verses are included in the daily prayers of Sikhs. During this period, Bhai Mani Singh also collected Guru Gobind Singhs writings, as well as his court poets, and included them in a secondary religious volume, today known as the Dasam Granth Sahib
4.
Guru Gobind Singh
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Guru Gobind Singh, born Gobind Rai, was the 10th Sikh Guru, a spiritual master, warrior, poet and philosopher. His four sons died during his lifetime in Mughal-Sikh wars – two in battle, two executed by the Mughal army. Among his notable contributions to Sikhism are founding the Sikh warrior community called Khalsa in 1699 and introducing the Five Ks, Guru Gobind Singh also continued the formalisation of the religion, wrote important Sikh texts, and enshrined the scripture the Guru Granth Sahib as Sikhisms eternal Guru. Gobind Singh was the son of Guru Tegh Bahadur, the ninth Sikh guru. He was born in Patna, Bihar, while his father was visiting Bengal and his birth name was Gobind Rai, and a shrine named Takht Sri Patna Harimandar Sahib marks the site of the house where he was born and spent the first four years of his life. In 1670, his family returned to Punjab, and in March 1672 they moved to Chakk Nanaki in the Himalayan foothills of north India, called the Sivalik range, where he was schooled. Gobind Singhs father Tegh Bahadur founded the city of Chakk Nanaki, now known as Anandpur Sahib, in 1665 and his father Guru Tegh Bahadur was petitioned by Kashmiri Pandits in 1675 for protection from the fanatic persecution by Iftikar Khan, an Islamic satrap of the Mughal Emperor Aurangzeb. Tegh Bahadur considered a resolution by meeting Aurangzeb, but was cautioned by his advisors that his life may be at risk. The young Gobind Rai – to be known as Gobind Singh after 1699 – advised his father no one was more worthy to lead. After this martyrdom, the young Gobind Rai was installed by the Sikhs as the tenth Sikh Guru on Vaisakhi on March 29,1676. The education of Guru Gobind Singh continued after he became the 10th Guru and he stayed in Paonta, near the banks of river Yamuna, till 1685. Guru Gobind Singh had three wives, at age 10, he married Mata Jito on 21 June 1677 at Basantgaṛh,10 km north of Anandpur. The couple had three sons, Jujhar Singh, Zorawar Singh and Fateh Singh. at age 17, he married Mata Sundari on 4 April 1684 at Anandpur. The couple had one son, Ajit Singh. at age 33 and they had no children, but she had an influential role in Sikhism. Guru Gobind Singh proclaimed her as the Mother of the Khalsa, the life example and leadership of Guru Gobind Singh has been of historic importance to the Sikhs. In 1699, the Guru requested the Sikhs to congregate at Anandpur on Vaisakhi, according to the Sikh tradition, he asked for a volunteer from those who gathered, someone willing to sacrifice his head. One came forward, whom he took inside a tent, the Guru returned to the crowd without the volunteer, but with a bloody sword. He asked for volunteer, and repeated the same process of returning from the tent without anyone
5.
