Sword

The symbol of the sword is found in several religious traditions, including Islam and medieval Christianity, but it enjoys a significant position within the Sikh belief system. When the tenth and final living Guru, Guru Gobind Singh (1666–1708), declared the Sikh community to be the Khalsa (“the pure”), he established a normative code of personal and collective behavior. In the process, he prescribed every Sikh to have a visible identity, which meant carrying five items whose names start with the Punjabi letter kaka (k). These items include: unshorn hair (kes), comb (kangha, to keep the hair clean), a large steel bracelet (karha), sword (kirpan), and a pair of long shorts (kachha). Both men and women were expected to display this identity at all times and this was seen to represent their rebellion against the political persecution of the Mughal state.

The prominence assigned to the sword at this point in Sikh history had evolved over time. In his compositions, Guru Nanak (1469–1539), the founder of the Sikh tradition, often refers to the sword of knowledge (gian kharhag) that could cut through the snares of an ego-centered life in the world. The sword also came to be seen as an [Page 1246]instrument of divine justice in the temporal world. After the execution of Guru Arjan (1561–1606) on the order of the Mughal emperor Jehangir, the office of the Guru was seen increasingly as both temporal (duniya/miri) and spiritual (din/piri). A contemporary poet sings of Guru Hargobind (1595–1644) as carrying two swords—miri and piri—as part of this duel responsibility. By the period of Guru Gobind Singh, then, the preeminence of weaponry moved to the center of the Sikh imagination, and the arms were understood as the instruments that would bring welfare, justice, and victory (degh, tegh, fateh) to the world.

The injunction to carry a sword has been part and parcel of Sikh identity since 1700. However, there is a great variety in the sizes and shapes of these swords, and several names were assigned to them (bhagauti, khanda, kirapn, saif, and talvar). While the swords of Guru Gobind Singh's period are generally 3 feet in length, the length of the sword that is carried as part of the Sikh identity was reduced to about 1 foot in response to the British Arms Act of 1912. Movement overseas has also generated a new set of concerns for Sikhs who wish to carry a sword as part of their identity. They have attempted to litigate its ban in schools, courts, and public places and sought to carry it as part of their religious expression. There are efforts at compromises as well. In one instance, the Sikhs have offered to rivet the swords with the sheath so that children cannot use it as a weapon, and some have even suggested reducing its size to a few inches and wearing it around one's neck. The history of this important Sikh symbol continues to unfold in the global era.