weareallone

The exact shape (and how it is actually made*) is of great spiritual importance to Sikhs; it is not a mere symbol. When I look at even just the photo of the Guru's "small kirpan", my eyes become transfixed and I can feel the energy radiating from it and it blinds my eyes. It effuses raw energy. Somehow the concept of Kaarad ("small kirpan") has been lost over time and corrupted. Fortunately the Guru is great and the truth has been revealed. I am trying to work with experienced people to recreate the authentic and original Kaarad ("small kirpan") that Sikhs are supposed to keep as kakkar. But like many things, Sikhs of today are not so helpful and stuck in their ways so I may struggle towards this. One person has already demanded lots of money for this sewa, just seeing it business opportunity. Message me privately if you know of anyone who can help with this sewa. I am a craftsman myself but not in a position to complete this by myself at this time. *Note: How it is made is of equal importance. I would imagine that if the karah prasad being prepared needs to have such strong focus of gurmantar, and blessed with "small kirpan", this "small kirpan" itself needs to have been prepared by a true Sikh with gumantar, and that the iron should come from ethical source. Most iron comes from mines that employ child slaves, displace indigneous people, involves rape and genocide and destroys nature- including ALL of our so called kirpans today- we are not only wearing inauthentic so called kirpans, but they are sourced from BLOOD. Everyone knows the story of Guru Nanak and squeezing the blood out of food. I am just surprised that Sikhs today couldn't care less. There are still some samuri masters who prepare the iron directly from ore.

Wahguru ji. Yes sure, but there is a unique shape to the Persian Kaar'd dagger. The other unique thing about the Kaar'd is that it has a straight leather sheath which covers half of the handle, and this matches the Guru's kirpan sheath exactly). As to the general shape, you will find that African and South Indian knives also have a very similar shape. Very old knives from ancient civilisations made from bone have this general shape. Kitchen knives probably look like this because of the efficient design, it has no bearing on the discussion here. But you could say that such a shape has been with human civilisation from the beginning, so it must have some akaal significance. In any case there is a specific significance for Sikhs. It matches no other historic aretefact especially since it has a straight single piece of handle without any covering, as there is a spiritual requirement to transfer energy through the iron, by being in contact with the iron directly. All other knives and daggers in history have a ornamental, carved, welded or covered handle. Only the Guru's kakkar has a handle without any covering which remains practical to hold and use. If you have read my lengthy post above, you will see that all the rahitnama and Sikh literature actually refer to what we today call the "small kirpan" as the Kaar'd (Persian word pronounced Kaarad in Punjabi) and that that this was even known by the British whose historian declared that Sikhs are meant to carry Kaarad as well as (full length) sri sahib kirpan. Thanks for pointing out that Punjabis call their knives as Kaarad. The fact that It is well known that the Kaarad is a dagger and not a sword, does not fit in with the fact that the Singh Sabha movement chose to decide that the Kaarad as given in the original rahitnama, basically means Kirpan. Somebody has replaced the Guru's Kaarad, which is the original kakkar, with a symbolic and inauthentic Arab knife, especially given the sheath which has no relation to Sikhs whatsoever and is only found with Arabs. Why should Sikhs be wearing Arab knives? Funnily enough, there was a controversy recently where the Punjabi Sikh community were in uproar over an actress filmed dancing wearing "kirpan". The director clarified that she is not wearing kirpan, but rather ARAB JANBIYA KNIFE. So Sikhs have become fools. I was made a fool when I was told that this is one of the 5Ks when it is not authentic. Nobody ever told me that the original rahitnama and literature all refers to Karad an not kirpan as being the 5K kakkar. I was always told that "small kirpan" is just a symbolic representation of a sri sahib kirpan and that Sikhs originally carried only Sri Sahib. Now I know that this is a lie: it is well known that Sikhs have always worn the so called "small kirpan" as the kakkar, and the shastar was a weapon worn as and when required for defensive purposes. Sikhs have already had tanti saaj and raag taken away from them but it is coming back. We must bring back the real Guru's kakkar for regaining energy in the Khalsa.

