Sikhism
Sikhism is founded on the teachings of Guru Nanak Dev Ji and nine successive Gurus. It was established in fifteenth century Northern India and is the fifth-largest organised religion in the world. The term Sikhism originated from the word Sikh, which in turn comes from the Sanskrit root shisya meaning "disciple" or "learner", or shiksha meaning "instruction".
The principal belief of Sikhism is faith in Waheguru, represented using the sacred symbol of Ik Onkar. Ik Onkar means "there is only one God" and is central to Sikh religious philosophy. It is also a symbol of the unity of God, and is found in all Sikh scriptures.
Sikhism advocates the pursuit of salvation through disciplined, personal meditation on the name and message of God. The followers of Sikhism are ordained to follow the teachings of the ten Sikh Gurus. Guru Gobind Singh Ji, the tenth Guru, installed the Shri Guru Granth Sahib Ji as his successor and eternal Guru for Sikhs. The Guru Granth Sahib includes selected works of many learned persons and devotees of varied socio-economic and religious backgrounds from during the time of the ten Gurus.
Gurdwara literally translates to "the doorway to the Guru or house of the Guru", and is the Sikh place of worship. Shri Guru Granth Sahib Ji, the Sikh holy text, is always present in a Gurdwara, along with Nishan Sahib, the Sikh flag. The Nishan Sahib is orange in colour and imprinted with the Khanda, the Sikh insignia.
The Khanda, is an amalgam of three symbols, represented by three different weapons:
- A double-edged sword (also called a Khanda) in the centre
- A Chakkar which is a circular weapon
- Two single-edged swords, or kirpans, are crossed at the bottom and sit on either side of the Khanda and Chakkar. They represent the dual nature/duties of the Gurus, Miri and Piri.
The Khanda represents knowledge of God, the Chakkar represents the eternal nature of God and oneness of humanity, the two swords represent Miri (political sovereignty) and Piri (spiritual sovereignty).
Followers of Sikhism are known as Sikhs (students or disciples) and number over 23 million across the world. Most Sikhs live in the state of Punjab in India and, prior to the country's partition in 1947, millions of Sikhs lived in what is now known as the Punjab province of Pakistan. Over the years Sikhs moved abroad to seek their fortunes in new lands, and today Sikhs are found in many parts of the world, with large populations present in the United Kingdom, USA, Canada, Malaysia, Thailand and Australia. Smaller populations of Sikhs can be found in countries such as Italy, parts of the Middle East, Hong Kong, Pakistan, and New Zealand.
Gurdwara Sahib Samabula was established in 1922, and is the oldest Gurdwara in the Fiji Islands.