Answer: Guru Nanak Dev
Guru Nanak was born April 15th 1469 in Talwandi in the western Punjab region of India. He was a very gifted child, and very inquisitive about the meaning of life and the world around him. Often he would engage himself in conversations with Hindu and Muslim holy men, always eager to learn.
From Quiz: How Much Do You Know About Sikhism?
Answer: Guru Nanak
Guru Nanak, the founder of Sikhism , was born in 1469 A.D. at Talwandi, since called Nankana Sahib (now in Pakistan). When Guru Nanak was 30, God's message was revealed to him and he decided to travel all around to preach God's message of love and peace to people. At the age of 70 he passed away.
From Quiz: How Much Do You Know About Sikhism?
Answer: Punjab
The religion began in the region of the Punjab (located in modern-day India and Pakistan) during the 15th Century, but now Sikhs live all over the world.
From Quiz: Sikhism
Answer: Hinduism and Islam
Nanak came from a family of Hindus, but took issue with some of its teachings, particularly concerning the caste system. He studied the religion in detail, but also learned about Islam, another popular religion in the area. Sikhism has its roots in those two religions, but Nanak was a philosopher and spiritual thinker in his own right. He introduced unique ideas and practices that are not found in Hinduism or Islam.
From Quiz: Hide and Sikh
Answer: Guru Gobind Singh
The Guru Gobind Singh gave us the Guru Grath Sahib, the Sikh holy scriptures, as the eternal living Guru. It is revered as if it were a live person, and one is installed in each Gurdwara.
From Quiz: How Much Do You Know About Sikhism?
Answer: Khalsa
The Guru Gobind Singh created the Khalsa in 1699. He asked if any one was willing to die for what they believe. Five brave men volunteered to sacrifice their lives for God. They lived and so they were known as the Khalsa.
From Quiz: How Much Do You Know About Sikhism?
Answer: Waheguru
Waheguru means 'Wonderful Lord'. A guru is a special religious teacher. Guru Nanak was the first Sikh Guru.
From Quiz: Sikhism
Answer: Accountancy
Nanak's father was an accountant. He was worried that Nanak was too much of a thinker and didn't focus enough attention on worldly things like earning money and raising a family. Nanak felt the opposite. He spent a lot of time meditating and creating poetry. For a short time, he followed his father's footsteps and became an accountant. Nanak, however, had a more spiritual calling.
Nanak argued with religious leaders (both Muslim and Hindu). He believed that external things like penances and pilgrimages were less important than the changes in a person's soul.
From Quiz: Hide and Sikh
Answer: Lion
Singh means "lion" and is given to all male Sikhs as their middle name. Originally, it was supposed to be used as a last name, to set no one apart under God, but with the popularity of using a family name as the last name, Sikh parents have opted instead to give their sons Singh as the middle name.
From Quiz: How Much Do You Know About Sikhism?
Answer: Small comb
The kanga is a small wooden comb used to keep the hair fixed in place. Kesh means uncut hair, kachera are baggy pants and kara is the steel band. They are part of a group called the Five Ks.
From Quiz: How Much Do You Know About Sikhism?
Answer: learner
Sikhs think of themselves as learners or disciples.
From Quiz: Sikhism
Answer: He did not resurface and was presumed to have drowned.
As was custom, Nanak undressed to bathe in a river one day. He went under the water, but did not come back up. Villagers looked for him, but could find no sign of him alive or dead. It was presumed that he had drowned. Three days later, he reappeared at the same place he had disappeared from. He claimed that he had had a revelation from God and set off on a new chapter of his life.
From Quiz: Hide and Sikh
Answer: Nanakshahi Calendar
The Nanakshahi Calendar is a solar calendar which was adopted by Shiromani Gurudwara Prabhandak Committee as the official Sikh calendar. It was designed by Pal Singh Surewal and the reference date of this calendar is the birth of Guru Nanak in 1469. This calendar is controversial and is not supported by the whole Sikh community. Saka Samwat is the Indian National Calendar whereas Bikram Samwat was established by Indian emperor Vikramaditya and is the official calendar of Nepal.
From Quiz: Everything about Sikhism
Answer: Princess
Though the literal translation is "prince", the popular translation for the word Kaur is princess. Guru Gobind Singh showed his respect for women and the equality they should enjoy by making all Sikh women princesses.
From Quiz: How Much Do You Know About Sikhism?
