42-468: Fatehgarh Sahib ( Punjabi pronunciation: [fə.t̪éː.gə́ɽᵊ sä́ːbᵊ] ) is a city and a sacred pilgrimage site of Sikhism in the north west Indian state of Punjab . It is the headquarters of Fatehgarh Sahib district , located about 5 kilometres (3.1 mi) north of Sirhind . Fatehgarh Sahib is named after Fateh Singh , the 7-year-old son of Guru Gobind Singh , who was seized and buried alive, along with his 9-year-old brother Zoravar Singh , by
84-591: A metaphysical soteriology such as a state of "heaven" or "nirvana." Nevertheless, in Sikhism, both karma and liberation are "modified by the concept of God's grace" ( nadar, mehar, kirpa, karam , etc.). Guru Nanak states that "the body takes birth because of karma, but salvation is attained through grace." To get closer to God, Sikhs: avoid the evils of maya ; keep the everlasting truth in mind; practice shabad kirtan (musical recitation of hymns); meditate on naam ; and serve humanity. Sikhs believe that being in
126-416: A Sikh gurdwara . However, most Sikh gurdwaras forbid aarti during their Bhakti practices. Major religious groups Worldwide percentage of adherents by religion as of 2020 The world 's principal religions and spiritual traditions may be classified into a small number of major groups, though this is not a uniform practice. This theory began in the 18th century with the goal of recognizing
168-460: A Sikh should perform constant Bhakti. Some scholars call Sikhism a Bhakti sect of Indian traditions, adding that it emphasises " nirguni Bhakti ", i.e. loving devotion to a divine without qualities or physical form. While Western scholarship generally places Sikhism as arising primarily within a Hindu Bhakti movement milieu while recognizing some Sufi Islamic influences, some Indian Sikh scholars disagree and state that Sikhism transcended
210-453: A doctrine that has been practiced in Sikh religion since the seventeenth century. The doctrine of the "Mir" (social and political aspects of life) and the "Pir" (guides to spiritual aspect of life) was revealed by the first guru of Sikhism, Guru Nanak , but propounded by the sixth guru of Sikhism, Guru Hargobind , on 12 June 1606. After the martyrdom of his father , Guru Hargobind was elevated to
252-435: A means to feel God's presence ( simran ), which can be expressed musically through kirtan or internally through naam japna ( lit. ' meditation on God's name ' ). Baptised Sikhs are obliged to wear the five Ks , which are five articles of faith which physically distinguish Sikhs from non-Sikhs. Among these include the kesh (uncut hair). Most religious Sikh men thus do not cut their hair but rather wear
294-600: A spiritual union with the Akal , which results in salvation or jivanmukti ('enlightenment/liberation within one's lifetime'), a concept also found in Hinduism . Guru Gobind Singh makes it clear that human birth is obtained with great fortune, and therefore one needs to be able to make the most of this life. Sikhs accept reincarnation and karma concepts found in Buddhism , Hinduism , and Jainism , but do not necessarily infer
336-539: A turban . The definition of a Sikh, according to the Rehat Maryada , the Sikh code of conduct, is any human being who faithfully believes in the following: The religion developed and evolved in times of religious persecution , gaining converts from both Hinduism and Islam . The Mughal emperors of India tortured and executed two of the Sikh gurus— Guru Arjan (1563–1605) and Guru Tegh Bahadur (1621–1675)—after they refused to convert to Islam . The persecution of
378-422: Is a monotheistic and panentheistic religion. Sikhs believe that there exists only one God and that God is simultaneously within everything and is all-encompassing. The oneness of God is reflected by the phrase Ik Onkar . In Sikhism, the word for God is Waheguru ( lit. ' wondrous teacher ' ). The Waheguru is considered to be Nirankar ("shapeless"), Akal ("timeless"), Karta Purakh ("
420-506: Is an Indian religion and philosophy that originated in the Punjab region of the Indian subcontinent around the end of the 15th century CE. It is one of the most recently founded major religions and among the largest in the world with about 25–30 million adherents (known as Sikhs ). Sikhism developed from the spiritual teachings of Guru Nanak (1469–1539), the faith's first guru , and
462-960: Is more loosely rendered 'the one supreme reality', 'the one creator', 'the all-pervading spirit', and other ways of expressing a diffused but unified and singular sense of God and creation. The traditional Mul Mantar goes from ik onkar until Nanak hosee bhee sach. The opening line of the Guru Granth Sahib and each subsequent raga , mentions ik onkar : ੴ ikk ōankār ਸਤਿ sat (i) ਨਾਮੁ nām (u) ਕਰਤਾ karatā ਪੁਰਖੁ purakh (u) ਨਿਰਭਉ nirabha'u ਨਿਰਵੈਰੁ niravair (u) ਅਕਾਲ akāl (a) ਮੂਰਤਿ mūrat (i) ਅਜੂਨੀ ajūnī ਸੈਭੰ saibhan ਗੁਰ gur (a) ਪ੍ਰਸਾਦਿ॥ prasād (i) {ੴ} ਸਤਿ ਨਾਮੁ ਕਰਤਾ ਪੁਰਖੁ ਨਿਰਭਉ ਨਿਰਵੈਰੁ ਅਕਾਲ ਮੂਰਤਿ ਅਜੂਨੀ ਸੈਭੰ ਗੁਰ ਪ੍ਰਸਾਦਿ॥ {ikk ōankār} sat (i) nām (u) karatā purakh (u) nirabha'u niravair (u) akāl (a) mūrat (i) ajūnī saibhan gur (a) prasād (i) "There
