Amritsar is one of the major cities of the state of Punjab. It occupies a place of eminence in the state because it has gained importance both for commercial and religious purposes. Sikhism is the main religion in Amritsar.
The city has a cosmopolitan culture, where people belonging to different caste, community, creed, and religion live in harmony. People following different religion like Sikhism, Jainism, Hinduism, Islam, Christians, Buddhism etc. live here amicably respecting the beliefs of each other. Among these religions, three are widely followed in the region namely Sikhism, Hinduism and Islam. Major portion of the population of Amritsar follow Sikhism.
The city is a pilgrimage center for Sikhs, who frequent the place to visit the Sri Harmander Sahib or the Golden Temple. It is the holiest shrines of Sikhs. Some of the othe Gurudwaras in and around Amritsar are Baba Bakala, Gurudwara Ber Sahib, Sultanpur Lodi, Goindwal Sahib, Gurudwara Charan Kamal, Khadur Sahib, Dera Baba Nanak etc. The second major religion of the city of Amritsar is Hinduism. There are a number of places of worship of Hindus in the city namely Durgiana Temple, Mata Mandir, Ram Thirth etc.
Sikh
A person who follows the religion of Sikhism is known as a Sikh. Guru Nanak Dev ji was the founder of the religion. The three basic requirements of the lifestyle of Sikh are Wand kay Shako, Naam Japo and Kirat Karni, which means repeat the holy name of Waheguru, work sincerely and ardently and share one's fruits. Huge number of people follows Sikh religion and they can be found all over the world. But the religion is mainly followed in the Indian states and union territories of Punjab, Haryana, Chandigarh and Delhi.
As per the religious beliefs, Sikhs are not asked to renounce the worldly pleasures. The main philosophy of the religion is to aspire to be the best, but not be preoccupied by the act, to desire for the best but one should not have the hunger for accumulation. Some of the inseparable parts of the religion are Seva (service), Gurdwara (temple) and Langar (free food for all). Langar is a community lunch were people from all classes of life come to the shrine and have food together.
The ten Gurus of Sikhism are:
- Guru Nanak Dev
- Guru Angad Dev
- Guru Amar Das
- Guru Ram Das
- Guru Arjun Dev
- Guru Har Gobind
- Guru Har Rai
- Guru Har Krishan
- Guru Teg Bahadur
- Guru Gobind Singh
Last Updated on 25/07/2013
