Kesh - Uncut hair is one of the five articles of faith for the Sikhs

The Sikhs were commanded by Guru Gobind Singh at the Baisakhi Amrit Sanchar in 1699 to wear long uncut hair, called Kesh, at all times. This was one of five articles of faith, collectively called Kakars that form the external visible symbols to clearly and outwardly display ones commitment and dedication to the order (Hukam) of the tenth master and become a member of Khalsa. The Khalsa is the "Saint-Soldier" of Guru Gobind Singh who stated the following: "He does not recognize anyone else except One Lord, not even the bestowal of charities, performance of merciful acts, austerities and restraint on pilgrim-stations; the perfect light of the Lord illuminates his heart, then consider him as the immaculate Khalsa." (Guru Gobind Singh in the Dasam Granth page 1350) Image File history File links Turban_sikh. ... Image File history File links Turban_sikh. ... A Sikh (IPA: [siːk] or [sɪk]; Punjabi: , , IPA: [sɪk. ... An artists impression of Guru Gobind Singh Guru Gobind Singh (Punjabi: )(Born in Patna, Bihar, India, on December 22, 1666 as Gobind Rai – October 7, 1708, Nanded, Maharashtra, India) was the tenth and last of the Ten Gurus of Sikhism and became Guru on November 11, 1675 following in... Traditional fervour and gaiety mark the celebrations of Baisakhi, which stands for the dawn of a new year in north India. ... The Amrit Sanskar Ceremony Amrit Sanskar or Amrit Sanchar or the Amrit ceremony is the Sikh ceremony of initiation or baptism. ... Events January 26 - Treaty of Karlowitz signed March 30 - the tenth Sikh Master, Guru Gobind Singh created the Khalsa. ... To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ... Khalsa which means Pure is the name given by Guru Gobind Singh to all Sikhs who have been baptised or initiated by taking Amrit in ceremony called Amrit Sanchar. ...

The Kesh is an article of faith that allows the Sikh to be clearly and quickly identified by his or her unshorn long hair, Kesh. The kanga another article of faith is usually tucked behind the "Rishi Knot" and tied under the turban. The uncut long head hair and the beard in the case of men forms the main kakar for the Sikhs. Shahrisabz or Shahr-e Sabz (from the Persian meaning green city), also known as Kesh, is a city in Uzbekistan approximately 50 mi. ... A Sikh man wearing a turban The turban (Arabic: ‎, ‘imāmä; Turkish: tülbent; Persian: دلبنت, dulband) is a headdress, of Asian origin, consisting of a long scarf wound round the head or an inner hat. ...

KESADHARI, a term defining a Sikh as one who carries on his head the full growth of his kes (hair) which he never trims or cuts for any reason. Anyone, Sikh or non-Sikh, may keep the hair unshorn, but for the Sikh kes, unshorn hair, is an article of faith and an inviolable vow. The Sikh Rahit Maryada published by the Shiromani Gurdwara Prabandhak Committee, statutory body for the control and management of Sikh shrines and by extension for laying down rules about Sikh beliefs and practices, issued in 1945, after long and minute deliberations among Sikh scholars and theologians, defines a Sikh thus: Every Sikh who has been admitted to the rites of [[]]amrit, i.e. who has been initiated as a Sikh, must allow his hair to grow to its full length. This also applies to those born of Sikh families but [who] have not yet received the rites of amrit of the tenth master, Guru Gobind Singh. A Sikh (IPA: [siːk] or [sɪk]; Punjabi: , , IPA: [sɪk. ... The Shiromani Gurdwara Prabandhak Committee (Punjabi: , ) is a Sikh religious organisation responsible for the upkeep of gurdwaras. ... // Ek Onkar There is only one God who has infinite qualities and names. ... Amrit is a Sanskrit word and it means the holy water of immortality, or the elixir of life. ... An artists impression of Guru Gobind Singh Guru Gobind Singh (Punjabi: )(Born in Patna, Bihar, India, on December 22, 1666 as Gobind Rai – October 7, 1708, Nanded, Maharashtra, India) was the tenth and last of the Ten Gurus of Sikhism and became Guru on November 11, 1675 following in...

Water painting of a Sikh woman with her long hair tucked under her Dastar (Turban)

All codes and manuals defining Sikh conduct are unanimous in saying that uncut hair is obligatory for every Sikh. One of them, Bhai Chaupa Singh's, records, "The Guru's Sikh must protect the hair, comb it morning and evening and wash it with the curd. And he must not touch it with unclean hands." Image File history File links Sikh_lady. ... Image File history File links Sikh_lady. ...

