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Sikh Copper-plate Inscriptions
Sikh copper-plate inscriptions (''Tamar Patar'') are historical Sikh inscribed copper plates that were commissioned by Guru Gobind Singh and gifted by him to three-known Hindu temples during his guruship period. Three inscribed copper plates of this kind are known. Description The copper plates were etched in the Gurmukhi script by the '' sevadars'' or scribes in the service of the tenth Sikh guru. They were likely created by blacksmiths serving the Sikh court, who then printed the inscriptions on the plate. The Sikh guru gave the command for the commissioning of a copper plate in the morning-time, leaving the blacksmiths to create the product and paraphrase the Guru's command to writing in the form of the inscriptions present on the plates. When the copper plate was ready, it was bestowed to a local priest of the temple. It had been a custom of the Rajput Rajas, of the Punjab Pahari Hills region, to commission and gift inscribed copper plates to Hindu temples falling within ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Sikh
Sikhs (singular Sikh: or ; , ) are an ethnoreligious group who adhere to Sikhism, a religion that originated in the late 15th century in the Punjab region of the Indian subcontinent, based on the revelation of Guru Nanak. The term ''Sikh'' has its origin in the Sanskrit word ', meaning 'seeker', or . According to Article I of Chapter 1 of the Sikh ''Rehat Maryada'' (), the definition of Sikh is: Any human being who faithfully believes in One Immortal Being Ten Gurus, from Guru Nanak Sahib to Guru Gobind Singh Sahib The Guru Granth Sahib The utterances and teachings of the ten Gurus and The initiation, known as the Amrit Sanchar, bequeathed by the tenth Guru and who does not owe allegiance to any other religion, is a Sikh. Male Sikhs generally have '' Singh'' () as their last name, though not all Singhs are necessarily Sikhs; likewise, female Sikhs have '' Kaur'' () as their last name. These unique last names were given by the Gurus to allow Sikhs to stand out ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Naina Devi
Mata Naina Devi is a town and a municipal council in Bilaspur district in the Indian state of Himachal Pradesh. History According to legends and also written in Veds and Purans, Goddess Sati burnt herself alive in Yagna, which distressed Lord Shiva. He picked the body of Sati on his shoulder and started his Tandava dance. This horrified all deities in the heaven as this could lead to holocaust. This urged Lord Vishnu to unleash his Chakra that cut the Sati's body into 51 pieces. Shri Naina Devi Temple is the place where eyes of Goddess Sati fell down. After this, Naina Devi temple was lost due to some disaster, then this temple was found by a Gurjar Boy belongs to the Gurjar community. Once he was grazing his cattle and observed that a white cow is showering milk from her udders on a stone. He saw the same thing for next several days. One night while sleeping, he saw Goddess in her dreams who told him that the stone is her pindi. Naina told about the entire situation and ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Kurukshetra
Kurukshetra () is a city and administrative headquarters of Kurukshetra district in the Indian state of Haryana. It is also known as Dharmakshetra ("Realm of duty") and as the "Land of the Bhagavad Gita". Legends According to the Puranas, Kurukshetra is a region named after King Kuru, the ancestor of Kauravas and Pandavas in the Kuru kingdom, as depicted in epic ''Mahabharata''. The Kurukshetra War of the ''Mahabharata'' is believed to have taken place here. Thaneswar, whose urban area is merged with Kurukshetra, is a pilgrimage site with many locations attributed to ''Mahabharata''. In the Vedas, Kurukshetra is described not as a city but as a region (" kshetra" means "region" in Sanskrit). The boundaries of Kurukshetra correspond roughly to the central and western parts of the state of Haryana and Punjab. According to the Taittiriya Aranyaka 5.1.1., the Kurukshetra region is south of Turghna (Srughna/Sugh in Sirhind, Punjab), north of Khandava (Delhi and Mewat regi ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Khalsa