Having done some further research I believe that I have found some information that can help to answer this question: The concept of "5Ks" is one that Sikhs take for granted. Certainly I have always taken it for granted. However further research shows that what is presently known as the 5Ks was settled by the Singh sabha movement. It turns out that nearly all 18th century rahitnamas or references to the kakkars use the terminology "kar(a)d [short second 'a' sound- krD in Punjabi], or more specifically "sarbloh karad" rather than "kirpan". "Kirpan" is either not mentioned at all, or mentioned separately as a reference to shastar to be worn. The karad is taken by Punjabi/Hind speakers to mean kharag (sword), and therefore synonymous with sri sahib and therefore kirpan. This is very significant: The karad is not an Indian Kharag, but rather it is a style of Persian KARAD knife which matches EXACTLY what Guru Gobind Singh ji himself and all the other Sikhs (as so far determined) wore including the sheath (Also note that the Karad sheath is noteably unique in that it is leather and elongated as to partially cover the handle). The word Karad itself is Persian and not Pujabi and in Persian it does not mean sword. You will see reference to this below. The Karad is stated to be a Persian knife "Mostly used in the 18th century and before" (wikipedia). This could either be that the Guru made the Karad knife mainstream (we know he spoke fluent Persian) and so it is now taken to be a Persian knife, or that it just so happens by coincidence that the Karad knife was mostly used exactly after the Guru started the Khalsa. Needless to say that regardless of what a "small kirpan" looks like, the Guru would have given instructions for it to be made with Shabad etc and it has a unique significance to Sikhs. I've now found several documented cases of what are described to be "kirpans" that match the Guru's own "small kirpan", i.e. a Karad knife which has a unique thin round long handle and is fully made of iron. I have recently posted several more examples. Interestingly Damdami taksal also claims to have the Guru's "small kirpan". Edit: I posted the image before- it further demonstrates the fact that the original "small kirpan" was straight/dagger edged. As to the authenticity of this Taksali artefact, I am working on it and will report back, as the Guru's own "small kirpan" (the one he wore daily) is at Keshgarh sahib. Search for yourself what a Persian Karad knife looks like (its commonly spelled “Kard” in English). Note that handles are just covers, they are full tang as shown below, so the same as a single piece taksali but in shape and sheath: You can find some good research in this Thesis entitled "THE EVOLUTION OF THE “FIVE Ks” WITHIN SIKH TEXTS" by Parminder Singh Kairo, Department of Theology and Religion, The University of Birmingham January 2015. Just to shed some light on the karad and kirpan in 5K's as per the research: The earliest reference to 5k's is an alleged hukamnama reproduced by Mansukhani (1989). This is however accepted as being a forgery that was written very recently. There is however an authentic hukamnama requiring all Khalsa to bear panj hathiar, but that this goes back to Guru Hargobind and it is accepted that the Guru specifically gave articles of faith to the Khalsa. Koer Singh’s Gurbilās Pātashāhī Das completed in 1751 states these as being the following 5: Dohara: shastr mel gur sabad so, kachh kesan sad prem, karad rakhani panch ey tajai na kab hi nem One should always love the company of shastar, gur shabad), kachh, and kes. The wearing of the karad makes the total five, and one should never abandon them from the daily disciple (translation). All the accepted 18th century rahitnama refer to karad and not kirpan (3 foot shastar). Bhai Nand lal also states Karad in a Persian couplet: nishan-i-sikkhī in pańj haraf kāf hargiz nā bāshad in pańj mu‘ āf; Kara, karad kachha, kangha bi dan, Bina kes hech ast jumla nishan. The Five Ks are the emblems of the Sikh. These five are most incumbent, steel bangle, big knife, shorts and a comb; without unshorn hair the other four are of no significance. (Nand Lal cited in McLeod: 2003: 204-205). This is the earliest reference to the kakkas and it is very clear that it is “karad” "and not “kirpan”. To back this up, Sarab Loh Granth mentions mudras of kachh (5 garments), kes (5 body kakkars) and kirpan (5 shastars including Sri Sahib kirpan). The 5 garments and 5 shasters are not of interest here but the 5 body kakkars are of interest. The kirpan (3 foot sri sahib) therefore is clearly under the category of shastar, both as the desirable shastar and representing a list of 5 shastar that all Khalsa have to carry (in addition to the kakkar), so a 3 foot sri sahib kirpan is required by Khalsa. The earliest construct of modern day 5Ks comes from Earnest Trumpp, the first European to publish a translation of Guru Grant Sahib Ji. His list of 5 are kes, kanghā, karad, kirpān and kacch, further showing that karad and kirpan are separate things and that the British were well aware of this. Analysis 1. What is understood to be Khalsa kakkars was recently formulated and agreed upon by Singh Sabha. 2. The original requirement is for Sarbloh Karad (Persian knife) and not kirpan (3 foot sri sahib) as a 24/7 kakkar. 3. It is widely documented and well understood that the Guru and Khalsa wore “small kirpan” (knife) and “large kirpan” (sri sahib) and that the “small kirpan” was the kakkar and the latter, the (mandatory) shastar. 