Did you know

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Did you know...

  • .... that Gurdwara Patti Sahib (‘Patti’ means ‘alphabet’) is located at the site where young Guru Nanak learned the various different languages then used in the Punjab, each with its own distinct alphabet.
  • .....that the Sikhs believe that all life, including human life, comes from God. God is the Creator of the universe and the force that keeps it in existence.







Previous entries

  • .... that Matha taykna or "Matha take" is the act of bowing down and touching the floor with one’s forehead as a sign of respect for Gurbani. It terms of body language, it is a position of extreme submission and humility.
  • .... that in the last two world wars, 83,005 turban wearing Sikh soldiers were killed and 109,045 were wounded....
Bhai Jivan Singh with the Guru's head
  • .... that Gurdwara Patti Sahib (‘Patti’ means ‘alphabet’) is located at the site where young Guru Nanak learned the various different languages then used in the Punjab, each with its own distinct alphabet.
Bibi Amro with Amar Das and Guru Angad
  • .... that Guru Nanak is believed to be the second most travelled person in the world. The founder Sikh Guru is believed to have travelled more than 28,000 kms in five major tours of the world during the period from 1500 to 1524. The record for the most travelled person is held by Ibn Battuta of Morocco.
Error creating thumbnail: File with dimensions greater than 12.5 MP
  • .... that the first Gurdwara in the whole of America was built in 1908 in Vancouver British Columbia, Canada under the management of the Khalsa Diwan Society. This Gurdwara Sahib served the Greater Vancouver Sikh community until new Gurdwara Sahib was occupied on April 25th, 1970.
  • .....that the word Ardas is derived from the Persian word 'Arazdashat', meaning a request, a supplication, a prayer, a petition or an address to a superior authority.
Laava6-M3.jpg
  • ....that Anand Karaj is the name given to the Sikh wedding ceremony, literally translated as "Blissful Occasion". Sikhs regard marriage as a sacred bond of mutual dependence between a man and a woman.
  • .... that the three requirements of a Sikh are: Nam Japna - Rise in the Amrit Vela and meditate on God's Name; Dharam Di Kirt Karna - Earn one's living righteously by the sweat of the brow or the industry, effort and conscientiousness of the mind and Vand Chhakna - Share what one has with others
Akhand Jaap November 2006
  • .... that Akhand Jaap - is a movement instigated by the youth as a "World Prayer for Peace". It involves the continuous repetition of the word "Waheguru" (Wonderful Lord) which is sung continuously from 1 to 24 hours; It is continuous meditation without interruption. The sangat (congregation) is led by various groups of 'Kirtanias' or Ragis (musicians) in succession and the whole of the congregation join in.
  • ..... that Siropa is a term adopted from Persian sar-o-pa (head and foot) or sarapa (head to foot) meaning an honorary dress and is used in Sikh vocabulary for a garment, scarf or a length of cloth bestowed on someone as a mark of honour.
Qila Anandgarh
  • .... that Alahunian is the name given to the Bani by Guru Nanak. It is a composition in measure Vadahans in the Guru Granth Sahib on page Page 578 and refers to a dirge (funeral song) wailingly sung in chorus by women mourning the death of a close relation. Etymologically, the word means an "utterance in praise of a departed person".
Sri Damdama Sahib
  • .....that the Sikhs believe that all life, including human life, comes from God. God is the Creator of the universe and the force that keeps it in existence.
  • .....that for the Sikhs, the final goal of life is to reunite or merge with God (Mukti). The Sikh Gurus taught that to achieve this goal it was important to work hard at developing positive human qualities which lead the soul closer to God.
  • ... that Sikhi and Hinduism have many parallels. Hindu belief is that "It cannot be said that Sikhism, Hinduism, Buddhism and Jainism are separate religions. All these four faiths and their offshoots are one". Sikhi belief is in pluralism....
  • ....the Significance of Vaisakhi - For many 1000's of years, April has been the time when farmers have put their sickles to harvest and collected the precious life saving crops...
Hazrat Mian Mir
  • ..... that Hazrat Mian Mir was a famous Muslim Sufi saint who is highly respected by the Sikhs. He was a close friend of the Sikh leader Guru Arjan Dev, upon whose invitation he laid the foundation stone of the famous Sikh Golden Temple in Amritsar on 3 January 1588.
  • ..... that the word Singh from Sanskrit sinha which means Lion and is an essential component of the name for a Sikh male.
  • ..... that the Sikh concept of Sarbaht dah Phahla which means "Blessings for Everyone" or literally "May everyone Prosper" is a new concept for many people and is not common knowledge for many followers of the Sikh religion.
  • .....that Guru Ram Das ji was born at Chuna Mandi Bazaar, Lahore on 24th September 1534 and spent the first seven years of his life here and that his name before obtaining Guruship was Bhai Jetha which means the first born.