The term ''Khalsa'' refers to both a community that follows Sikhism as its religion,Khalsa: Sikhism Encyclopaedia Britannica as well as a special group of initiated Sikhs. 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. The founding of Khalsa is celebrated by Sikhs during the festival of Vaisakhi., 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, Cole, p. 63: "The Sikh new year, Vaisakhi, occurs at Sangrand in April, usually on the thirteenth day.", Quote: "(...) for the Sikhs, it [Baisakhi] celebrates the foun ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Singh
Singh ( IPA: ) is a title, middle name, or surname that means "lion" in various South Asian and Southeast Asian communities. Traditionally used by the Hindu Kshatriya community, it was later mandated in the late 17th century by Guru Gobind Singh (born Gobind Das) for all male Sikhs as well, in part as a rejection of caste-based prejudice and to emulate Rajput naming conventions. As a surname or a middle name, it is now found throughout the world across communities and religious groups, becoming more of a generic, caste-neutral, decorative name—similar to names such as Kumar and Lal. Etymology and variations The word "Singh" is derived from the Sanskrit word सिंह (IAST: siṃha) meaning "lion", and is used to convey a "hero" or "eminent person". Several variants of the word are found in other languages: * In Tibetan, it is written as སིང་ with the same pronunciation (Sing). * In Tamil, the word for lion is Singham or Singhe written as சிங்க, al ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Ardās
The Ardās (, pronunciation: ) is a set prayer in Sikhism. It is a part of worship service in a Gurdwara (Sikh temple), daily rituals such as the opening the ''Guru Granth Sahib'' for ''prakash'' (morning light) or closing it for ''sukhasan'' (night bedroom) in larger Gurdwaras, closing of congregational worship in smaller Gurdwaras, rites-of-passages such as with the naming of child or the cremation of a loved one, daily prayer by devout Sikhs and any significant Sikh ceremonies. An Ardas consists of 3 parts. The first part recites the virtues of the ten Gurus of Sikhism from Guru Nanak to Guru Gobind Singh, starting with lines from '' Chandi di Var'' from the '' Dasam Granth''. The second part recites the trials and triumphs of the Khalsa and petition. The third salutes the divine name. The first and the third part are set and cannot be changed, while the second part may vary, be shortened and include a supplication such as seeking divine help or blessing in dealing with dai ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Kapal Mochan
Gopal Mochan is an ancient place of pilgrimage for both Hindus and Sikhs, 17 km north-east of Yamunanagar, Yamunanagar city-Jagadhari town, on the Bilaspur road in Yamunanagar district, Haryana, India. It is also called Gopal Mochan and Somsar Mochan. As per Legend, ''Brāhmanahatya'' i.e. killing of Brahmin is considered as a major sin, but one who kills a Brahmin and bath here, his ''Brāhmanahatya'' sins will be washed. Nearby Bilaspur, Haryana (not to be confused with Bilaspur, Himachal Pradesh) in Yamuna Nagar District which takes its name from the corrupted form of "Vyas Puri", was the ashram of Vyasa, Ved Vyasa rishi where he wrote the Mahabharta on the banks of Sarasvati river near Adi Badri (Haryana), Adi Badri where Sarasvati river leaves Himalayas and enters the plains. It is one of the most ancient vedic religious site in Haryana along with 48 kos parikrama of Kurukshetra and Dhosi Hill. Demographics India census, Bilaspur had a population of 9620. Males const ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
A Hukamnama From Kapal Mochan Temple Recording The Visit Of Guru Gobind Singh In 1679
A, or a, is the first letter and the first vowel letter of the Latin alphabet, used in the modern English alphabet, and others worldwide. Its name in English is '' a'' (pronounced ), plural ''aes''. It is similar in shape to the Ancient Greek letter alpha, from which it derives. The uppercase version consists of the two slanting sides of a triangle, crossed in the middle by a horizontal bar. The lowercase version is often written in one of two forms: the double-storey and single-storey . The latter is commonly used in handwriting and fonts based on it, especially fonts intended to be read by children, and is also found in italic type. In English, '' a'' is the indefinite article, with the alternative form ''an''. Name In English, the name of the letter is the ''long A'' sound, pronounced . Its name in most other languages matches the letter's pronunciation in open syllables. History The earliest known ancestor of A is ''aleph''—the first letter of the Phoenician ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Anandpur Lipi
