(Top)The gurdwara (Sikh Temple) in Delhi that we visited on the night of January 30.
(Below left) Rachel poses with Mano Singh (Bela's husband), his sister, and a young follower who wanted his picture taken.
(Below right) Mano gives the group a lesson in the Sikh religion.

TOPICS
Langar at a Gurdwara | A Brief History | Recognized from Afar
Warriors and Farmers | Sources
Related Web Sites

Langar at a Gurdwara

On January 30, after a morning of sight seeing and an afternoon lecture on traditional women's clothing, the entry in our Program Schedule said: "langar at a gurdwara." We soon learned that "gurdwara" is the term for a Sikh temple and that a "Langar" or kitchen is part of every Sikh gurdwara. Meals are served here to all comers, who sit down in rows and eat together regardless of caste, income and, social rank.

In the end, we did not have our meal in the Langar. However, we were able to visit the gurdwara. No shoes are allowed in the gurdwara as leather is considered unclean, so we entered the gurdwara barefoot after washing our feet at the entrance. Because head covering is mandatory for both men and women, we also brought along our shawls.

No image, altar, or pulpit was in evidence in the gurdwara. The object of Sikh reverence is the scripture itself--the Guru Granth Sahib. We alighted the stairs leading to a large platform, touching each stair in turn with our fingers and, at the top, we made a donation. In the large open space of the platform, we heard singers reciting verses from the scripture. Some Sikhs were sitting and listening, while others were walking around the scripture. After we walked around, we received prasad (a food offering) as we exited. Later water was poured over our hands.

A Brief History of The Sikh Faith

The Sikh religion began in the Punjab at the end of the 15th century. At that time, the Muslim administration clashed with Hinduism and Guru Nanak (1469-1539) witnessed the brutality of the Mughals. His teachings centered around equality and reconciliation between Hindus and Muslims. After making a pilgrimage to both Hindu and Muslim holy sites, he returned to the Punjab and founded a new monotheistic religious community. As a mark of their devotion to Guru Nanak, his followers called themselves Sikhs, a name derived from the sanskrit word shishya which means disciple.

Guru Nanak was the first of ten gurus who developed the religion. The gurus' teachings were later collected into two books. Before he was assassinated, the tenth, and last, guru decreed that there would be no more gurus and that Sikh religious authority would be vested in the Granth Sahib (scripture) itself.

Recognized from Afar

It is said that Gobind Singh (the tenth Guru) wanted the Sikhs to be recognized from afar. Members of the Khalsa society of Sikhs adopt five symbols to identify themselves.
kesha - long hair wrapped in a turban
kangha - wooden or ivory comb
kachha - military knee breeches
kara - a steel bracelet
kirpan - a sword (today, a smaller version or a facsimile is used)
All Khalsa men take the surname Singh which means Lion. However, not all Singhs are Sikhs.

Before a turban is draped around a boy's head for the first time, he wears his hair tied up under a covering.

Warriors and Farmers

Sikhs are known for their fierce fighting ability. They have outstanding records in the British-trained Indian Army. The Sikhs furnish a larger proportion of their population to the Indian Armed forces than any other community. Many of the officers in India's armed forces are Sikhs.

Today, Sikhs are considered to be the best farmers in India. The Sikh farmers in the state of Punjab are often given the credit for India's "Green Revolution" which produced the agricultural surplus that enabled India to ward off widespread starvation.

Related Web Sites

• The Sikhism Home Page Origin and development, philosophy and scriptures, way of life, resources including an annotated link page
• History of the Sikhs Articles on historical events, Gurus, warriors, personalities and more plus links
• Sikh search engine Links to 588 Sikh sites