History of Sikhism
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The history of Sikhism started with Guru Nanak Dev Ji, the first Guru in the fifteenth century in the Punjab region of the Indian subcontinent. The religious practices were formalised by Guru Gobind Singh on 30 March 1699, the latter baptised five persons from different social backgrounds to form Khalsa. The first five, Pure Ones, then baptised Gobind Singh into the Khalsa fold and this gives the order of Khalsa, a history of around 300 years. The history of Sikhism is closely associated with the history of Punjab, during the Mughal rule of India, Sikhism was in conflict with the Islamic administration, while it cherished saints from Hinduism and Islam. Prominent Sikh Gurus were killed by Islamic rulers for refusing to convert to Islam, subsequently, Sikhism militarised to oppose Mughal hegemony. The establishment of the Sikh Empire is commonly considered the zenith of Sikhism at political level, during this time the Sikh Empire came to include Kashmir, Ladakh, and Peshawar. Hari Singh Nalwa, the Commander-in-chief of the Sikh army along the North West Frontier, the Empires secular administration integrated innovative military, economic and governmental reforms. Guru Nanak, founder of Sikhism, was born to Mehta Kalu and Mata Tripta, in a Hindu family in the village of Talwandi, now called Nankana Sahib, near Lahore. His father, a Hindu named Mehta Kalu, was a Patwari, Nanaks mother was Mata Tripta, and he had one older sister, Bibi Nanki. From early childhood, Bibi Nanki saw in her brother the Light of God and she is known as the first disciple of Guru Nanak. Even as a boy, Nanak was fascinated by Hindu religion and it was during this period that Nanak was said to have met Kabir and Ravidass, saints revered by many. Nanak married Sulakhni, daughter of Moolchand Chona, a trader from Batala and his brother-in-law, Jai Ram, the husband of his sister Nanki, obtained a job for him in Sultanpur as the manager of the government granary. One morning, when he was twenty-eight, Guru Nanak Dev went as usual down to the river to bathe and it was said that he was gone for three days. When he reappeared, it is said he was filled with the spirit of God and his first words after his re-emergence were, There is no Hindu, there is no Muslim. With this secular principle he began his missionary work and he made four distinct major journeys, in the four different directions, which are called Udasis, spanning many thousands of kilometres, preaching the message of God. Guru Nanak spent the years of his life in Kartarpur where Langar free blessed food was available. The food would be partaken of by Hindus, rich, poor, Guru Nanak worked in the fields and earned his livelihood. After appointing Bhai Lehna as the new Sikh Guru, on 22 September 1539, aged 70, in 1538, Guru Nanak chose Lehna, his disciple, as a successor to the Guruship rather than one of his sons
6.
Outline of Sikhism
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Only those who selflessly love everyone, they alone shall find God. It is the fifth-largest organized religion in the world and one of the fastest-growing, the Khanda is the symbol of Sikhism. It is prepared by stirring it in a bowl with the double-edged sword. Anand Karaj – Sikh marriage ceremony, meaning Blissful Union or Joyful Union and it was introduced by Guru Amar Das. Amritsar – city of 1.5 million in the part of India. It is home to the Harmandir Sahib, known as the Golden Temple, Anandpur or Anandpur Sahib – Harmandir Sahib - Holy shrine of the Sikhs in the holy city of Amritsar. Kartapur - Seat of Guru Nanaks first school, according to Sikh Reht Maryada, any person who is initiated into the Khalsa is called Amrit Dhari. Nihang - Sikhs who consume Bhang, opium and other narcotics to assist in meditation. e. Bhai Daya Singh – Bhai Dharam Singh – Bhai Himmat Singh – Bhai Mohkam Singh – Bhai Sahib Singh – Sikh Gurus – Guru Nanak Dev – founder of the religion of Sikhism, the Sikhs believe that all subsequent Gurus possessed Guru Nanak’s divinity and religious authority. Guru Angad Dev – disciple of Guru Nanak Dev and second of the ten Sikh Gurus, Guru Amar Das – third of the ten Sikh Gurus, given the title on 26 March 1552. Guru Ram Das – fourth of the ten Sikh Gurus, given the title on 30 August 1574, Guru Arjan Dev – fifth of the ten Sikh Gurus, given the title on 1 September 1581. He was arrested and executed by Jahangir in 1606, Guru Har Gobind – son of Guru Arjan Dev and the sixth of the ten Sikh Gurus, given the title on 25 May 1606. Guru Har Rai – grandson of Guru Har Gobind and seventh of the ten Sikh Gurus, Guru Har Krishan – son of Guru Har Rai and eighth of the ten Sikh Gurus, given the title on 7 October 1661. Guru Tegh Bahadur – grand uncle of Guru Har Krishan and ninth of the ten Sikh Gurus and he was executed on the orders of Mughal Emperor Aurangzeb in Delhi. Guru Gobind Singh – son of Guru Tegh Bahadur and tenth of the ten Sikh Gurus and he named a book as his successor. Guru Granth Sahib – the religious text of Sikhism, said to be the sole and final successor of the line of gurus, Baba Buddha Ji - One of the most revered Sikh saints and anointer of several of the early Sikh Gurus. Baba Deep Singh – Baba Gurdit Singh – Baba Nand Singh ji – Banda Singh Bahadur – Bhagat Puran Singh – Bhai Bala – Bhai Gurdas - One of the most revered Sikh saints and writer of the Vars. Bhai Kahn Singh Nabha – Bhai Lalo – Bhai Mardana – Guru Nanaks constant Muslim companion, musician, Bhai Taru Singh – Bhai Vir Singh – G. B
7.
