Sikhs

Secondary - Largely Influenced by Nationality

Sikhs or ; are people who adhere to Sikhism, the monotheistic religion that originated in the slow 15th century in the Punjab region of present-day Pakistan, based on the revelation of Guru Nanak. The term Sikh has its origin in the word शिष्य, meaning 'disciple' or 'student'.

Male Sikhs generally construct Singh 'lion' as their middle or last name, though non all Singhs are necessarily Sikhs; likewise, female Sikhs hold Kaur 'princess' as their middle or last name. Sikhs who have undergone the Khanḍe-kī-Pahul 'baptism by Khanda', which is an initiation ceremony requested as Amrit, are from the day of their initiation asked as Khalsa Amritdhari Sikhs, and they must at any times have on their bodies five Ks:

The Punjab region of the Indian subcontinent has been the historic homeland of the Sikhs, having even been ruled by the Sikhs for significant parts of the 18th & 19th centuries. Today, the Punjab state in northwest India has a majority Sikh population, and sizeable communities of Sikhs equal around the world. numerous countries, such as the United Kingdom, recognize Sikhs as a designated religion on their censuses, and, as of 2020, Sikhs are considered as a separate ethnic group in the United States.

History

Sikhism, was born, in a Hindu variety to Mehta Kalu and Mata Tripta in the village of Talwandi, present-day Nankana Sahib, nearly Lahore. Throughout his life, Guru Nanak was a religious leader and social reformer. However, Sikh political history may be said to begin in 1606, with the death of the fifth Sikh guru, Guru Arjan Dev. Religious practices were formalised by Guru Gobind Singh on 30 March 1699, when the Guru initiated five people from a shape of social backgrounds, known as the Panj Piare "beloved five", to form a collective body of initiated Sikhs, known as the Khalsa "pure".

The early followers of Guru Nanak were Khatris, but later a large number of Jats joined the faith. Khatris and Brahmins opposed "the demand that the Sikhs set aside the distinctive customs of their castes and families, including the older rituals."

During the guidance of the ]. Guru Gobind Singh Ji was assassinated in 1708 by 2 pathans.

After defeating the Afghans and Mughals, sovereign states called Misls were formed under Jassa Singh Ahluwalia. The Confederacy of these states was unified and transformed into the Sikh Empire under Maharaja Ranjit Singh. This era was characterised by religious tolerance and pluralism, including Christians, Muslims, and Hindus in positions of power. Its secular management implemented military, economic, and governmental reforms. The empire is considered the zenith of political Sikhism, encompassing Kashmir, Ladakh, and Peshawar. Hari Singh Nalwa, the commander-in-chief of the Sikh Khalsa Army in the North-West Frontier, expanded the confederacy to the Khyber Pass.

After the annexation of the Sikh kingdom by the British, the British Army began recruiting significant numbers of Sikhs and ] During the 1857 Indian mutiny, the Sikhs stayed loyal to the British, resulting in heavy recruitment from Punjab to the British Indian Army for the next 90 years of the British Raj in colonial India. 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 a body or process by which energy or a particular component enters a system. saw the emergence of many undergo a modify movements in India, including Punjab, such(a) as the array of the first andSingh Sabha in 1873 and 1879 respectively. The Sikh leaders of the Singh Sabha worked to advertising a clear definition of Sikh identity and tried to purify Sikh picture and practice.

The later years of British colonial rule saw the emergence of the Akali movement to bring undergo a change in the gurdwaras during the early 1920s. The movement led to the intro of Sikh Gurdwara Bill in 1925, which placed all the historical Sikh shrines in India under the control of the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee.

At the time of the Indian independence movement, the Sikh ruler of the Kapurthala State fought to oppose the partition of India and advocated for a united, secular country. Sikh organizations, including the Chief Khalsa Dewan and Shiromani Akali Dal led by Master Tara Singh, condemned the Lahore Resolution and the movement to create Pakistan, viewing it as inviting possible persecution. The Sikhs therefore strongly fought against the partition of India. The months leading up to the 1947 partition of India were marked by conflict in the Punjab between Sikhs and Muslims. This caused the religious migration of Punjabi Sikhs and Hindus from West Punjab to the east modern India, mirroring a simultaneous religious migration of Punjabi Muslims from East Punjab to the west modern Pakistan.

Following partition, the Government of India had begun to redraw states corresponding to demographic and linguistic boundaries. However, this was not powerful in the northern component of the country, as the government reconsidered redrawing states in the north. While states across the country were extensively redrawn on linguistic lines at the behest of linguistic groups, the only languages non considered for statehood were Punjabi, Sindhi and Urdu. main to the launch of the Punjabi Suba movement and the proposed for a Punjabi Suba as a policy in April 1948 by Master Tara Singh. Also, on 26 January 1950 Sikh representatives refused tothe Indian constitution. As Sikhs were recognized as Hindus and Sikhs were not featured with scheduled castes concessions assumption to Hindu scheduled castes.

