| | Sikhism, founded on the teachings of Guru Nanak Dev and ten successive Sikh Gurus (the last one being the |
| | sacred text Guru Granth Sahib) in 15th century Punjab, is the fifth-largest organized religion in the world.
|
| | This system of religious philosophy and expression has been traditionally known as the Gurmat (literally the |
| | counsel of the gurus) or the Sikh Dharma.
|
| | Sikhism originated from the word Sikh, which in turn comes from the Sanskrit root sisya meaning "disciple" |
| | or "learner", or siksa meaning "instruction".
|
| | The principal belief of Sikhism is faith in WAHEGURU —represented using the sacred symbol of Ek-Onkar, |
| | the Universal God.
|
| | Sikhism advocates the pursuit of salvation through disciplined, personal meditation on the name and |
| | message of God.
|
| | A key distinctive feature of Sikhism is a non-anthropomorphic concept of God, to the extent that one |
| | can interpret God as the Universe itself.
|
| | The followers of Sikhism are ordained to follow the teachings of the ten Sikh gurus as well as the holy |
| | scripture entitled the Guru Granth Sahib, which, along with the writings of six of the ten Sikh Gurus, includes selected works of many devotees from diverse socio-economic and religious backgrounds.
|
| | The text was decreed by Guru Gobind Singh, the tenth guru, as the final guru of the Khalsa Panth.
|
| | Sikhism's traditions and teachings are distinctively associated with the history, society and culture of the |
| | Punjab.
|
| | Adherents of Sikhism are known as Sikhs (students or disciples) and number over 23 million across the world. |
| | |