4. The 3 foot sri sahib cannot be used for the same purpose as the “small kirpan”, i.e. blessing degh, wearing 24/7 and meeting the spiritual requirements of “Sarbloh”, which means “all of iron” and not just “iron” (loha). 5. Original rahitnama asks for iron karad. There is purtan maryada which requires this to be sarbloh (i.e. fully iron). Shastars including Sri Sahibs and other daggers almost always have a separate welded handle (typically made of another material). 6. The Guru’s (and several other examples found) “small kirpan”/”kakkar kirpan” is identical in design to the Persian Karad, which has a sharp straight edge for piercing. This includes the leather sheath which uniquely for a Persian Karad partly covers the handle. The Persian Karad is always a single piece of metal, sometimes with wood/ivory on top (full tang). The Guru’s “small kirpan” doesn’t have this handle covering for Sarbloh spiritual purposes. 7. Khalsa rehit with regard to the body is understood to consist of clothing, kakkars and shastars. All of these were worn by the original Khalsa. 19th century, only Nihangs and others were maintaining this. First to capitulate to society’s demands were Kaurs who went straight back to look like Hindu housewives. Then the Singhs stopped carrying Shastar, but many still carried kirpan (large and small). Then the turban style changed. Then the clothing also changed. British missionaries then took away tanti saaj and introduced harmonium. Then the British banned kirpan. 8. When kirpan was banned, Nihangs continued to carry both “small” (kakkad) and “large” kirpan (sri sahib), along with other shastars. Namdharis stopped wearing sri sahib and initially carried a “small kirpan” in their turbans, and later this was also replaced with just a symbol on the kanga. It is clear that by the late 19th century, there was not only great confusion amongst Sikhs as to what the Khalsa rahit is, but also regarding kirpan as kakkar. It seems to be the case that somewhere along the line, most Sikhs apart from Nihangs and some small sects were no longer carrying either the “small” or the “large” kirpan. Eventually even the “small” kirpan became lost altogether. 9. The British were very apprehensive of the spiritual power of the Sikhs and it is well known that they set about to destroy the Khalsa. They knew about the Khalsa rahit (Earnest Trumpp) at a time when Sikhs had lost knowledge of this (Earnest Trumpp clearly specifies that the karad and kirpan are two separate things). The tanti saaj and raag tradition was almost destroyed. Many puritan instruments were probably burned and teachers killed. As only Nihangs and small groups were maintaining the full Khalsa rahit and had a bounty on their heads, it is possible that the British confiscated and destroyed many “small” kirpans. Either they purposefully introduced the Arab Knife to replace both the karad and kirpan, as a symbolic version of the kirpan (whilst cleverly getting rid of our karads and further diminishing our spiritual energies), or some clever nut in the Sikh Reform movement, perhaps associated with the Taksalis came up with the Taksali kirpan (copied directly from Arab Design, even the sheath is 100% Arab and was not in existence in the 18th century amongst Sikhs), as a “symbolic kirpan” that satisfies new British rules that began to permit symbolic kirpans. 10. By the time the Sikh reform movements came into being, the concept of a separate “small” kirpan as kakkar and “large” kirpan as a shastar was so badly distorted by British rule that they could took the 3 foot kirpan as being the kakkar. This, even though it cannot be a kakkar, even through they had the knowledge and in their possession the early karad examples and the fact that they were using sarbloh (single iron piece) “small” kirpans for blessing the degh and not a sri sahib, which has never been used by anyone to bless the degh. In any case, the Singh Sabha (as per extensive research report cited above) decided to go ahead with “kirpan” as the kakkar, symbolic version to be worn and be used for degh purposes also. 11. In the modern area, the “small” and “large” kirpans have become merged in people’s mind as one and the same thing. People including myself until today believed that the 3 foot kirpan was one of the 5Ks, and that the “small” kirpan was just a modern invention because of British rule; a symbolic small version of the larger sri sahib. 12. Yet we have the knowledge that Khalsa have always worn what we today are calling “small” and “large” “kirpans” as two separate things, with the “small kirpan” being the kakkar and in complete opposition to the fact that we think that the “small” kirpan was a modern invention; a symbolic small sri sahib, a “small kirpan” fully made of iron, has always been used for degh purposes and was always carried separately. Even today many some Nihangs will have a rough and ready "small kirpan" somewhere in their dastaar, Nanaksaris will carry a sarbloh kirpan without sheath under their clothes etc and various groups wear the "small kirpan" as separate to a sri sahib kirpan, albeit in the fake Arab taksali style. Conclusion. 1. The knowledge that the kakkar is karad and not kirpan has been lost. 2. Most people believe that 3 foot kirpan is the authentic kakkar. 3. Most people do not know that Khalsa always carried a small knife and that this was the kakkar and the kirpan was a shastar (which was also mandatory). 4. British rule and loss of knowledge amongst Sikhs brought confusion as to Khalsa Rehit in many matters. 5. Sikh reform movement declared kirpan as kakkar even through all the rahitnama and writing declare it to be karad. Karad was taken to mean synonymous with sword, and therefore kirpan. This is excusable for someone only knowing Punjabi/Hindu, where Kharag is sword, but the word Karad, from which Kharag is probably derived, is itself Persian. 