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1. Religion News Service | By Lauren Markoe
Posted: 31/01/2014 20:01 IST Updated: 31/01/2014 20:29 IST
(RNS) Sikhism is the world’s fifth-largest
religion,a monotheisticfaith founded in the
Punjab region of India about 500 years ago.
Most of the world’s 25 millionSikhs live in
India,but more than 500,000 make the U.S.
their home.
Here are somefacts about what Sikhs believe
and Sikh culture.
* Sikhs believe everyone, men and women, has
equal status before God,who created the
universe and all faiths. Humanbeings are

2. encouraged to develop their moral character
through generosity, humilityand self-reliance.
* Sikh means “seeker of knowledge”in Punjabi,
the languageof India’s Punjabregion and of
Sikhism’s holy books.
* Sikhism was divinely revealed to its first guru,
or prophet, Guru Nanak, who died in 1539. Nine
gurus followed him, the last of which, Guru
Gobind Singh, died in 1708.
* Sikhs keep their hair uncut, or natural, as a
sign of living in harmonywith God.Men — and
some women — cover their hair with turbans as
a mark of their faith. Boys start wearing a patka
over their hair when it is long enough to tie into
a topknot.
* The kara is a steel bracelet worn by Sikhs to
remind them of the unity of God. The kirpan is a
ceremonial dagger(though not a weapon) that is
meant to remind Sikhs of the duty to fight
injustice.
* The Sikh place of worshipis known as a
gurdwara,and it is where the Sikh holy book, the
Guru Granth Sahib is kept, though copies are
also found in Sikh homes. In a gurdwara,all
remove their shoes, and womencover their
heads.
* The central Sikh shrine is the HarmandirSahib
in Amritsar, India,which is also known as the

3. GoldenTemple.
* After services, Sikhs partake in the langar, a
communal meal,typically of Punjabi food,
cooked and served by volunteers.
* The first Sikhs came to the U.S. about 100
years ago. They are most concentrated on the
coasts, with a large Sikh populationin Queens,
N.Y.
* Sikh is properly pronounced “sik” but you will
likely not be corrected for saying “seek.”