Gurdwara Dukh Nivaran Sahib Patiala
  • ..... that Gurdwara Dukh Nivaran Sahib Patiala marks the place where Guru Tegh Bahadur visited village Lehal on 24 January 1672 and stayed under a banyan tree by the side of a pond. Soon the sickness in the village subsided. The site where the Guru had sat came to be known as "Dukh Nivaran" literally meaning Eradicator of suffering.
Gurdwara Baba Atal Rai Sahib
  • ....that Guru Gobind Singh had four adopted sons and the one of them was also called Zoravar Singh Palit - (palit means adopted). These four adopted sons were Baba Charan Singh, Baba Punjab Singh, Baba Ajaipal Singh and of course, Baba Zoravar Singh Palit.
  • .... that the ninth Guru, Guru Tegh Bahadur on his way to Patna in east India visited Agra. A devout Sikh disciple lady invited Guru Tegh Bahadur to her house where he stayed for a day or two. Her name was Mai Jassi. The site of house has become a shrine and is known as Gurudwara Mai Than, Agra....
Gurdwara Bhagat Dhanna
  • .... that Gurudwara Bhagat Dhanna was constructed by Sant Baba Shisha Singh to facilitate devotees on their travels to and from the city the world knows as Nanded. Sikhs call the city Abichalnagar as the city is sacred to the memory of Guru Gobind Singh who left for his heavenly abode there....
  • .... that Maharaja Duleep Singh (Lahore, 6 September 1838 - Paris, 22 October 1893) was a Sikh ruler of the sovereign state of Punjab, and the Sikh Empire. He was the last Maharaja of Lahore during the Sikh Raj of Punjab and was the youngest son of the legendary Lion of the Punjab (Maharaja Ranjit Singh) and the Messalina of the Punjab (Maharani Jind Kaur).....
Guru Gobind Singh marg
click to enlarge
  • ... that Tarna Dal, the army of the youth, was one of the two main divisions of Dal Khalsa, the confederated army of the Sikhs during the eighteenth century, the other one being the Buddha Dal (army of the elders)....
  • .... that the history of the Ramgarhia bunga is inseparable from the history of the Golden Temple because its very existence is dependent on the latter. During the reign of the Mughal Emperors the temple was damaged or destroyed no less then seven times. But each time it was rebuilt by the Sikhs.
  • ....that Sundri the movie is the third movie by Vismaad Pte Ltd, a Singapore based computer animation company. The film is based on a novel by the same name - Sundri by the famous Punjabi writer, Bhai Vir Singh (1872-1957). This movie like the other two previous ones is a high resolution 2D computer animation with stereo sound and will be available as a DVD and also for theatrical release which are scheduled from May 08....
  • .... that Gurdwara Nanak Shahi Dhaka in Dhaka is one of the seven known Gurdwaras in Bangladesh. It is the most important historic Gurdwara in this country, commemorating the visit of Guru Nanak in 1506-1507. This Gurdwara is said to have been built in 1830.
  • ....that there are 240 million Nanakpanthis in the world! Most of them live in Sindh (Pakistan), Uttar Pradesh, Bihar and other remote parts of India. They are being neglected by our own 'mainstream' Sikhs and many are converting to other religions due to lack of Parchar by Sikh religious body.
  • ....the Significance of Vaisakhi - For many 1000's of years, April has been the time when farmers have put their sickles to harvest and collected the precious life saving crops...
Sardarji joke
  • ....that the Guru has pronounced that Kirtan is the magical formula that keeps the human soul afloat in the dark era of Kaljug provided the devotee sings with his mind focussed thus: "Kaljug meh kīrṯan parḝẖĝnĝ. Gurmukẖ japī­ai lĝ­ė ḝẖi­ĝnĝ. In this Dark Age of Kaljug, Kirtan is supreme when the devotee sing with focus"
  • ....that Pearl S Buck, Nobel Laureate, when writing about the English translation of Guru Granth Sahib said: "I have studied the scriptures of other great religions, but I do not find elsewhere the same power of appeal to the heart and mind as I find here in these volumes...."
Laava6-M3.jpg
  • ....that Anand Karaj is the name given to the Sikh wedding ceremony, literally translated as "Blissful Occasion". Sikhs regard marriage as a sacred bond of mutual dependence between a man and a woman.
  • ....that the Sikh wedding ceremony is called Anand Karaj and that it basically translated to "Blissful Occasion" - Also that a true partnership in marriage is made between those who are united in spirit as well as in mind and body.
  • ....that the Sikh name, Ajit or Ajeet means "Invincible" or "unconquerable" in Punjabi. DO you know the meaning of "Amardev" or "Satpreet"?. Why not explore our database of over 1000 Sikh names here
  • .... that the Panj Granthi is a pothi or small book containing five chosen texts, from the Guru Granth Sahib. The word "panj" means "five" and "granthi" is the diminutive form of "granth" (holy book)
  • .... that Alahunian is the name given to the Bani by Guru Nanak. It is a composition in measure Vadahans in the Guru Granth Sahib on page Page 578 and refers to a dirge (funeral song) wailingly sung in chorus by women mourning the death of a close relation. Etymologically, the word means an "utterance in praise of a departed person".