Kirtan
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It also refers to a genre of religious performance arts, connoting a musical form of narration or shared recitation, particularly of spiritual or religious ideas. It may include dancing or direct expression of bhavas by the singer, many Kirtana performances are structured to engage the audience where they either repeat the chant, or reply to the call of the singer. A person performing kirtana is known as a kirtankara and it is a major practice in Vaisnava devotionalism, Sikhism, the Sant traditions and some forms of Buddhism, as well as other religious groups. Kirtana is sometimes accompanied by story-telling and acting, texts typically cover religious, mythological or social subjects. Kirtana has Vedic roots and it means telling, narrating, describing, enumerating, reporting, the term is found as Anukirtana in the context of Yajna, wherein team recitations of dialogue-style and question-answer riddle hymns were part of the ritual or celebratory dramatic performance. The Sanskrit verses in chapter 13.2 of Shatapatha Brahmana, the Vedic sacrifice is presented as a kind of drama, with its actors, its dialogues, its portion to be set to music, its interludes, and its climaxes. The root of Kirtana is kirt, the root is found in the Samhitas, the Brahmanas and other Vedic literature, as well as the Vedanga and Sutras literature. Kirt, according to Monier-Williams contextually means, to mention, make mention of, tell, name, call, recite, repeat, relate, declare, communicate, commemorate, celebrate, praise, glorify. Kirtana, sometimes referred to as sankirtana, is a call-and-response chanting or musical conversation, Kirtan is locally known as Abhang, Samaj Gayan, Haveli Sangeet, Vishnupad, Harikatha. In regional languages, Kirtana is scripted as Bengali, কীর্তন, Nepali & Hindi, कीर्तन, Kannada, ಕೀರ್ತನೆ, Marathi, कीर्तन, Punjabi, ਕੀਰਤਨ, Tamil, கீர்த்தனை, Telugu, కీర్తన. Musical recitation of hymns, mantras and the praise of deities has ancient roots in Hinduism, as evidenced by the Samaveda, Kirtana relates to the bhakti marga tradition of Hinduism. References to Kirtana as a musical recitation are also found in the Bhagavata Purana, Kirtana is often practiced as a kind of theatrical folk song with call-and-response chanting or antiphon. The ancient sage Narada revered as a genius, is called a kirtankar in the Padma Purana. The so-called Naradiya Kirtana divides kirtana into five parts, naman, purvaranga, chanting, katha or akhyan and a final prayer for universal welfare. Kirtan as a genre of music has been a major part of the Vaishnavism tradition. The Varkari saint Namdev used the form of singing to praise the glory of god Vithoba. Marathi kirtana is typically performed by one or two performers, called kirtankar, accompanied by harmonium and tabla. It involves singing, acting, dancing, and story-telling and it is usually based on poetry of the seven famous saints of Maharashtra, Nivruttinath, Dnyaneshwar, Sopandev, Muktabai, Eknath, Namdev and Tukaram
8.