''Anandpur Lipi'' (; also known as ''Anandpuri Lipi'' or ''Shehkasteh'') is a calligraphic ( Punjabi: ''Shikasta'') style of the Gurmukhi script associated with Guru Gobind Singh Guru Gobind Singh (; born Gobind Das; 22 December 1666 – 7 October 1708) was the tenth and last human Sikh gurus, Sikh Guru. He was a warrior, poet, and philosopher. In 1675, at the age of nine he was formally installed as the leader of the .... It is commonly found among early manuscripts of the Dasam Granth scripture as the employed script. Features The font is characterized by "long flowing animated strokes". History Origin According to Sikhologist Gurinder Singh Mann, Anandpur Lipi first appears in the decade of the 1670's, developing further in the following three decades after. Surviving examples of the font can be found on copper plates and scriptural manuscripts from the time-period. The script was used in '' Hukamnama'' edicts, ''Khas Patra'' ('important pages') found with ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Hukamnama
A Hukamnama ( Punjabi: ਹੁਕਮਨਾਮਾ, translit. ''Hukamanāmā''), in modern-times, refers to a hymn from the Guru Granth Sahib which is given as an injunction, order, or edict to Sikhs. It also refers to edicts issued by the contemporary Takhts. In the historical sense, it was used to refer to an issued commandment, instruction, injunction, order, or edict given by one of the Gurus of Sikhism or their officiated followers and associates during their lives. Nowadays, after the period of human gurus, the Hukumnama refers to a hymn from a randomly selected left-hand side page from the Guru Granth Sahib on a daily basis in the morning. This is seen as the order of God for that particular day. The Hukamnama is distributed and then read aloud in Gurdwaras throughout the world. The verse taken from this ceremony is referred to as Vak or Hukam. Etymology Hukamnama, is a compound of two words '' hukam'', meaning command or order, and ''namah'', meaning statement. Hist ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Homa (ritual)
In Indian religions, a homa (Sanskrit: होम), also known as havan, is a fire ritual performed on special occasions. In Hinduism, by a Hindu priest usually for a homeowner (" grihastha": one possessing a home). The grihasth keeps different kinds of fire including one to cook food, heat a home, among other uses; therefore, a Yajna offering is made directly into the fire. A homa is sometimes called a "sacrifice ritual" because the fire destroys the offering, but a homa is more accurately a " votive ritual". The fire is the agent, and the offerings include those that are material and symbolic such as grains, ghee, milk, incense, and seeds. It is rooted in the Vedic religion, and was also adopted in ancient times by Buddhism and Jainism. The practice spread from India to Central Asia, East Asia, and Southeast Asia. Homa rituals remain an important part of many Hindu ceremonies, and variations of homa continue to be practiced in current-day Buddhism, particularly in parts ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Gurinder Singh Mann
Gurinder Singh Mann is a Punjabi-American scholar and professor of Sikh studies, and the author of multiple books on Sikh religion and society. Mann taught religion at Columbia University from 1988 to 1999 and then held the Kundan Kaur Kapany Chair in Sikh Studies from 1999 to 2015 at the University of California, Santa Barbara. He retired from Santa Barbara in 2015, and founded the Global Institute for Sikh Studies in New York City, which he presently directs. Education Mann studied for a master's degree in English from Baring Union Christian College in Batala, Punjab, from 1965 to 1971, and then completed a diploma in English Studies at the Central Institute of English and Foreign Languages in Hyderabad, India, in 1975. He earned a second master's degree in English from the University of Kent at Canterbury, England, in 1976. From 1984 to 1987 he studied for Master of Theological Studies at Harvard University. He joined the doctoral program in Religion at Columbia University ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