Answer: Nishan Sahib
The Nishan Sahib is an orange flag which flies outside the Gurudwara. On the Nishan Sahib is the Sikh holy symbol.
From Quiz: How Much Do You Know About Sikhism?
Answer: Guru Granth Sahib
Granth means a large book, and Sahib is a word of respect.
From Quiz: Sikhism
Answer: "There is no Hindu and no Muslim."
After Nanak had returned to the river he had disappeared from, people asked him where he had been. He replied by saying that he had been with God. He also said, "There is no Hindu and no Muslim." The teaching has been interpreted in different ways. Some thinkers argue that the religious people of the day had forgotten the roots of their respective faiths and were just going through the motions. Others argue that the phrase has a different meaning. There is no Hindu and no Muslim because they are all people created by the same God: the labels attached to them are irrelevant.
From Quiz: Hide and Sikh
Answer: Gurmukhi and Shahmukhi
Gurmukhi and Shahmukhi mean "from the mouth of Guru" and "from the mouth of the King" respectively. Gurmukhi is the most common script used to write the Punjabi language whereas Shahmukhi is a variation of the Arabic script used to record the Punjabi language. Vatteluttu is the script in which Tamil is written.
From Quiz: Everything about Sikhism
Answer: An undergarment
Kacha are undergarments that Sikhs should wear as a sign of self control.
From Quiz: How Much Do You Know About Sikhism?
Answer: Kara parshad
The Kara Parshad is a sweet, nutty mixture, which is passed around at the end of a ceremony in the Guradwara.
From Quiz: How Much Do You Know About Sikhism?
Answer: 5 Ks
The five Ks are kesh, kangha, kacchha, kara and kirpan. In English, these refer to uncut hair, a comb, special underwear, a bracelet, and a small knife.
From Quiz: Sikhism
Answer: Teacher
'Guru' comes from a Sanskrit word meaning 'teacher' and the word 'Sikh' means disciple. 'Guru' was used in Hinduism to refer to religious and spiritual teachers. As Sikhism has some roots in Hinduism, the word is also used to refer to the first ten leaders and developers of the religion. Guru Nanak was the first and Guru Gobind Singh was the tenth and final one (he died in 1708). The Sikh holy scripture is also considered to be an everlasting teacher, so it is called the Guru Granth Sahib.
From Quiz: Hide and Sikh
Answer: Guru Granth Sahib
Guru Granth Sahib is the holy book of the Sikhs and is regarded as the living guru after the tenth guru, Guru Gobind Singh, affirmed that the text would be his successor. It was first compiled by Guru Arjan as the Adi Granth. Guru Gobind Singh added Guru Tegh Bahadur's hymns to the Adi Granth and formed the Guru Granth Sahib.
Baba Deep Singh and Bhai Mani Singh prepared multiple copies of the Guru Granth Sahib for distribution among the Sikhs after the death of Guru Gobind Singh.
From Quiz: An Introduction to Sikhism
Answer: Sikh Republic of Khalistan
The Sikhs felt that they were being discriminated against in India and demanded a separate homeland for themselves. They even designed the Khalistan flag and distributed Khalistani Currency (Khalistan Dollar). The Indian Army attacked the Harimandir Sahib. The Prime Minister of India, Mrs. Indira Gandhi, was assassinated by her Sikh bodyguards in 1984. As a result of this, anti-Sikh riots broke out and hundreds of Sikhs were killed.
From Quiz: Everything about Sikhism
Answer: A comb
The kanga is a comb used to keep the long, unshorn hair of the Sikh nice and manageable. It symbolizes hygiene and discipline. Sikhs believe hair should not be cut, because hair represents spirituality. However, unlike Rastafarians who also believe hair should be unshorn, Sikhs say that the hair must be combed and kept "unmatted" (not in dreadlocks).
From Quiz: How Much Do You Know About Sikhism?
Answer: Ten
The ten living Sikh Gurus were: Guru Nanak Dev, Guru Angad Dev, Guru Amar Das, Guru Ram Das, Guru Arjan Dev, Guru Hargobind, Guru Har Rai, Guru Harkrishan, Guru Tegh Bahadu and the Guru Gobind Singh. Guru Granth Sahib, although designated a guru, was not ever a living being.
From Quiz: How Much Do You Know About Sikhism?