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#1732852195239504-399: Is one supreme being, the eternal reality, the creator, without fear and devoid of enmity, immortal, never incarnated, self-existent, known by grace through the true guru." Māyā , defined as a temporary illusion or " unreality ", is one of the core deviations from the pursuit of God and salvation: where worldly attractions give only illusory temporary satisfaction and pain that distracts from
546-527: Is properly the Worship given to God, but 'tis also applied to the Worship of Idols and false Deities." At the turn of the 19th century, in between 1780 and 1810, the language dramatically changed: instead of "religion" being synonymous with spirituality, authors began using the plural, "religions", to refer to both Christianity and other forms of worship. Therefore, Hannah Adams 's early encyclopedia, for example, had its name changed from An Alphabetical Compendium of
588-461: Is the major landmark in the town. It marks the location where two youngest sons of Guru Gobind Singh Ji – 7-year-old Baba Fateh Singh Ji and 9-year-old Baba Zorawar Singh Ji– were betrayed by their cook and servant Gangu to the Mughal army, seized, asked to convert to Islam and when they refused they were buried alive under the orders of Wazir Khan. Their martyrdom on 9 December 1705 has been remembered by
630-560: The Middle East , Indian religions in the Indian subcontinent (South Asia) and East Asian religions in East Asia . Another group with supra-regional influence are Afro-American religion , which have their origins in Central and West Africa. Initially, Christians had a simple dichotomy of world beliefs: Christian civility versus foreign heresy or barbarity. In the 18th century, " heresy "
672-533: The Guru's teaching remembrance of nām (the divine Name of the Lord) leads to the end of egotism. Guru Nanak designated the word Guru ('teacher') to mean the voice of "the spirit": the source of knowledge and the guide to salvation. As ik onkar is universally immanent , Guru is indistinguishable from Akal and are one and the same. One connects with Guru only with accumulation of selfless search of truth. Ultimately
714-525: The Guruship and fulfilled the prophecy that was given by the primal figure of Sikh, Baba Buddha , that the guru will possess spiritual and temporal power. Guru Hargobind introduced the two swords of Miri and Piri symbolizing both worldly (social and political) and spiritual authority. The two kirpan of Miri and Piri are tied together with a khanda in center, so the combination of both is considered supreme. This means that all action informed or arising out of
756-582: The Mughals under the orders of governor Wazir Khan during the ongoing Mughal-Sikh wars of the early 18th century. The town experienced major historical events after the martyrdom of the sons in 1705, with frequent changes of control between the Sikhs and Mughals. The town features historic Gurdwaras, including the underground Bhora Sahib marking the location where the two boys refused to convert to Islam and fearlessly accepted being bricked alive. In contemporary times,
798-459: The Sikhs by naming the site as Fatehgarh after the youngest boy killed, and by building a large Gurdwara in 1843. The town is also the location where the Sikhs took revenge by capturing it from Wazir Khan in 1710 and killing him. However, the Sikh militia was defeated again few years later and the town remained in the control of Muslim rulers, including later an appointee of Ahmed Shah Durrani till 1764, when Khalsa recaptured it by defeating and killing
840-568: The Sikhs triggered the founding of the Khalsa by Guru Gobind Singh in 1699 as an order to protect the freedom of conscience and religion , with members expressing the qualities of a sant-sipāhī ("saint-soldier"). The majority of Sikh scriptures were originally written in the alphabet of Gurmukhī , a script standardised by Guru Angad out of Laṇḍā scripts historically used in present-day Pakistan and North India . Adherents of Sikhism are known as Sikhs , meaning "students" or "disciples" of
882-548: The Various Sects... to A Dictionary of All Religions and Religious Denominations . In 1838, the four-way division of Christianity, Judaism, Mahommedanism (archaic terminology for Islam ) and paganism was multiplied considerably by Josiah Conder 's Analytical and Comparative View of All Religions Now Extant among Mankind . Conder's work still adhered to the four-way classification, but in his eye for detail he puts together much historical work to create something resembling
