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Neela, the Guru's horse

Guru Gobind Singh was famous for his blue coloured horse. In fact Guru Sahib is sometimes known as "Neelay ghoray whalla" or "one with the blue horse" and many a folk songs and vars sing the exploits of "Neelay ghoray they swaar" or "the rider of the blue horse". Just as his grandfather Guru Hargobind sahib had done, Guru Gobind Singh instructed his Sikhs to make offerings of arms and horses in readiness for the turbulent times ahead. In anticipation of this Guru Gobind Singh learnt the art of horsemanship from an early age under the guidance of his maternal uncle, Bhai Kirpal Chand.

As Guru Sahib grew older, he became an accomplished horseman and would spend time travelling the country-side on horseback blessing his people who would inevitably gather wherever he went. It is not clear where the blue horse, affectionately known as Neela (meaning "blue"), was acquired from. It may have been a gift from a royal dignitary or from a devotee. Even today the lineage of the stallions continues at Hazoor Sahib, Nanded.

The horses are kept in stables and are descendants of the original stallion of Guru Gobind Singh, although over time the blue colour has been diluted down to a grey white. No one is allowed to ride the horses as a mark of respect and they are brought out on the festival of Holla Mahalla or gurpurbs when they are beautifully decorated with tassels and riding gear.

On occasions, especially on the festival of Holla Mahalla, it has been said that the horse will get extremely sweaty and agitated, as if it is being ridden. It is difficult to get information about Guru Sahib’s horse, even more so about a blue horse. These horses are very rare and many people are sceptical that such horses exist. .....More

Guru Gobind Singh

Daulat Rai, an Arya Samajist was living in India during the late 1800's and the early part of 1900's.

He was so disturbed by the publication of books by some Hindu activists whose writings maligned the Sikh Gurus that he was forced to pick up the pen himself. The now famous book: "Sahib-e-Kamal (par excellence) Guru Gobind Singh" was written by him.

In his book he reminded Punjabi and Hindus of the humiliation and degradation to which their ancestors were subjected under Mughal rule before the Khalsa liberated them. Quoting various historical sources, he wrote:

Not only did Mughal invaders kill Hindus by the thousands, looted their properties and carried away men and women as slaves in the thousands, but also under some Muslim rulers Hindus were not allowed even the comforts of life like -- good clothes, good food, ride horses, wear turbans or keep good homes or valuables or even beautiful children or wives. .....More

Did you know...

Sri Damdama Sahib

• .....that Takhat Damdama Sahib is one of five takhats or Seat of Authority of the Sikhs. This takhat is situated at Batinda in Punjab, India and is the place where Guru Gobind Singh, the tenth Guru of the Sikhs prepared the full version of the Sikh Scriptures called Sri Guru Granth Sahib in 1705. What are the names of the other four Takhats?

• .....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 the Guru Granth Sahib provides guidance for Muslims!; Yes, no other historical Islamic verse holds such strong contempt for Muslims who fail to carry out the daily Nimaz as can be attributed to Hazrat Baba Sheikh Farid as recorded in the Shri Guru Granth Sahib.

Sikhi FAQ...

Q. Can Sikhs have tattoos?
	A. I don't believe there is anything directly written against or in favour of tattoos in the Sikh scriptures. Tattoos can be grouped with "extreme make-up" which the Guru calls "decorations" and I ask you.. .....More

"Those who do not forget the Lord, with each breath and morsel of food, whose minds are filled with the Mantra of the Lord's Name they alone are blessed; O Nanak, they are the perfect Saints. (1)" (SGGS p 319)

Once Baba Bulleh Shah was sitting on the bank of a river when he saw this lady selling carrots. People were coming to buy her produce, but when they start picking and choosing the carrots, she would say, "I only sell carrots in volume; there is no pick and choose." So all these people had to buy carrots in volume/in bulk; not by selection.

Then there was this handsome man, who came to her to get carrots. However, this time she herself picked the best carrots for him! Bulleh Shah was quite surprised looking at the incident. So after this men had left, Bulleh Shah went to the lady and asked her. "How come you let him hand pick the carrots; in fact you picked and chose the carrots for him yourself." She replied, "Bulleh Shah ji, he is my husband, there is no counting or accounting between lovers." ....More

Akal Takhat

Akal Takhat (Punjabi: ਅਕਾਲ ਤਖ਼ਤ) means the Throne of the Immortal and is historically the highest political institution of the Sikhs.

"Akal" means "The Timeless One" - another term for God. "Takhat" means "throne" in Persian. This is one of a total of five takhat of the Sikhs.

The Akal Takhat is an impressive building that sits directly in front of the causeway leading to the Golden Temple in Amritsar.

This institution was founded by Guru Hargobind on July 2, 1606 and was established as the place from which the spiritual and temporal (Miri Piri) concerns of the Sikh community could be acted upon.

It stood as a symbol of political bulwark against the Mughal Emperors in the 17th and 18th century. Various attacks on the Akal Takhat and Harmandar Sahib have taken place in the past by Ahmed Shah Abdali and Massa Rangar in the 18 century.

On June 4, 1984, the Indian Army damaged the outer façade of the Akal Takhat while attempting to flush out Sikh militants in a controversial military operation known as Operation Bluestar. .....More

Inside the Harmandar sahib gurdwara complex
Photo by Panoramio ardenne See also Sikhi at Flickr

Sikh Taxi driver's story on 9 News

Watch this video (1.60 mins) on YouTube of the a Sikh cabbie in Australia who has set an example of honesty after he returned 110,000 Australian dollars to passengers who had left the bundle of cash in his taxi. The incident happened in Melbourne recently (October 2013) when the cab driver Lakhwinder Singh Dhillon was doing his routine job of picking and dropping passenger .....Watch, listen, read & ponder...

• Can Hindu law cover Sikhs, Jains & Buddhists asks the Supreme Court If Sikhism, Jainism and Buddhism are separate and distinct religions, can followers of these faiths be bracketed as Hindus under the Constitution and be governed by Hindu personal law, the Supreme Court asked before issuing notice to the Centre and attorney general G E Vahanvati.
• Film reveals Canadian Sikh community’s World War I stories - On Remembrance Day another little known part of Canadian history was brought to light by the hour-long documentary “Canadian Soldier Sikhs: A Little Story in a Big War.”

Interesting articles
	The links below are to articles that have a Sikhi message presented in a new and interesting way. Please spent a few minutes reading some of these articles:

Sikhi on Youtube!
	On the 28th March 2012, a new YouTube channel was launched for the global Sikh community. Basics of Sikhi has released more than 40 videos focusing on spreading the wisdom of the Sikh Gurus. The main philosophy of the channel is to simply teach the basics wisdom of Guru in a way that avoids..... → read more

Assah gur ko bal bal jaeeya
	This wonderful Shabad on page 1301 by Guru Arjan Dev is beautifully sang in traditional kirtan style by ragi, Hans Raj Hans. "To such a Guru I bow in reverence again and again, Himself liberated, He carries me across as well'". .....Listen, read & enjoy...

Nasro Mansoor Guru Gobind Singha
	Watch this video (7.09 mins long) of beautiful Shabad by Bhai Nand Lal in praise of Guru Gobind Singh beautiful sang by Hazoori Raagis Gurpreet Singh and Gurpartap Singh - "Guru Gobind Singh is the helper of others...." .....Read,    watch, listen & ponder...

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