THE GOLDEN TEMPLE
THE GOLDEN TEMPLE
AMRITSAR, INDIA
"There is one supreme eternal reality; the truth; immanent in all things; creator of all things; immanent in creation. Without fear and without hatred; not subject to time; beyond birth and death; self-revealing. Known by the Guru’s grace."
Nanak, the saintly first guru, wandered over India seeking converts. He was succeeded by nine gurus. The fourth, Ram Das, founded the Golden Temple. The fifth, Arjun compiled the Adi Granth in 1604.
Sikhs, followers of the Sikh religion,
centered in Punjab State, in northwestern India. Sikhism is an ethical monotheism fusing
elements of Hinduism and Islam. It was founded by Nanak (1469-1539), a mystic who believed
that God transcends religious distinctions.
Influenced by the devotional emphasis of bhakti Hinduism and Sufi Islam, Sikhism stresses
the unity, truth, and creativity of a personal God and urges union with him through
meditation on his title, the Name (Nam), and surrender to his will. It also advocates
active service rather than the Hindu ideal of ascetic withdrawal. Loyalty and justice are
admired, smoking and intoxicants forbidden. Sikhism also rejects the Hindu caste system,
priesthood, image worship, and pilgrimage, although it retains the Hindu doctrines of
transmigration and karma. The ultimate spiritual authority is the Adi Granth, consisting
of hymns by the ten Sikh gurus and Hindu and Muslim devotional poetry in several
languages. All Sikhs may read the Adi Granth, which is the focus of devotion at the Golden
Temple in Amritsar, the Sikh religious center.
As the influence of the Guru’s word is best experienced in the gurdwara, the Sikh place of worship, Sikhs are required to join a daily sangat (congregation) where, as well as listening to scriptures, they must undertake and perform seva. A gurdwara is entered by removing one’s shoes and covering one’s hair. Sikhs and non-Sikhs bow before the Guru Granth Sahib by touching their foreheads to the ground. The sangat are served with Karah Prashad (sacramental food) at the close of the session. Each gurdwara has a langar (common kitchen) where the sangat are enjoined to share a meal.
The Rehat Maryada also imposes further injunctions: Sikhs are not allowed to eat meat killed in accordance with Muslim custom; the use of all intoxicants is forbidden; they must not cut their hair; and they must be loyal to their marriage partners. For most Sikhs and their families, Sikhism plays a central role in their life cycle. There is a distinctive ceremony for naming the newborn and for baptism into the Khalsa (see below); the learning of Punjabi is seen as essential to understanding the scriptures; the marriage ceremony is specifically defined; and, at death, there are prescribed scriptures to be read and procedures to be followed.
Most Sikh children are considered to be born Sikhs. All Sikhs who follow elements of the code of discipline and are mature enough to appreciate the commitment can undergo baptism into the sacred order of the Khalsa ("the pure") established by Guru Gobind Singh at Baisakhi in 1699. Initiation into the Khalsa follows the ceremony known as khande di pahul ("tempered with steel") performed by the Panj Piare (the symbolic representation of the five beloved ones who were first baptized, and who subsequently, in turn, baptized Guru Gobind Singh). Initiates are “baptized” by drinking sweetened water stirred with a dagger and take the surname Singh (“lion”). They must observe the five k's: no cutting of the beard or hair (kes) and the wearing of soldiers' shorts (kacch), an iron bangle (kara) against evil, a steel dagger (khanda), and a comb (khanga). Sikhs believe that God (Waheguru), who created the universe and everything in it, is omnipresent, immanent as well as transcendent, and omnipotent. Because God is formless, inscrutable, and beyond the reach of human intellect, a relationship with the Creator can be established only by recognizing divine self-expression and truth. This relationship is possible through meditation on God’s Name (nam) and Word (shabad) which are the revelation of the divine instructor (the Guru). Without the Guru’s grace an individual is doomed to the perpetual cycle of death and rebirth.Guru Nanak’s message went beyond personal reflection and mediation to incorporate a new social vision. This was evident in his strong emphasis on social equality, the rejection of all forms of caste distinctions, the collective welfare of all, and the centrality of the concept of seva (service) to the community. The present and the divine in Nanak’s social vision are linked together in three simple injunctions to his followers: to adore the divine name, to work hard; and to share the rewards of one’s labour with others.
As the Sikhs became a distinct religious community, they took up arms against persecution by Hindus and by Muslim rulers of the Mughal Empire. Oppo Mughal tyranny, the tenth guru, Gobind Singh, formed the Khalsa in 1699. During the decline of the Mughals, the Sikhs, led by the warrior Ranjit Singh, created a powerful state in the Punjab about 1800 that eventually threatened British-controlled India. After internal dissension and two wars the Punjab was annexed by the British in 1849. The British governed the Sikhs fairly and, in return for their loyalty during the Sepoy Mutiny of 1857, gave them preferential land grants. The Sikhs gained wealth and a great reputation as soldiers and policemen. Upon independence in 1947, they lost their privileges and found their state divided between India and Pakistan. After a bitter war against the Muslims in 1965, the Pakistani Sikhs migrated to India. In response to years of agitation, the Indian government created Punjab as a single Punjabi-speaking state in 1966; it remains the home of most of India's more than 16 million Sikhs. Terrorism by Sikh separatists demanding greater autonomy led the Indian government in June 1984 to send in troops to seize the Golden Temple from Sikh extremists, who vowed to avenge the violence. In 1985 an accord was finally reached with the Indian government on expanding Punjab. Sikh terrorists then stepped up their activities, demanding the establishment of a Sikh state, Khalistan. In 1992 the government sent in police and army reinforcements and reestablished its authority in Punjab.
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