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#1732852195239924-469: The appointee Zain Khan. The town is home to major Sikh Gurdwaras: There also exists remains of an ancient Royal inn in the city named Aam Khas Bagh that was initially built by Akbar and rebuilt by Mughal Emperor Shah Jahan . Shaheedi Jor Mel Every year between 11th and 14th of the month of Poh (usually about 25 to 27 December), Fatehgarh Sahib is the pilgrimage site for many Sikhs who visit it to remember
966-400: The company of the satsang (association with sat , 'true', people) or sadh sangat is one of the key ways to achieve liberation from the cycles of reincarnation. The Sikh community may be seen to correspond to A.D. Smith's definition of a politicized community, sharing common ancestry myths and historical memories of martyrdom and persecution under successive rulers. Miri Piri is
1008-408: The congruence between spiritual development and everyday moral conduct. Its founder, Guru Nanak, summarized this perspective as: "Truth is the highest virtue, but higher still is truthful living." Sikhism lays emphasis on Ėk nūr te sab jag upjiā , 'From the one light, the entire universe welled up.' Guru Nanak also emphasized his teachings to his disciples by giving them real-life examples. Sikhism
1050-413: The creator being "), Akaal Purkh ("beyond time and death") and Agam Agochar (" incomprehensible and invisible"). In a literal sense, God has no gender in Sikhism, but, metaphorically, God is presented as masculine and God's power as feminine. For example, Guru Gobind Singh refers to God as his father, and God's creative power as his mother. Similarly, another example is that the Guru Granth Sahib ,
1092-549: The environment it emerged from. The basis of the latter analysis is that Bhakti traditions did not clearly disassociate from Vedic texts and their cosmologies and metaphysical worldview, while the Sikh tradition clearly did disassociate from the Vedic tradition. Some Sikh sects outside the Punjab region of India, such as those found in Maharashtra and Bihar , practice aarti (the ceremonial use of lamps) during Bhakti observances in
1134-467: The exonym term Sikhism as they claim the word was coined by the British colonists rather than by Sikhs themselves, and they instead prefer the endonym Sikhi . They argue that an "-ism" connotes a fixed and immutable worldview which is not congruent with the internally fluid nature of the Sikh philosophy. The basis of Sikhism lies in the teachings of Guru Nanak and his successors. Sikh ethics emphasize
1176-453: The guru. The English word Sikhism derives from the Punjabi word for the religion Sikhi ( Punjabi : ਸਿੱਖੀ Sikkhī , [ˈsɪk.kʰiː] , from Punjabi : ਸਿੱਖ , romanized: Sikh , lit. 'disciple'), which connotes the "temporal path of learning" and is rooted in the verb sikhana ( lit. ' to learn ' ). Some Sikhs oppose
1218-561: The martyrdom, locally known as Shaheedi Jor Mel of the sons of Guru Gobind Singh . Todarmal , who is most remembered for defying the Mughals by arranging for the cremation of young martyred sons of Guru Gobind Singh and his mother, had a haveli that still exists, Todar Mal Haveli . Sikhism Sikhism ( / ˈ s iː k ɪ z əm / SEEK -iz-əm ), also known as Sikhi ( Punjabi : ਸਿੱਖੀ Sikkhī , [ˈsɪk.kʰiː] , from Punjabi : ਸਿੱਖ , romanized: Sikh , lit. 'disciple'),
1260-452: The modern Western image: he includes Druze , Yazidis , Mandaeans , and Elamites under a list of possibly monotheistic groups, and under the final category, of "polytheism and pantheism", he listed Zoroastrianism , "Vedas, Puranas, Tantras, Reformed sects" of India as well as "Brahminical idolatry", Buddhism , Jainism , Sikhism , Lamaism , "religion of China and Japan", and "illiterate superstitions" as others. The modern meaning of
1302-535: The name of the one creator ( Ik Onkar ), the divine unity and equality of all humankind, engaging in selfless service to others ( sevā ), striving for justice for the benefit and prosperity of all ( sarbat da bhala ), and honest conduct and livelihood. Following this standard, Sikhism rejects claims that any particular religious tradition has a monopoly on absolute truth. As a consequence, Sikhs do not actively proselytize, although voluntary converts are generally accepted. Sikhism emphasizes meditation and remembrance as
