Khalsa
- Comments
-
Glasgow Museums has a collection of objects related to the Khalsa (community of baptised Sikhs) which date from between 1888 and 2000. This collection comprises a range of items including several which represent the wearing of the five 'K's – items of dress which dictate the physical appearance of those in the Khalsa. These include one turban representing uncut hair or 'Kesh', two bracelets known as 'Kara', one wooden comb known as a 'Khanga', two pairs of cotton shorts also known as 'Kaccha' and five steel swords known as 'Kirpan'. The collection also includes a baptism bowl which would have been used in the Amrit Ceremony, a special baptism in which a Sikh becomes a member of the Khalsa. A banner, marking the 300th anniversary of the Khalsa and created by the Sikh community in Scotland is also in the collection. Other items include two models of the Golden Temple Amritsar, a tapestry of the Temple, four coins gifted to St Mungo Museum by The Sikh Museum in Amritsar and a fly whisk used in Gurdwaras to keep the Guru Granth Sahib cool. While Sikhism was formed by Guru Nanak in India in AD 1500 it was Guru Gobind Singh who created the Khalsa in 1699, a community that was both religious and military. The Khalsa laid out the initiation practices and the physical uniform of a practising Sikh that still continues today.
- Broader term