God
In the Sikh tradition, there is one only one God who is known by various names including Ram, Waheguru, Hari, Nirankar – among others.
Core beliefs
A true Sikh is regarded as someone who believes in one immortal God, the ten gurus and their teachings – the Gurbani – which are found in the holy book, Sri Guru Granth Sahib.
Origins
The Sikh faith was founded by Guru Nanak Dev in the Indian state of Punjab around 540 years ago.
Statistics
There are around 25 million Sikhs worldwide. Most live in the Punjab region of India. Sikhism is Britain’s third most popular religion, with about half a million Sikhs living in the UK. There are just under 700 Sikhs in Tower Hamlets.
Duties
Sikhs strive to perform three duties:
- Keep God in mind at all times (nam japna)
- Earn an honest living (kirt karna)
- Give to charity and care for others (vand chhakna)
Diet
Many Sikhs are vegetarian and do not eat fish or eggs, or any products that contain them.
Dress
As an act of faith, baptised Sikhs wear the five Ks:
- Kesh – wearing unshorn hair long, under a distinctive turban
- Kangha – a small comb, which is worn in the hair at all times
- Kara – a steel bracelet , worn on the right wrist
- Kaccha – boxer shorts, made from cotton
- Kirpan – a short sword or dagger
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