Khalsa

Khalsa
Khalsa
ਖ਼ਾਲਸਾ
	Khanda
Active	13 April 1699 – present
Allegiance	Waheguru
Branch	Khalsa Fauj (1699–1730s); Dal Khalsa (1730s–1799); Sikh Khalsa Army (1799–1849); Akali-Nihang (1700s–present); Damdami Taksal (1706–present)
Type	Sikh religious order
Headquarters	Panj Takht, Akal Takht Sahib, Anandpur Sahib
Motto(s)	Deg Tegh Fateh
Colors	Navy blue and xanthic
Anniversaries	Vaisakhi, Holla Mohalla, Bandi Chhor Divas
Commanders
Founders	Guru Gobind Singh ; Mata Sahib Kaur
Panj Pyare	Bhai Daya Singh; Bhai Dharam Singh; Bhai Himmat Singh; Bhai Mohkam Singh; Bhai Sahib Singh;
Jathedar of the Akal Takht	disputed ; Jagtar Singh Hawara (Sarbat Khalsa; imprisoned); since 10 November 2015; Dhian Singh Mand (Sarbat Khalsa; acting); since 10 November 2015; Raghbir Singh (SGPC); since 16 June 2023;
Insignia
Insignia	Khanda
Individual/Personal Identification	The Five Ks
Corporate/Panthic Identification	Nishan Sahib
Predecessor (military)	Akal Sena

Khalsa (Punjabi: ਖ਼ਾਲਸਾ, Punjabi pronunciation: [ˈkʰaːlsaː], lit. 'to be pure' or 'to be clear' or 'to be free from' or 'to be liberated') refers to both a community that considers Sikhism as its faith,^[5] as well as a special group of initiated Sikhs.^[6] The Khalsa tradition was initiated in 1699 by the Tenth Guru of Sikhism, Guru Gobind Singh. Its formation was a key event in the history of Sikhism.^[7] The founding of Khalsa is celebrated by Sikhs during the festival of Vaisakhi.^[8]^[9]^[10]

Guru Gobind Singh started the Khalsa tradition after his father, Guru Tegh Bahadur, was beheaded during the Islamic sharia rule of the Mughal Emperor Aurangzeb after the Hindu Brahmins requested for his help to save their religion.^[11]^[12]^[13] Guru Gobind Singh created and initiated the Khalsa as a warrior with a duty to protect the innocent from religious persecution.^[14] The founding of the Khalsa started a new phase in the Sikh tradition. It formulated an initiation ceremony (amrit sanskar, nectar ceremony) and rules of conduct for the Khalsa warriors. It created a new institution for the temporal leadership of the Sikhs, replacing the earlier masand system. Additionally, the Khalsa provided a political and religious vision for the Sikh community.^[5]^[15]^[16]^: 127

Upon initiation, a male Sikh was given the title of Singh meaning "lion". Kaur was made the sole, compulsory identifier for female Sikhs in the twentieth century. The rules of life, include a behavioral code called Rahit. Some rules are no tobacco, no intoxicants, no adultery, no Kutha meat, no modification of hair on the body, and a dress code (Five Ks).^[16]^{: 121–126}

^ the seat of supreme temporal authority for Sikhs
^ "Sikh Reht Maryada, The Definition of Sikh, Sikh Conduct & Conventions, Sikh Religion Living, India". Old.sgpc.net. Retrieved 4 June 2022.
^ Sikh Rehat Maryada: Section Three, Chapter IV, Article V, r.
^ Nishan Sahib (Sikh Museum)
^ ^a ^b Khalsa: Sikhism, Encyclopaedia Britannica
^ Singh, Pashaura; Fenech, Louis E. (2014). The Oxford Handbook of Sikh Studies. Oxford University Press. p. 237. ISBN 978-0-19-969930-8.
^ Singh, Nikky-Guninder Kaur (2012). The Birth of the Khalsa : A Feminist Re-Memory of Sikh Identity. State University of New York Press. p. xi. ISBN 978-0-7914-8266-7.
^ Senker, Cath (2007). My Sikh Year. The Rosen Publishing Group. p. 10. ISBN 978-1-4042-3733-9., Quote: "Vaisakhi is the most important mela. It marks the Sikh New Year. At Vaisakhi, Sikhs remember how their community, the Khalsa, first began."
^ Cole, p. 63: "The Sikh new year, Vaisakhi, occurs at Sangrand in April, usually on the thirteenth day."
^ Jacobsen, Knut A. (2008). South Asian Religions on Display: Religious Processions in South Asia and in the Diaspora. Routledge. p. 192. ISBN 978-1-134-07459-4., Quote: "(...) for the Sikhs, it [Baisakhi] celebrates the foundation of the Khalsa in 1699."
^ Cite error: The named reference Mandair2013p53 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
^ Cite error: The named reference cs2013 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
^ Cite error: The named reference fenech4 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
^ Cite error: The named reference colesambhi36 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
^ Singh, Teja (2006). A Short History of the Sikhs: Volume One. Patiala: Punjabi University. p. 107. ISBN 978-8173800078.
^ ^a ^b Singh, Kartar (2008). Life of Guru Gobind Singh. Ludhiana, India: Lahore Bookshop.

[1] the seat of supreme temporal authority for Sikhs

[auto-2] "Sikh Reht Maryada, The Definition of Sikh, Sikh Conduct & Conventions, Sikh Religion Living, India". Old.sgpc.net. Retrieved 4 June 2022.

[3] Sikh Rehat Maryada: Section Three, Chapter IV, Article V, r.

[4] Nishan Sahib (Sikh Museum)

[britkhalsa-5] Khalsa: Sikhism, Encyclopaedia Britannica

[6] Singh, Pashaura; Fenech, Louis E. (2014). The Oxford Handbook of Sikh Studies. Oxford University Press. p. 237. ISBN 978-0-19-969930-8.

[nikkyxi-7] Singh, Nikky-Guninder Kaur (2012). The Birth of the Khalsa : A Feminist Re-Memory of Sikh Identity. State University of New York Press. p. xi. ISBN 978-0-7914-8266-7.

[senker10-8] Senker, Cath (2007). My Sikh Year. The Rosen Publishing Group. p. 10. ISBN 978-1-4042-3733-9., Quote: "Vaisakhi is the most important mela. It marks the Sikh New Year. At Vaisakhi, Sikhs remember how their community, the Khalsa, first began."

[ColeSambhi1995p63-9] Cole, p. 63: "The Sikh new year, Vaisakhi, occurs at Sangrand in April, usually on the thirteenth day."

[Jacobsen2008p192-10] Jacobsen, Knut A. (2008). South Asian Religions on Display: Religious Processions in South Asia and in the Diaspora. Routledge. p. 192. ISBN 978-1-134-07459-4., Quote: "(...) for the Sikhs, it [Baisakhi] celebrates the foundation of the Khalsa in 1699."

[Mandair2013p53-11] Cite error: The named reference Mandair2013p53 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).

[cs2013-12] Cite error: The named reference cs2013 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).

[fenech4-13] Cite error: The named reference fenech4 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).

[colesambhi36-14] Cite error: The named reference colesambhi36 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).

[15] Singh, Teja (2006). A Short History of the Sikhs: Volume One. Patiala: Punjabi University. p. 107. ISBN 978-8173800078.

[Singh-16] Singh, Kartar (2008). Life of Guru Gobind Singh. Ludhiana, India: Lahore Bookshop.

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