Bhai Nand Lal quotes Guru Gobind Singh: My Sikh shall not use the razor. For him the use of razor or shaving the chin shall be as sinful as incest. . . For the Khalsa such a symbol is prescribed so that a Sikh cannot remain undistinguishable from among a hundred thousand Hindus or Muslims; because how can he hide himself with hair and turban on his head and with a flowing beard? Khalsa which means Pure is the name given by Guru Gobind Singh to all Sikhs who have been baptised or initiated by taking Amrit in ceremony called Amrit Sanchar. ... To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ... A Muslim (Arabic: مسلم, Turkish: Müslüman, Persian and Urdu: مسلمان, Bosnian: Musliman) is an adherent of Islam. ...

Bhai Desa Singh, in his Rahitnama imparts a theological edge to his statement: God created the whole universe and then he fashioned the human body. He gave men beard, moustaches and hair on the head. He who submits to His Will stead- fastly adheres to them. They who deny His Will how will they find God in this world?

Trimming or shaving is forbidden the Sikhs and constitutes for them the direst apostasy. The truest wish of a true Sikh is to be able "to preserve the hair on his head to his last breath." This was the earnest prayer arising out of Sikh hearts in the days of cruel persecution in the eighteenth century when to be a Sikh meant to be under the penalty of death. The example is cited from those dark days of Bhai Taru Singh, the martyr, who disdainfully spurned all tempting offers of the Mughal persecutor if only he would convert to Islam: "How do I fear for my life? Why must I become a Musalman? Don't Musalmans die? Why should I abandon my faith? May my faith endure until my last hair—until my last breath," said Taru Singh.

The Nawab tried to tempt him with offers of lands and wealth. When he found Taru Singh inflexible, he decided to have his scalp scraped from his head. The barbers came with sharp lancets and slowly ripped Bhai Taru Singh's skull. He rejoiced that the hair of his head was still intact.

The importance of kes (Sikhs' unshorn hair) has been repeatedly demonstrated to them during their history. The hair has been their guarantee for self-preservation. Even more importantly, the prescription has a meaning for them far transcending the mundane frame of history.

A term which has had parallel usage in the Sikh system is Sahajdhari. A sahajdhari is not a full Sikh, but one on his way to becoming one. He is in the Guru's path, but has not yet adopted the full regalia of the faith. He fully subscribes to the philosophy of the Gurus; he does not own and believe in any other Guru or deity. His worship is the Sikh worship; only he has not yet adopted the full style of a Singh. Since he subscribed to no other form of worship or belief than the one prescribed for Sikhs, a concession was extended to him to call himself a Sikh—a sahajdhari Sikh, a gradualist who would gradually tread the path and eventually become a full-grown Khalsa. One venerable instance from among the contemporaries of Guru Gobind Singh, who introduced the order of the Khalsa, was Bhai Nand Lal, who composed beautiful poetry in honour of Guru Gobind Singh and who had the privilege even of laying down a code for the Sikhs. Khalsa which means Pure is the name given by Guru Gobind Singh to all Sikhs who have been baptised or initiated by taking Amrit in ceremony called Amrit Sanchar. ...

The more recent Gurdwara enactment, passed by Indian Parliament in 1977, at the instance of Sikhs providing for the control and management of the Sikh places of worship in the territory of Delhi, apart from the Punjab, further tightened the definition of a Sikh and made it more explicit laying down "untrimmed hair" as an essential condition for him to be treated as a Sikh under the Act. Gurdwara Sri Guru Singh Sabha, Southall, UK. A Gurdwara (Punjabi: , or , ), meaning the doorway to God, is the Sikh place of worship and may be referred to as a Sikh temple. ... States currently utilizing parliamentary systems are denoted in orange and red—the former being constitutional monarchies where authority is vested in a parliament, and the latter being parliamentary republics whose parliaments are effectively supreme over a separate head of state. ...

This article by Piara Singh Sambhi in Concepts in Sikhism

BIBLIOGRAPHY

• 1. Jogendra Singh, Sikh Ceremonies. Chandigarh, 1968
• 2. Sikh Rahit Maryada. Amritsar, 1964
• 3. Padam, Piara Singh, Rahitname. Amritsar, 1989