Kara or Kada is a thick metal ring or bracelet usually worn on the hands or wrists of men and women in India. It is a religious bracelet that Sikhs wear.[1] Mostly made of Iron, the kara has different design styles and is usually used to honor a religious figure.[2] Kara is worn by Sikhs who have been initiated into the Khalsa. It is one of the five kakars or five Ks — external articles of faith — that identify a Sikh as dedicated to their religious order. The kara was instituted by the tenth Sikh guru Gobind Singh at the Baisakhi Amrit Sanchar in 1699. Guru Gobind Singh Ji explained:

He does not recognize anyone else except me, not even the bestowal of charities, performance of merciful acts, austerities and restraint on pilgrim-stations; the perfect light of the Lord illuminates his heart, then consider him as the immaculate Khalsa.

— Siri Guru Gobind Singh Ji[3]

The Kara is a symbol of unbreakable attachment and commitment to God.[4] As the Sikhs' holy text the Guru Granth Sahib says "In the tenth month, you were made into a human being, O my merchant friend, and you were given your allotted time to perform good deeds."[5] Similarly, Bhagat Kabir reminds the Sikh to always keep one's consciousness with God: "With your hands and feet, do all your work, but let your consciousness remain with the Immaculate Lord."[6] The kara is also worn by many ethnic Punjabis and other non-Punjabi Indian families across the states in the North, North-West and West of India (such as Gujarat, Rajasthan, and Maharashtra) by Hindus.[7] Nowadays, irrespective of religion or its associated beliefs, many people wear kara for fashion purposes.

See also

References

  1. ↑ "Traditional Jewellery of India". University of Tennessee Chattanooga. Retrieved 8 February 2018.
  2. ↑ Lodha, Shri Chanchal Mal Sa. History of Oswals. iprakashan. p. 346.
  3. ↑ in the Dasam Granth, page 1350
  4. ↑ Old Sikh Glossary sikhnet.com Retrieved 12 May 2023
  5. ↑ Guru Granth Sahib, page 76
  6. ↑ ||213|| - Siri Guru Granth Sahib Ji, page 1376
  7. ↑ Dhooleka Sarhadi Raj (25 August 2003). Where are you from?: middle-class migrants in the modern world. University of California Press. ISBN 9780520928671. Retrieved 17 December 2011. Individual Sikhs and Hindus share symbols and practices of body inscription (such as wearing a kara and women keeping their hair long).


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