  • ..... that Siropa is a term adopted from Persian sar-o-pa (head and foot) or sarapa (head to foot) meaning an honorary dress and is used in Sikh vocabulary for a garment, scarf or a length of cloth bestowed on someone as a mark of honour.
Sri Damdama Sahib
  • .... that Langar is a free Sikh kitchen which was started by the first Sikh Guru, Guru Nanak Dev Ji in the fifteenth century. It is designed to uphold the principle of equality between all people of the world regardless of their religion, caste, colour, creed, age, gender or social status. In addition to the ideals of equality, the tradition of Langar expresses the ethics of sharing, community, inclusiveness and oneness of all humankind. "..the Light of God is in all hearts", said Guru Nanak (SGGS 282)
Gurdwara Dukh Nivaran Sahib Patiala
  • ..... that Gurdwara Dukh Nivaran Sahib Patiala marks the place where Guru Tegh Bahadur visited village Lehal on 24 January 1672 and stayed under a banyan tree by the side of a pond. Soon the sickness in the village subsided. The site where the Guru had sat came to be known as "Dukh Nivaran" literally meaning Eradicator of suffering.
  • .....that Guru Ram Das ji was born at Chuna Mandi Bazaar, Lahore on 24th September 1534 and spent the first seven years of his life here and that his name before obtaining Guruship was Bhai Jetha which means the first born.
A graphic displaying some important Sikh concepts
click on picture to enlarge
  • ..... that on the 5 January 2008, the Sikh worldwide will celebrate the 340th anniversary of the birth of Guru Gobind Singh.
  • .... that Langar is a Sikh free kitchen which was started by the first Sikh Guru, Guru Nanak Dev Ji in the fifteenth century. It is designed to uphold the principle of equality between all people of the world regardless of their religion, caste, colour, creed, age, gender or social status. In addition to the ideals of equality, the tradition of Langar expresses the ethics of sharing, community, inclusiveness and oneness of all humankind. "..the Light of God is in all hearts", said Guru Nanak (sggs 282)
  • .... that the three requirements of a Sikh are: Nam Japna - Rise in the Amrit Vela and meditate on God's Name; Dharam Di Kirt Karna - Earn one's living righteously by the sweat of the brow or the industry, effort and conscientiousness of the mind and Vand Chhakna - Share what one has with others
  • .... that the Panj Granthi is a pothi or small book containing five chosen texts, from the Guru Granth Sahib. The word "panj" means "five" and "granthi" is the diminutive form of "granth" (holy book)
  • ..... that Siropa is a term adopted from Persian sar-o-pa (head and foot) or sarapa (head to foot) meaning an honorary dress and is used in Sikh vocabulary for a garment, scarf or a length of cloth bestowed on someone as a mark of honour.
  • ..... that the Kashmiri Brahmins came to Guru Tegh Bahadar at Anandpur in May 1675 for protection against atrocities of Aurangzeb. Kirpa Ram led this group of Kashmiri Pandits driven to dire straits by State Persecution.
  • ....that Tarn Taran (31°27'N, 74°56'E) is an important centre of Sikh pilgrimage 24 km south of Amritsar, which was founded by Guru Arjan in 1596. Six years earlier, on 13 April 1590, he had inaugurated the conversion of a natural pond lying along the Delhi Lahore highway into a rectangular tank.
  • .....that at Gurdwara San Sahib situated in the village of Basarke in Amritsar District, Punjab, India, Baba Buddha made a hole in the wall so as not to go against the Guru's note on the door that said, "He who opens this door is no Sikh of mine, nor am I his Guru."
  • ....that the Makindu Sikh Temple is located about 100 miles (160km) from Nairobi on the main Nairobi-Mombasa Road and that it was built in 1926 by the Sikhs who were working on the construction of the railway line from the coast (Mombasa) inland to Lake Victoria and beyond to Uganda.
Hazrat Mian Mir
  • ..... that Hazrat Mian Mir was a famous Muslim Sufi saint who is highly respected by the Sikhs. He was a close friend of the Sikh leader Guru Arjan Dev, upon whose invitation he laid the foundation stone of the famous Sikh Golden Temple in Amritsar on 3 January 1588.
  • ..... that the word Singh from Sanskrit sinha which means Lion and is an essential component of the name for a Sikh male.
  • ..... that the Sikh concept of Sarbaht dah Phahla which means "Blessings for Everyone" or literally "May everyone Prosper" is a new concept for many people and is not common knowledge for many followers of the Sikh religion.
  • .....that Guru Ram Das ji was born at Chuna Mandi Bazaar, Lahore on 24th September 1534 and spent the first seven years of his life here and that his name before obtaining Guruship was Bhai Jetha which means the first born.
Sri Damdama Sahib
  • .....that the Sikhs believe that all life, including human life, comes from God. God is the Creator of the universe and the force that keeps it in existence.
  • .....that for the Sikhs, the final goal of life is to reunite or merge with God (Mukti). The Sikh Gurus taught that to achieve this goal it was important to work hard at developing positive human qualities which lead the soul closer to God.