The Sikhs in India number 13 million and are predominantly located in the Punjab, although they are found all over India. They are the most visible of the Indian religious groups because of the five symbols introduced by Guru Gobind Singh so that Sikh men could easily reognise each other. They are known as the five kakkars and are : kesh – uncut hair’ kangha- the wooden or ivory comb; kachha- shorts; kara – the steel bracelet; and kirpan- the sword. Because of their kasha, Sikh men wear their hair tied up in a bun and hidden by a long turban. Wearing kachha and carrying a kirpan came about because of the Sikh’s military tradition – they didn’t want to be tripping over a long dhoti or be caught without a weapon. Normally the sword is simply represented by a tiny image set in the comb. The steel bracelet has the useful secondary function of making a good bottle opener. With his beard, turban and upright, military bearing the ‘noble’ Sikh is hard to miss.
The Sikh religion was founded by Guru Nanak, who was born in 1469. It was originally intended to bring together the best of the Hindu and Islamic religions. Its basic tenets are similar to those of Hinduism with the important modification that the Sikhs are opposed to caste distinctions and pilgrimages to rivers. They are not, however, opposed to pilgrimages to holy sites.

They worship at temples known s gurdwaras, baptize their children, when they are old enough to understand the religion, in a ceremony known as pahul, and cremate their dead. The holy book of the Sikhs is the Granth Sahib which contains the works of the 10 Sikh gurus together with Hindu and Muslim writings. The last guru died in 1708.
In the 16th century, Guru Gobind Singh introduced military overtones into the religion in an attempt to halt the persecution the Sikhs were then suffering. A brotherhood, known as the khalsa was formed, and entry into it was conditional on a person undergoing baptism (amrit). From that time the majority of Sikhs have borne the surname Singh which means Lion (although just because a person has the surname Singh, doesn’t mean they are necessarily a Sikh; many Rajputs also have this surname).
Sikhs believe in one god and are opposed to idol worship. They practice tolerance and love of others, and their belief in hospitality extends to offering shelter to anyone who comes to their gurdwaras. Because of their get-on-with-it attitude to life they are one of the better-off groups in Indian society. They have a well-known reputation for mechanical aptitude and specialize in handling machinery of every type, from jumbo jets t o auto-rickshaws.

At present, the Punjab region of India is torn by strife due to a minority of Sikhs demanding greater autonomy for the Punjab, or even and independent state to be called Khalistan. A solution to these problems is still not in sight. Foreigners can travel freely in Punjab without permits, but he situation is still volatile and outbreaks of violence (mainly hit-and-run shootings) are still quite common.