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1344-515: The nine Sikh gurus who succeeded him. The tenth guru, Guru Gobind Singh (1666–1708), named the Guru Granth Sahib , which is the central religious scripture in Sikhism, as his successor. This brought the line of human gurus to a close. Sikhs regard the Guru Granth Sahib as the 11th and eternally living guru. The core beliefs and practices of Sikhism, articulated in the Guru Granth Sahib and other Sikh scriptures, include faith and meditation in
1386-520: The phrase "world religion", putting non-Christians at the same level as Christians, began with the 1893 Parliament of the World's Religions in Chicago . The Parliament spurred the creation of a dozen privately funded lectures with the intent of informing people of the diversity of religious experience: these lectures funded researchers such as William James , D. T. Suzuki , and Alan Watts , who greatly influenced
1428-425: The primary Sikh scripture, says that all humans are soul-brides who long to unite with their husband Lord. In addition, the gurus also wrote in the Guru Granth Sahib that there are many worlds on which the transcendental God has created life. The Sikh scripture begins with God as Ik Onkar ( ੴ ), the 'One Creator', understood in the Sikh tradition as monotheistic unity of God. Ik onkar (sometimes capitalized)
1470-413: The process of the devotion of God. However, Nanak emphasized māyā as not a reference to the unreality of the world, but of its values. In Sikhism, the influences of ego , anger , greed , attachment , and lust , known as the pānj chor (' Five Thieves '), are believed to be particularly distracting and hurtful. Sikhs believe the world is currently in a state of Kali Yuga ('age of darkness') because
1512-522: The relative levels of civility in different societies, but this practice has since fallen into disrepute in many contemporary cultures. One way to define a major religion is by the number of current adherents. The population numbers by religion are computed by a combination of census reports and population surveys (in countries where religion data is not collected in census, for example the United States or France), but results can vary widely depending on
1554-472: The seeker realises that it is the consciousness within the body which is the seeker/follower of the Word that is the true Guru . The human body is just a means to achieve the reunion with Truth. Once truth starts to shine in a person's heart, the essence of current and past holy books of all religions is understood by the person. Guru Nanak's teachings are founded not on a final destination of heaven or hell, but on
1596-489: The spiritual heart completes one's purpose and meaning in the world of action: spirituality . Guru Nanak , the first Sikh guru and the founder of Sikhism, was a Bhakti saint. He taught that the most important form of worship is Bhakti (devotion to Waheguru ). Guru Arjan , in the Sukhmani Sahib , recommended the true religion as one of loving devotion to God. The Guru Granth Sahib includes suggestions on how
1638-502: The town is the site of educational institutions such as the SGPC run Guru Granth Sahib University and Baba Banda Singh Bahadur Engineering College. The city is a historically important settlement 40 kilometres (25 mi) north of the city of Patiala and 42 kilometers (26 mi) west of Punjab's capital, Chandigarh . It is a major pilgrimage center in Sikhism . The Gurdwara Fatehgarh Sahib
1680-543: The way questions are phrased, the definitions of religion used and the bias of the agencies or organizations conducting the survey. Informal or unorganized religions are especially difficult to count. There is no consensus among researchers as to the best methodology for determining the religiosity profile of the world's population. A number of fundamental aspects are unresolved: Religious traditions fall into super-groups in comparative religion , arranged by historical origin and mutual influence. Abrahamic religions originate in
1722-406: The world is led astray by the love of and attachment to māyā . The fate of people vulnerable to the five thieves is separation from God, and the situation may be remedied only after intensive and relentless devotion. According to Guru Nanak, the supreme purpose of human life is to reconnect with Akal ('The Timeless One'). However, egotism is the biggest barrier in making this connection. Using
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1764-419: Was clarified to mean Judaism and Islam ; along with paganism , this created a fourfold classification which spawned such works as John Toland 's Nazarenus, or Jewish, Gentile, and Mahometan Christianity , which represented the three Abrahamic religions as different "nations" or sects within religion itself, the "true monotheism ." Daniel Defoe described the original definition as follows: "Religion
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