Origins and history
Guru Nanak, Sikhism's founder, was born in 1469 in the Punjab region and, according to Sikh tradition, undertook extensive travels sharing his teachings before establishing a community of followers who became known as Sikhs ("learners" or "disciples"). He was succeeded by a line of nine further human Gurus, each of whom contributed to the tradition's development — among them Guru Angad Dev, who standardized the Gurmukhi script used to write Punjabi and record Sikh scripture, and Guru Arjan, who compiled the Adi Granth, the core of what would become the Guru Granth Sahib.
The tenth and final human Guru, Guru Gobind Singh, founded the Khalsa — an order of initiated Sikhs marked by distinct symbols of identity — in 1699 at Anandpur, on the occasion of Vaisakhi. Before his death in 1708, Guru Gobind Singh declared that the line of human Gurus would end with him, and that the Guru Granth Sahib would thereafter be regarded as the community's eternal, living Guru — a status it retains for Sikhs today.
Core beliefs
Sikh belief centers on the oneness of God — formless, eternal and beyond full human comprehension, yet knowable through devotion and remembrance. Sikhism teaches the equality of all people, explicitly rejecting caste distinctions and the worship of idols or images, and places strong emphasis on gender equality between men and women. Central to Sikh spiritual life is naam simran, the practice of remembering and meditating on God's name, alongside a commitment to honest, disciplined living (kirat karo) and generosity toward others (vand chakko).
Practices
Congregational worship and devotional singing of hymns from the Guru Granth Sahib, known as kirtan, form a central part of Sikh practice at the gurdwara (Sikh place of worship). One of Sikhism's most distinctive practices is langar, a communal meal prepared and served by volunteers at every gurdwara, offered freely to all visitors regardless of religion, caste or background, embodying the tradition's emphasis on equality and service. Initiated Sikhs who have formally joined the Khalsa observe the Five Ks — five articles of faith instituted by Guru Gobind Singh, including kesh (uncut hair), kara (a steel bracelet), and kirpan (a ceremonial sword), among others — as visible markers of Sikh identity and commitment.
Scripture: the Guru Granth Sahib
The Guru Granth Sahib (also called the Adi Granth) is Sikhism's central scripture, compiled from the hymns and writings of the Sikh Gurus along with the writings of various Hindu and Muslim saints (bhagats) whose teachings were considered consonant with Sikh belief. Written primarily in Gurmukhi script, it is treated with the same reverence Sikhs would show a living Guru, and no Sikh ceremony — including weddings, which traditionally involve the couple circling the scripture — is considered complete without its presence.
Symbols and iconography
The Khanda, a composite symbol combining a central double-edged sword (also called a khanda), a circular chakkar and two crossed kirpans, is the most widely recognized emblem of Sikhism, appearing on the Nishan Sahib (the saffron-colored Sikh flag flown outside gurdwaras) and in other Sikh contexts. The central sword represents divine knowledge cutting truth from falsehood, the chakkar represents the eternal and undivided nature of God, and the two outer swords represent the complementary spiritual and temporal authority (piri and miri) that Guru Hargobind, the sixth Guru, held should both be exercised by the Sikh community.
Ik Onkar (ੴ), the opening phrase of the Guru Granth Sahib's Mul Mantar, meaning "there is one God," is another widely used Sikh symbol, traditionally displayed above the entrance to a gurdwara or on the opening page of the scripture itself.
Ethics and moral life
Sikh ethical life draws on the concept of the sant-sipahi ("saint-soldier"), holding that spiritual devotion and readiness to defend the vulnerable are complementary rather than contradictory obligations. Core ethical commitments include honest labor and livelihood (kirat karo), sharing what one has with others (vand chakko), constant remembrance of God (naam japo), and rejection of the five vices generally identified in Sikh teaching: lust, anger, greed, attachment and ego.
Equal treatment of all people regardless of caste, gender or social background is treated as a central ethical, not merely theological, commitment.
Festivals
Vaisakhi, commemorating the founding of the Khalsa by Guru Gobind Singh in 1699, is among the most significant days in the Sikh calendar. Guru Nanak Gurpurab, celebrating the birth of Guru Nanak, and Guru Gobind Singh's birthday are also widely observed, typically with continuous readings of the Guru Granth Sahib (akhand path), kirtan, and langar.
Bandi Chhor Divas, commemorating the release from imprisonment of the sixth Guru, Guru Hargobind, is observed by Sikhs around the same time as the Hindu festival of Diwali.
Sikhism in Nepal
Sikh tradition in Nepal is often traced to Guru Nanak's own visit to the Kathmandu Valley, traditionally dated to around 1516, associated with a site on the bank of the Bishnumati River now known as Nanak Math, where Guru Nanak is said to have meditated — he is traditionally referred to locally as Nanak Rishi. A small Sikh community, including families of Punjabi origin, maintains several gurdwaras in the Kathmandu Valley today, generally low-profile and not widely visited by the broader public, alongside continued observance of Nanak Math as a site of Sikh heritage.