The Five Ks
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In Sikhism, the Five Ks are five items that Guru Gobind Singh commanded Khalsa Sikhs to wear at all times in 1699. They are, Kesh, Kangha, Kara, Kachera and Kirpan, the Five K are not just symbols, but articles of faith that collectively form the external identity and the Khalsa devotees commitment to the Sikh rehni Sikh way of life. The Kesh, or unshorn long hair, is considered by Sikhs as an part of the human body. Long known as a sign of devotion, it also emulates the appearance of Guru Gobind Singh and is one of the primary signs by which a Sikh can be clearly and quickly identified. A Sikh never cuts or trims any hair as a symbol of respect for the perfection of Gods creation, the uncut long hair and the beard, in the case of men, form the main kakār for Sikhs. The turban is a crown, which is a constant reminder to the Sikh that he or she is sitting on the throne of consciousness and is committed to living according to Sikh principles. Guru Gobind Singh told his Sikhs, Khaalsa mero roop hai khaas, wearing a turban declares sovereignty, dedication, self-respect, courage and piety. A noted figure in Sikh history is Bhai Taru Singh, who was martyred, a Kangha is a small wooden comb that Sikhs use twice a day. It is supposed to be only in the hair and at all times. Combs help to clean and remove tangles from the hair, and is a symbol of cleanliness, combing their hair reminds Sikhs that their lives should be tidy and organized. The Sikhs were commanded by Guru Gobind Singh to wear a small comb called a Kangha at all times, the comb keeps the hair tidy, a symbol of not just accepting what God has given, but also an injunction to maintain it with grace. The Guru said hair should be allowed to grow naturally, for men, this includes not shaving. At the time of Guru Gobind Singh ji, some holy men let their hair become tangled, the Guru said that this was not right. Hair should be allowed to grow but it should be kept clean, the Sikhs were commanded by Guru Gobind Singh at the Baisakhi Amrit Sanchar in 1699 to wear an iron bangle called a Kara at all times. The Kara is a constant reminder to always remember that whatever a person does with their hands has to be in keeping with the advice given by the Guru, the Kara is an iron/steel circle to symbolise God as never ending. It is a symbol of permanent bonding to the community, of being a link in the chain of Khalsa Sikhs. Originally, the Kachera was made part of the five Ks as a symbol of a Sikh soldiers willingness to be ready at a moments notice for battle or for defense, the confirmed Sikh wears a Kachera every day. Some go to the extent of wearing a Kachera while bathing, to be ready to at a moments notice, changing into the new one a single leg at a time, so as to have no moment where they are unprepared
9.
Guru Nanak
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Guru Nanak was the founder of Sikhism and the first of the ten Sikh Gurus. His birth is celebrated world-wide as Guru Nanak Gurpurab on Kartik Pooranmashi, Guru Nanak has been called one of the greatest religious innovators of all time. He travelled far and wide teaching people the message of one God who dwells in one of His creations. He set up a spiritual, social, and political platform based on equality, fraternal love, goodness. Nanak was born on 15 April 1469 at Rāi Bhoi Kī Talvaṇḍī near Lahore and his parents were Kalyan Chand Das Bedi, popularly shortened to Mehta Kalu, and Mata Tripta. His father was the local patwari for crop revenue in the village of Talwandi and his parents were both Hindus and belonged to the merchant caste. He had one sister, Bebe Nanaki, who was five years older than he was, in 1475 she married and moved to Sultanpur. Nanak was attached to his sister and followed her to Sultanpur to live with her and her husband, at the age of around 16 years, Nanak started working under Daulat Khan Lodi, employer of Nanakis husband. This was a time for Nanak, as the Puratan Janam Sakhi suggests. According to Sikh traditions, the birth and early years of Guru Nanaks life were marked with events that demonstrated that Nanak had been marked by divine grace. Commentaries on his life details of his blossoming awareness from a young age. At the age of five, Nanak is said to have voiced interest in divine subjects, at age seven, his father enrolled him at the village school as was the custom. On 24 September 1487 Nanak married Mata Sulakkhani, daughter of Mūl Chand and Chando Rāṇī, the couple had two sons, Sri Chand and Lakhmi Chand. Sri Chand received enlightenment from Guru Nanaks teachings and went on to become the founder of the Udasi sect, the earliest biographical sources on Nanaks life recognised today are the Janamsākhīs. Bhai Gurdas, a scribe of the Gurū Granth Sahib, also wrote about Nanaks life in his vārs, although these too were compiled some time after Nanaks time, they are less detailed than the Janamsākhīs. The Janamsākhīs recount in minute detail the circumstances of the birth of the guru, gyan-ratanavali is attributed to Bhai Mani Singh who wrote it with the express intention of correcting heretical accounts of Guru Nanak. Bhai Mani Singh was a Sikh of Guru Gobind Singh who was approached by some Sikhs with a request that he should prepare an account of Guru Nanak’s life. At the end of the Janam-sakhi there is an epilogue in which it is stated that the work was taken to Guru Gobind Singh for his seal of approval
10.
