A young Sikh devotee performs gatka at the Golden Temple in Amritsar on November 12, 2016, on the eve of the 547th birth anniversary of Guru Nanak Dev.
Sikh devotees during a religious procession ahead of gurpurab celebrations of Guru Nanak Dev in Jammu.
Sikh devotees take part in a gatka martial arts demonstration in a Nagar Kirtan procession in Jammu on November 12, 2016 on the eve of the 547th birth anniversary of Guru Nanak Dev.
Sikh devotees during a religious procession ahead of gurpurab celebrations of Guru Nanak Dev in Jammu
Sikh devotees pray in the early morning at the Golden Temple in Amritsar on November 12, 2016, on the eve of the 547th birth anniversary of Guru Nanak Dev.
Sikh devotees take part in a gatka martial arts demonstration in a Nagar Kirtan procession in Jammu on November 12, 2016 on the eve of the 547th birth anniversary of Guru Nanak Dev.
Sikh devotees take part in a gatka martial arts demonstration in a Nagar Kirtan procession in Jammu on November 12, 2016 on the eve of the 547th birth anniversary of Guru Nanak Dev.
Sikh devotees take part in a procession at the Golden Temple on 548th birth anniversary of Guru Nanak Dev in Amritsar
A Sikh devotee takes dip in the holy sarovar on the occasion in the Golden Temple premises in Amritsar
A vehicle carrying Guru Granth Sahib during the Nagar Kirtan procession at Gandhi Maidan in Patna
A view of the sanctum of Golden Temple on the occasion of 350th birth anniversary of Guru Gobind Singh, in Amritsar
Devotees pay obeisance and offer sewa at the Golden Temple on the holy occasion. Guru Gobind Singh is the tenth Sikh Guru
Devotees pile up in huge number to offer prayers on the occasion of the 350th birth anniversary of the tenth Sikh Guru Gobind Singh at Golden Temple in Amritsar
Devotees showcase martial performances during the Nagar Kirtan in Patiala
Devotees taking part in Nagar Kirtan on the 350th birth anniversary celebrations of Guru Gobind Singh in Patiala
Beliefs
Guru Granth Sahib is not just a holy book of Sikhs, it’s respected and treated as a living being as it’s officially The Eternal Guru (Teachers). Shri Guru Granth Sahib is not written by one human but by saints from all across societies and religions. It is a universal teacher for all religions giving the message of one God and respect to all humans of every religion.
Some basic beliefs
There is nothing that is beyond or outside the one God. So, therefore there is nothing being created or destroyed, as the creation and destruction are still only part of the one.
The goal of life is to focus on being at one with God. This is attainable by meditation, prayer, and being in the company of others who share a similar goal.
God
Sikhism teaches that God lasts forever, cannot be seen, and has no body. Therefore, God has no gender. It is taught that God created the universe, can destroy it, and keeps it running. God is considered to be infinite, Alpha and Omega, no beginning and no end. Sikhs worship God, and meditate on God’s name through intense (passionate) repetition. They believe everything is a part of God and God is a part of everything. Good, bad, neutral are not applicable to God and for human beings, as Sikh philosophy indicates that human beings are born innately good.
Salvation
Followers are all trying to reach salvation, meaning they are trying to break the process of rebirth and become one with God. The thing that is keeping people from reaching union is bad karma. Bad karma is taught to be caused by pride, anger, greed, attachment and lust. Sikhs try to stay away from these things. Sikhs also believe that a piece of god resides within everything in the world. Once an individual discovers the god within and stops searching else then can he reach salvation.