Sikhism

1. Sikhism is a religion founded in the Punjab by Guru Nanak.

2. Sikhism stresses the importance of doing good actions rather than merely carrying out rituals.

3. The word guru means teacher, honoured person, religious person or saint.

4. There were ten human gurus.

5. The final guru, Guru Gobind Singh named the Sikh holy book, the Guru Granth Sahib as his successor.

6. Sikhism has over twenty million followers in the world.

7. Sikhs believe it is important to live a good life.

8. The way they do this is to:

(1) Keep God in heart and mind at all times

(2) Live honestly and work hard

(3) Treat everyone equally

(4) Be generous to the less fortunate

(5) Serve others.

9. The Sikh place of worship is called a gurdwara.

10. A flag of the Khanda usually flies outside the gurdwara.

11. On entering the gurdwara, shoes should be removed and heads covered.

12. The Sikh scripture is a book called the Guru Granth Sahib, this is kept on a raised platform, under a canopy in the gurdwara.

13. Sikhs take their shoes off in the presence of the holy scripture and never turn their backs to it as it has the status of a Guru.

14. At every festival it is read continuously, which takes about forty-eight hours.

15. After the chants and prayers at the gurdwara a free meal is served, called langar.

16. The community of men and women who have been initiated into the Sikh faith is known as the Khalsa.

17. The 5Ks are the five physical symbols worn by Sikhs initiated into the Khalsa. The five symbols are:

(1) uncut hair

(2) kangha, a small wooden comb, a sign of cleanliness

(3) kara, a steel bracelet

(4) kachhera, short cotton shorts

(5) kirpan, a sword

18. Famous Sikh festivals include: Vaisakhi; Diwali; Hola Mahalla and Gurpurbs, which are festivals associated with the lives of the gurus.

19. A Khanda is a double edged sword and is a Sikh symbol, representing belief in one God.

20. A chakkar, or circle, represents God without beginning or end.

21. The IK ONKAR symbol means there is only one God.

22. The Golden Temple is the most sacred Sikh shrine and pilgrims visit from all over the world.

23. It is built of marble and the great dome and upper walls are covered in gold leaf, thus the name.

24. On completing their pilgrimage, Sikhs bathe in the tank reflecting the golden shrine.