Everything about Sikhism Trivia Quiz

Answer: Harimandir Sahib, Amritsar

All of these Gurudwaras are in India. In the fifteenth century, a lake existed at the site of the temple. The fourth Sikh Guru, Guru Ram Das, enlarged the lake and encouraged people to settle in the area. His successor, Guru Arjan Dev had the Gurudwara constructed in the centre of the lake. Ironically, he asked a Muslim to lay the foundation of the Gurudwara (Sikhs and Muslims were bitter enemies in those days).

The Gurudwara is plated with gold and is hence informally known as Golden Temple. It is actually quite beautiful, so everyone would have a look at it.

The lake is called Amritsar (The lake containing the Nectar of Immortality) and is considered very sacred. The city that grew around the Gurudwara is known as Amritsar too.

Answer: Maghi

Maghi is observed as the day of the martyrdom of Chali Mukte (Forty Immortals). They were the followers of Guru Gobind Singh who had previously deserted him because the Mughals promised that they will pardon anyone who disowns the Sikh Guru. But they realized their folly and fought bravely against the strong Mughal army and died fighting in Muktsar, Punjab. Lohri is a harvest festival celebrated in North India, especially in Punjab.

It is often considered a Sikh festival because most of the farmers in Punjab are Sikhs, though it has nothing to do with them.

Answer: Formation of Khalsa (collective body of all Sikhs)

On the gathering for Vaishakhi (a harvest festival) in 1699, Guru Gobind Singh asked for a man to willingly give his head i.e., to die for the cause of Sikhism. Five men came forward and the Guru took them into his tent. He emerged alone and his sword was stained with blood.

Then the five men came out of the tent and were designated as Panj Piaras, or five beloved ones. After that he declared them to be the first members of Khalsa. The Jallianwalah Bagh incident is quite unpleasant. I even remember reading somewhere that a book named "The Butcher of Amritsar" was written about General Dyer. That's a nice name for him!

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Answer: Material Obsession

The Sikhs do not believe much in accumulation of wealth and other worldly things. That was too easy because you would find it hard to find a religion which encourages material obsession. The Sikhs believe that there is only one God, who is the creator, sustainer and destroyer of everything on Earth.

They encourage brotherhood and consider all men equal. The Sikhs do believe in personal sacrifices. It does not mean that one should give his head in a meaningless ritual, but he should be ready to willingly die protecting the religion.