Answer: Guru Har Gobind
Guru Har Gobind was the sixth of the eleven Gurus. He transformed the Sikhs by introducing weapons and martial arts for defense from Mughals. He carried two swords, one for spiritual reasons and one for worldly reasons. Guru Nanak Dev was the first Guru and the founder of Sikh religion. Guru Arjan, the fifth Guru, was responsible for the construction of Harimandir Sahib (Golden Temple). Guru Gobind Singh was the tenth Guru and the founder of Khalsa. He further militarized the Sikhs.
From Quiz: Everything about Sikhism
Answer: A steel bracelet
The Kara is a steel bracelet worn by Sikhs to represent restraint and a remembrance of God.
From Quiz: How Much Do You Know About Sikhism?
Answer: Guru Granth Sahib
The Guru Granth Sahib is the everlasting, 11th Sikh Guru. It contains holy writing which was written by Sikh Gurus and Sikh saints.
From Quiz: How Much Do You Know About Sikhism?
Answer: Amritdhari men
Most boys wear a thin headcovering, but don't wear the full turban until they get a bit older and are baptized into their full identities as Sikhs, becoming Amritdhari. Many Amritdhari Sikh women also wear Turbans.
From Quiz: Sikhism
Answer: 3
Guru Arjan was killed by Jahangir, the Mughal emperor, in 1606. Guru Tegh Bahadur, the ninth Guru, was killed by Aurangzeb, Jahangir's grandson, in 1675. Guru Gobind Singh was attacked by assassins sent by Wazir Khan, the Nawab of Sirhind, and died of his wounds in 1708.
From Quiz: Everything about Sikhism
Answer: Uncut hair
Kesh means uncut hair. Sikh hair should be kept uncut always. Kesh symbolizes spirituality. Many Sikh men wear the turban, or dastan or pugh, to cover their unshorn hair. No other headgear can be used istead of the turban. It is a requirement for all Khalsa Sikh men, and an option for Sikh women. The turban is a sign of self esteem for Sikhs and also people of many other middle eastern cultures, although is it most seen in and associated with Sikhism. The turban sets Sikhs apart from other cultures, thus being a symbol of pride. All Sikhs (men and women) are required to cover their heads while in a Gurdwara as a sign of respect to the Guru Grath Sahib.
From Quiz: How Much Do You Know About Sikhism?
Answer: Gurdwara
The Gurudwara is the Sikh holy place of worship. It contains lots of rooms which include: Langar room, kitchen, wash areas, cloak and shoe rooms, bedroom for the Guru Granth Sahib, pictures of Sikh Gurus and more.
From Quiz: How Much Do You Know About Sikhism?
Answer: place of worship
It means 'Guru's Door' - in other words, the house of God.
From Quiz: Sikhism
Answer: He was 70 years old.
Guru Nanak lived to the ripe old age of 70, which was impressive for a 16th century man! He died in 1539, but as he was coming to the end of his life, his followers were unsure what to do with his body. His Hindu followers wanted to cremate him, but his Muslim followers wanted to bury him. They couldn't come to an amicable consensus on what to do. When Nanak died, his followers laid flowers around him. When they returned the next morning, the body was gone and fresh flowers were lying on the ground in his place.
From Quiz: Hide and Sikh
Answer: Diwali
Diwali is called the Festival of Lights and is celebrated by Hindus to mark the triumphant return of Ram from his exile. Among Sikhs, Bandi Chhor Divas (Day of Liberation) is celebrated on the same day. It celebrates the release of Guru Hargobind, the sixth guru, from his imprisonment in the Gwalior Jail.
Other major festivals celebrated by Sikhs include Maghi, the winter harvest festival and Baisakhi, the summer harvest festival.
From Quiz: An Introduction to Sikhism
Answer: Guru Har Krishan
Guru Har Krishan was named the next Guru by his dying father Guru Har Rai when he was merely five years old. During his lifetime, a small pox epidemic was spreading through Delhi. He treated many small pox patients, and thus exposed himself to the disease which was incurable at that time. As a result, he died of smallpox at the age of just seven years.
From Quiz: Everything about Sikhism
Answer: A sword
The kirpan is a sword. It is a symbol of the Sikh fight against injustice and religious oppression. It is used only as a religious symbol, not as a weapon.
From Quiz: How Much Do You Know About Sikhism?
Answer: Dagger
A kirpan is a ceremonial dagger carried by Khalsa Sikhs, as a reminder to fight for justice and against oppression.
From Quiz: How Much Do You Know About Sikhism?
