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Revision as of 14:53, 24 September 2001 by Aristotle~enwiki (talk | contribs)(diff) ← Previous revision | Latest revision (diff) | Newer revision → (diff)The word Sikh means a disciple. A Sikh is a person who believes in One God and the teachings of the Ten Gurus, enshrined in Guru Granth Sahib, The Sikh Holy Book.
The Sikh religion was founded by Guru Nanak, who was born in 1469 AD in the village Talwandi, now called Nankana Sahib, near Lahore in Pakistan. Right from childhood his keen mind would not accept all the groundless rituals, superstitions and dogmas which passed for religion in those days. Guru Nanak and the nine Gurus who succeeded him, set a wonderful example of living spiritually,while yet taking an active and secular part in the world.
The Tenth and the last Guru, Guru Gobind Singh (1666-1708 AD) initiated the Sikh Baptism ceremony in 1699AD ; and thus gave a distinctive identity to the Sikhs. The Five baptised Sikhs were named Panj Pyare (Five Beloved Ones), who in turn baptised the Guru on his request - an event hither to unknown in the history of any religion.
Shortly before passing away the Guru ordered that Guru Granth Sahib, the Sikh Holy Scripture would be the ultimate spiritual authority for the Sikhs and temporal authority would vest in the Khalsa Panth - The Sikh Commonwealth. The Sikh Holly Scripture was compiled and edited by the Fifth Guru, Guru Arjun in 1604 AD. This is the only scripture in the world which has been compiled by the founders of a faith during their own life time.