Gurpurab Festival Images: This is the anniversary of a guru's birth or death; marked by the holding of a festival. A gurpurb in Sikh tradition is a celebration of an anniversary related to the lives of the Sikh gurus. Observance of these anniversaries is an important feature of the Sikh way of life. An estimated 28 million people are followers of Sikhism, which then makes it the fifth largest religion in the world. A popular place where this religion is practiced is in Asia & America. Sikhs are usually identified by the Turban (which Sikhs call a Dastaar or Pagri), distinctive headgear which could be worn by both men and women. Sikhs arrived in North America in 1897 and played a pivotal role in the opening of the West and construction of the Panama Canal. Gurpurab Festival Images, Sikhism Stock Photos 5 Ks in Sikhism Khalasa is the military community of Sikhism. A Sikh must follow the 5 k's: Gurpurab Festival Images, Sikhism Stock Photos Sikh Gurus and religious authority The term guru comes from the Sanskrit guru, which means teacher, guide, or mentor. The traditions and philosophy of Sikhism were made by ten gurus from 1469 to 1708. Each guru added to and reinforced the message taught by the previous one. This resulted in the creation of the Sikhism. And the eternal Guru is the Sri Guru Granth Sahib, which is a not just a book but contains the writings of each Guru. In addition to the above, Sikhs also believe in fifteen bhagats or saints, including ones from other creeds, whose words and deeds have been adopted into Sikhism by the great ten Gurus. Most notable of these bhagats is the Punjabi Sufi saint, Hazrat Baba Farid. # Name Date of birth Guruship on Date of death Age at death Father Mother 1 Guru Nanak Dev Ji 1469 – 22 September 1539 69 Mehta Kalu Mata Tripta 2 Guru Angad Dev Ji 31 March 1504 7 September 1539 29 March 1552 48 Baba Pheru Mata Ramo 3 Guru Amar Das Ji 5 May 1479 26 March 1552 1 September 1574 95 Tej Bhan Bhalla Mata Bakht 4 Guru Ram Das Ji 24 September 1534 1 September 1574 1 September 1581 46 Baba Hari Das Mata Daya Vati 5 Guru Arjan Dev Ji 15 April 1563 1 September 1581 30 May 1606 43 Ram Das Mata Bhani 6 Guru Har Gobind Sahib Ji 19 June 1595 25 May 1606 28 February 1644 48 Arjun Dev Mata Ganga 7 Guru Har Rai Ji 16 January 1630 3 March 1644 6 October 1661 31 Baba Gurditta Mata Nihal 8 Guru Har Krishan Ji 7 July 1656 6 October 1661 30 March 1664 7 Hari Rai Mata Krishan 9 Guru Tegh Bahadur Ji 1 April 1621 20 March 1665 11 November 1675 54 Hari Gobind Mata Nanki 10 Guru Gobind Singh Ji 22 December 1666 11 November 1675 7 October 1708 41 Teg Bahadur Mata Gujri 11 Guru Granth Sahib Ji n/a 7 October 1708 n/a n/a - - Gurpurab Festival Images, Sikhism Stock Photos 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. Gurpurab Festival Images, Sikhism Stock Photos Gurpurab Festival Images, Sikhism Stock Photos