Kara (Sikhism)

A Kara (or Kada or Karra) is an iron bangle, worn by both male and female baptized Sikhs. It is one of the five kakars – 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 Sanskar in 1699. Singh explained:

"He does not recognize anyone else except One Lord, 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.

The Kara is to constantly remind the Sikh to always remember that whatever he or she does with their hands has to be in keeping with the advice given by the Guru. 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. 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.

Apart from Sikhs, Karas are also worn by many people in or from Punjab, for example Hindus from some castes. Since Hindus and Muslims are in general not required to wear Karas, they may instead wear Kangans, bracelets with a hinge or gap on one side; furthermore, these may be made of materials other than iron.

References

See also

• BBC (2008-07-29): Sikh girl wins bangle (Kara) law battle