Guru Ram Das
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Guru Ram Das was the fourth of the ten Gurus of Sikhism. He was born on 24 September 1534 in a poor Hindu family based in Lahore and his birth name was Jetha, he was orphaned at age 7, and thereafter grew up with his maternal grandmother in a village. At age 12, Bhai Jetha and his moved to Goindval. The boy thereafter accepted Guru Amar Das as mentor and served him, the daughter of Guru Amar Das married Bhai Jetha, and he thus became part of Guru Amar Dass family. As with the first two Gurus of Sikhism, Guru Amar Das instead of choosing his own sons, chose Bhai Jetha as his successor, Ram Das became the Guru of Sikhism in 1574 and served as the Sikh leader until his death in 1581. He faced hostilities from the sons of Guru Amar Das, shifted his base to lands identified by Guru Amar Das as Guru-ka-Chak. This newly founded town was eponymous Ramdaspur, later to evolve and he is also remembered in the Sikh tradition for expanding the manji organization for clerical appointments and donation collections to theologically and economically support the Sikh movement. He appointed his own son as his successor, and unlike the first four Gurus who were not related through descent and his father was Hari Das and his mother Anup Devi, a Sodhi Khatri caste family. He married Bibi Bhani, the daughter of Guru Amar Das. They had three sons, Prithi Chand, Mahadev and Guru Arjan, Guru Ram Das died on 1 September 1581, in the city of Amritsar, Punjab. Of his three sons, Guru Ram Das chose Arjan, the youngest, to succeed him as the fifth Sikh Guru, the choice of successor, as throughout most of the history of Sikh Guru successions, led to disputes and internal divisions among the Sikhs. Guru Ram Das is credited with founding the city of Amritsar in the Sikh tradition. Two versions of stories exist regarding the land where Guru Ram Das settled, in one based on a Gazetteer record, the land was purchased with Sikh donations, for 700 rupees from the owners of the village of Tung. In another version, Emperor Akbar is stated to have donated the land to the wife of Guru Ram Das. After his coronation in 1574, and the opposition he faced from the sons of Guru Amar Das. He started by completing the pool, and building his new official Guru centre and he invited merchants and artisans from other parts of India to settle into the new town with him. The town expanded during the time of Guru Arjan financed by donations, Guru Ram Das composed 638 hymns, or about ten percent of hymns in the Guru Granth Sahib. He was a poet, and composed his work in 30 ancient ragas of Indian classical music
11.
Guru Arjan
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Guru Arjan was the first martyr of the Sikh faith and the fifth of the ten Sikh Gurus, who compiled writings to create the eleventh, the living Guru, Guru Granth Sahib. He was born in Goindval, Punjab the youngest son of Guru Ram Das and Mata Bhani and he was the first Guru in Sikhism who was born in a Sikh family. Guru Arjan led Sikhism for a quarter of a century and he completed the construction of Harimandir Sahib at Amritsar, after the fourth Sikh Guru founded the town and built a pool. Guru Arjan compiled the hymns of previous Gurus and of saints into Adi Granth, the first edition of the Sikh scripture. Guru Arjan reorganized the Masands system initiated by Guru Ram Das, by suggesting that the Sikhs donate, if possible, one tenth of their income, the Masand not only collected these funds but also taught tenets of Sikhism and settled civil disputes in their region. The dasvand financed the building of gurdwaras and langars, Guru Arjan was arrested under the orders of the Mughal Emperor Jahangir and asked to convert to Islam. He refused, was tortured and executed in 1606 CE, historical records and the Sikh tradition are unclear whether Guru Arjan was executed by drowning or died during torture. His martyrdom is considered an event in the history of Sikhism. It is remembered as Shaheedi Divas of Guru Arjan every year on 16 June, Arjan was the son of Guru Ram Das, the fourth Guru in Sikhism. Arjan had two brothers, Prithi Chand and Mahadev. Guru Ram Das chose Arjan, the youngest, to succeed him as the fifth Sikh