A History Of Sikhism

Although I was born in England ( United Kingdom ) mymarriage,death,the language and baptism for Sikhs.
roots lie firmly in the country of my parents which isGuru Nanak The Founder of the Sikh Reilgion
India . My parents came to this country leaving there
home of Punjab in Northern India in 1952 following IndiaThe Religion: Sikhism is a very young religion and, the
's independence from the British in 1947.word Sikh means to follow a certain discipline, all Sikhs
Then the United Kingdom was in much need ofbelieve in one god and follow the teachings of the 10
re-building in the way of heavy industry with theGurus, which are all enshrined in the Guru Granth Sahib,
aftermath of World War 2, so both my parents like sowhich is the Sikh holy book.
many others from India decided to come to England to- Sikhism In its self is about living practically and been
start a new life. But they brought with them the culturefair to everyone this can be achieved by living a
and the religion of Sikhism, which i have also like sohonest life.Sikhs Believe in the following
many other British Asians have been taught to adhere- That there should be justice and liberty for all.
to and respect.- Equal rights for women
So where did the Sikh religion originate from,- That all faiths should be tolerated,with regards to
respectively you need to look into the history of thecaste,gender,race or religion.
religion.- Freedom of speech
The Founder of Sikhism: Guru Nanak: 1469 to 1539- To defend civil liberties and to protect the
Sikhism was founded by Guru Nanak Dev Ji the firstdefenceless.
prophet in 1469 he was born into a Hindu family but heOther beliefs of been a Sikh are to visit the Gurdwara
refused to take part in the initiation ceremony held bywhich means a Gurus home. This is a place of
the Brahman Priest, he said he was neither a Hindu orworship for Sikhs, there are numerous Gurdwaras in
a MuslimIndia and around the world, the most famous one been
As Guru Nanak grew up he worked for a Muslim,the Golden Temple at Amritsar (actually known as the
therefore he got to know about the Muslim religion asHarmindar Sahib).the temple is plated in gold.
well. Soon afterwards he became a religious teacher,The temple was built by Guru Arjan Dev Ji in Amritsar
but he used ideas from both Muslim and Hindu faiths, and stands in the middle of a square tank known as
and he called this new faith Sikhism.a Sarovar.
The ideology is based on that there is one God, andThe Temple has four entrances,these are always
that all humans are equal, as he travelled around theopen this is to emphasise that the temple is open to all
country Guru Nanak continued to teach people aboutfaiths.
the new religion, sometimes writing hymns about it, oneThe Golden Temple Amritsar
of the best known ones is the "Japji"which sikhs reciteSikh Baptism
each morning.The Baptism of a Sikh is known a Amrit Sanskar,this is
He preached against such things like the caste systema very important and central part of Sikhism, and once
in India , and against animal sacrifice and fasting.Hisbaptised certain rules and disciplines must be followed
most important teachings are known as Namand adhered to. It was Guru Gobind Singh Ji who
Simran,Kirt Karo,and Wand Chako,these teachings aremade it a requirement for Sikhs to take "Amrit"this is
explained below.because many people believe it is necessary for one
Nam Simran:Which Means "Think About God."to meet with God after their death
Kirt Karo:Live a normal life,and earn a living throughOnce a Sikh has taken "Amirt he must submit to Gods
honest work.will, and serve the needy, and he or she is prohibited
Wand Chako:Treat all men and women of allfrom these 4 things in particular these are.
nationalities, creed and colour, as equal, and share with1. Hair Trimming (that's why Sikhs wear turbans)
the needy whatever you can spare.2. Smoking and drinking and taking of drugs.
Although other prophets followed 10 in all one of which3. The consumption of Meat
was Guru Gobind Singh Ji who was the last prophet,4. Adultery.
and who died in 1708,all the prophets respectivelyFinally here are some interesting facts about the Sikh
paved the way for Sikhism to grow in various waysReligion.
of prayer, conduct and disciplineThere are some 26 million follower's worldwide
It would be Guru Angad Dev Ji the 2nd Guru whoIt is the worlds 5th largest religion
would be responsible for inventing the Gurumukhi scriptThe reilgion originated in India
or the Punjabi Language, and then further Gurus likeIt is over 500yrs Old.
Guru Amar Das Ji the 3rd Guru would be responsibleThe reilgion of Sikhism is unique,it has no connections
for adding hymns sung at death ceremonies and overwith Islam or Hinduism
the years further Gurus would add hymns, and so theSikhs themsevles have been living in the USA since
Guru Granth Sahib was completed which is the1897,early settlers in America helped to build
equivalent of the Holy Bible for the Sikhs.railroads,and worked in lumber mills and farms.
Guru Gobind Singh then told Sikhs to follow what hadOver 83,000 Sikhs died fighting during the 2 World
been written in the Guru Granth Sahib which containsWars,over one million Sikhs live in North America,some
in its hymns it own code of conduct, with regards to15,000 in the Greater Sacramento Area.