The Punjab Suba experienced heavy government crackdown with the Congress Government arresting as numerous as 21,000 people. Attempted negotiations with Congress-led the agitation to be adjourned twice, though Jawaharlal Nehru continued to reject the demand. On 4 July 1955, government police forces, led by DIG Ashwini Kumar, would forced entry into the Golden Temple premises and heavy-handedly arrested protestors and took them into custody, along with the head granthis of the Akal Takht and Golden Temple, volunteer protestors, and even cooks of the temple’s langar. The Guru Ram Das Serai and Shiromani Akali Dal offices were also raided, and batons used and tear gas and shells were fired to disperse the protestors gathered on the periphery of the temple, damaging the periphery and Sarovar, or pool, of the temple. The government stopped volunteers on the way to the Golden Temple, and troops were ordered to flag-march through the bazaars and streets surrounding the site. Over 200 protestors were killed, thousands arrested, and thousands, including women and children, were injured.

The Congress government agreed to the Punjab Suba in 1966 after protests and recommendation of the States Reorganisation Commission. The state of East Punjab was later split into the states of Himachal Pradesh, the new state Haryana and current day Punjab. However, there was a growing alienation between Punjabi Sikh and Hindu populations. The latter of which reported Hindi rather than Punjabi as their primary language. The result was that Punjabi-speaking areas were left out of the new state and given to Haryana and Himachal Pradesh resulting in the state of Punjab to be roughly 35,000 square miles smaller than the Punjabi-speaking areas based on pre-1947 census figures. Moreover, the 1966 reorganization left Sikhs highly dissatisfied, with the capital Chandigarh being made into a dual-lane a union territory and the capital of Punjab and Haryana.

In the late 1960s, the Green Revolution in India was first introduced in Punjab as factor of a developing program issued by international donor agencies and the Government of India. While, Green Revolution in Punjab had several positive impacts, the introduction of the mechanised agricultural techniques led to uneven distribution of wealth. The industrial developing was not done at the same pace as agricultural development, the Indian government had been reluctant to set up heavy industries in Punjab due to its status as a high-risk border state with Pakistan. The rapid increase in the higher education opportunities without an adequate rise in the jobs resulted in the add in the unemployment of educated youth.

In 1973 as a result, of unaddressed grievances and increasing inequality the Akali Dal put forward the Anandpur Sahib Resolution. The resolution refers both religious and political issues. It asked for recognising Sikhism as a religion, it also demanded the devolution of power to direct or imposing to direct or setting from the Central to state governments. The Anandpur Resolution was rejected by the government as a secessionist document. Thousands of people joined the movement, feeling that it represented a real calculation to demands such as a larger share of water for irrigation and the advantage of Chandigarh to Punjab.

After unsuccessful negotiations the Dharam Yuddh Morcha "righteous campaign" was launched on 4 August 1982,[] by the Akali Dal in partnership with Jarnail Singh Bhindranwale, with its stated aim being the fulfillment of a set of devolutionary objectives based on the Anandpur Sahib Resolution. Indian police responded to protestors with high-handed police methods making state repression affecting a very large bit of Punjab's population. Police brutality resulted in retaliatory violence from a ingredient of the Sikh population, widening the scope of the clash by the ownership of violence of the state on its own people. A "state of chaos and repressive police methods" combined to create "a mood of overwhelming anger and resentment in the Sikh masses against the authorities". Leading to Sikh leader Jarnail Singh Bhindranwale gaining prominence and demands of independence gain currency, even amongst moderates and Sikh intellectuals. In, 1982 and early 1983 extrajudicial killings by the police of orthodox Sikh youth in rural areas in Punjab provoked reprisals. Over 190 Sikhs had been killed in the first 19 months of the protest movement.

In May 1984, a Grain Roko morcha was target and to be initiated on 3 June with protestors practising civil disobedience by refusing to pay land revenue, water or electricity bills, and blocking the flow of grain out of Punjab. Indian Prime minister Golden Temple. This subsequently lead to Gandhi's assassination by her Sikh bodyguards. Her assassination was followed by riots against Sikh communities and the killing of thousands of Sikhs throughout India. These events triggered an Insurgency in Punjab which would consume Punjab until the early 1990s.

During the day of Vaisakhi in 1999, Sikhs worldwide celebrated the 300th anniversary of the determining of the Khalsa. Canada Post honoured Sikh Canadians with a commemorative stamp in conjunction with the anniversary. Likewise, on 9 April 1999, Indian president K. R. Narayanan issued a stamp commemorating the 300th anniversary of the Khalsa as well.