Guru, Mahadev, the middle brother chose the life of an ascetic. His choice of Arjan as successor, as throughout most of the history of Sikh Guru successions, led to disputes, the stories in the Sikh tradition about the succession dispute around Guru Arjan are inconsistent. In one version, Prithi Chand is remembered in the Sikh tradition as vehemently opposing Guru Arjan, the Sikhs following Guru Arjan called the Prithi Chand faction as Minas, who are alleged to have attempted to assassinate young Hargobind, and befriended Mughal agents. However, the version, found in alternate competing texts written by the Prithi Chand led Sikh faction contradict this version. They offer a different explanation for the attempt on Hargobinds life, the mainstream Sikh tradition recognised Guru Arjan as the fifth Guru, and Hargobind as the sixth Guru. Arjan, at age 18, became the fifth Guru in 1581 inheriting the title from his father, Guru Arjans martyrdom in Mughal custody has been a controversial issue in Sikh history, and has been variously interpreted. A similar theory floated in early 20th-century, asserts that this was just a single execution. Jahangir was jealous and outraged, and therefore he ordered the Gurus execution, in 1606 CE, the Guru was imprisoned in Lahore Fort, where by some accounts he was tortured and executed, and by other accounts the method of his death remains unresolved
12.
Guru Hargobind
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Guru Hargobind was the sixth of the Sikh gurus. He was barely eleven years old when he became Guru on 11 June 1606, after the execution of his father, Guru Arjan and he initiated a military tradition within Sikhism to resist Islamic persecution and protect the freedom of religion. He had the longest tenure as Guru, lasting 37 years,9 months and 3 days, Hargobind was born in 1595 in Vadali Guru, a village 7 km west of Amritsar, the only son of Guru Arjan, the fifth Sikh Guru. He suffered from smallpox as a child and survived an attempt by an uncle, as well as another attempt on his life. He studied religious texts with Bhai Gurdas and trained in swordsmanship, shortly afterwards, Guru Arjan was arrested, tortured and killed by order of the Mughal Emperor Jahangir, Guru Hargobinds succession ceremony took place on 24 June 1606. He put on two swords, one indicated his spiritual authority and the other, his temporal authority and he followed his martyred fathers advice and always kept himself surrounded by armed Sikhs for protection. The number fifty two was special in his life, and his retinue consisted of fifty two armed men and he thus founded the military tradition in the Sikh faith. Guru Hargobind had three wives, Mata Damodari, Mata Nanaki and Mata Maha Devi and he had children from all three wives. Two of his eldest sons from the first wife died during his lifetime and his youngest son by his third wife was Tegh Bahadur, who became the influential ninth Sikh Guru. The Guru was a martial artist, a hunter and, according to Persian records, unlike earlier Gurus, he. Guru Hargobind encouraged people to physical fitness and keep their bodies ready for physical combat. The arming and training of some of his followers began. The Guru came to possess seven hundred horses and his Risaldari grew to three hundred horsemen and sixty musketeers and he nominated his grandson to succeed him as the seventh Guru Har Rai. He died in 1644, and was cremated on the banks of River Sutlej, because of the execution of Guru Arjan by Mughal Emperor Jahangir, Guru Hargobind from the very start was a dedicated enemy of the Mughal rule. He advised Sikhs to arm and fight the mughals, the death of his father at the hands of Jahangir prompted him to emphasise the military dimension of the Sikh community. He symbolically wore two swords, which represented miri and piri and he built a fort to defend Ramdaspur and created a formal court, Akal Takht. Jahangir responded by jailing the 14 year old Guru Hargobind at Gwalior Fort in 1609, on the pretext that the fine imposed on Guru Arjan had not been paid by the Sikhs and it is not clear as to how much time he spent as a prisoner. The year of his release appears to have been either 1611 or 1612 and it is unclear why he was released