6. The Guru’s and his Sikhs (what we call) “small kirpans” are the Persian Karad knife, in sarbloh (fully iron/full tang handle not coated with wood). 7. The Taksali kirpan combines features of the karad in that it is sarbloh, but copies the shape and design (including sheath) of the Arab Janbiya dagger, in particular the end curve and sheath with very sharp curve. (Edited) This is in spite of the fact that the Damdami Taksal has a historic "small kirpan" in its possession that is more straight (but it may not be authentic due to taksali style handle- I am searching for its provenance). 8. Curved daggers existed as shastars in the Gurus time, but this sheath did not- it is a 100% Arab import and did not exist amongst Sikhs in the 18th century. Maybe an old Arab dagger has been the inspiration for the taksali kirpan? I have seen a number of historcal artifacts including "small kirpans" that claim to have some "association" to the Guru (but not his own). Whilst generally straightish, they are lower in quality and have no consistent size, whereas all the authentic and documented "small kirpans" are identical. 9. The more you probe and ask knowledgeable people, they will tell you that Khalsa have always had “small” and “large” kirpan, the former being kakkar and latter being shastar. However even they are using the Taksali kirpan and have lost knowledge of the original kakkar, which was not “small kirpan” but rather karad. 10. Rahitnama says karad and the authentic "small kirpans" (kakkar) ARE actually karads and NOT SYMBOLIC SMALL SRI SAHIBS. THIS IS VERY IMPORTANT. More and more examples are surfacing from private collections of the authentic “small kirpans”. Guru sahib’s own Karad, the only known example to still retain its leather Karad sheath was only put on public display in May 2015 after fighting the Nabha royals in court. It has documented provenance. Every single “small kirpan” (sarbhoh- single iron piece/no welded handle) from the original Khalsa match the Guru’s karad. This is because they are Karads. I am in the process of contacting Sikh leaders and puratan Shastar blacksmith in this regard. 11. The idea that "small kirpans" that we wear are miniaturised sri sahibs is potently false. Sikhs have always had to carry the "small kirpan", as separate to the sri sahib kirpan. 12. This goes beyond just the size and shape of a kakkar. It’s not so simple. This is HUGE. It changes everything. All Sikhs alive today have been told from the beginning that “kirpan” is the kakkar and that it’s meaning variously described as to “cut through the truth”, “represent reminder to stand up for the downtrodden” etc. This may well be the meaning of the kirpan. But the kirpan was a defensive weapon given to the Sikhs an it may well be that we need to reimage that the karad is meant for, as was originally intended by the Guru. This will not be easy because we have invested ourselves emotionally in what was decided by the Sikh reform movement as being ‘gospel truth’ and especially those outside India have spent their lives explaining to others that the kirpan is a symbolic version of the sri sahib. How will they accept that not only is the “small kirpan” not a symbol, but the real thing as worn by the Guru himself, and that their kirpans are Arab Janbiya daggers . 13. Do we even keep referring to our “small kirpan” as kirpan, when it is not a sri sahib, nor a symbolic version of a sri sahib, but an article of faith in its own right that is of utter and great spiritual importance to Khalsa? Do we start calling it Kar(a)d? Unlikely since now modern Sikhs have told themselves and the whole world that kirpan is the article of faith, that the small kirpan is just a symbolic small version of the sri sahib. It doesn’t help that most Sikhs are Punjabis, who have typically been born Sikh families and so carry this cultural and emotional baggage that makes it difficult for them to overcome biases and errors that have arisen over time. For sake of simplicity we can continue for now to refer to this kakkar as “small kirpan”. Perhaps it would be more accurate to refer to it as "Kaarad kirpan". I will strive to recreate the authentic “small kirpan” in the style of the Guru and Khalsa. I have contacted certain people. Otherwise I will forge it by my own hand and converse with the Guru. I have had Darshan of Guru sahib but I did not pay attention to the “small kirpan”. This was when I had a very strong spiritual life but the Guru has never left my side and I have been saved when I should have died. I will seek Gurus Darshan and/or guidance in this matter. Anyone who has a strong connection, I kindly request that you do so. Everytime I see the image of the Guru's actual "small kirpan", my breath is taken away, there is definitely power in the Guru's own design of the karad, which is even coming across on a image. I have not experience this sensation with anything else. The British took this power away from the Sikhs, like they took away the spiritual power by destroying Raag. Raag is coming back. Will the REAL "small kirpan" come back?

1. Sarbloh itself means "completely iron", not just iron, which is loh(a). This implies no other material added or attached, such as an alloy or welded handle. 2. You will find Dasam/Sarblog granth experts who can give you information on the spiritual energy aspect of being in direct contact with the iron. The Sarbloh bibekis can also tell you more about this I'm sure. They have a lot of knowledge of Sarbloh. 3. Sri sahibs is a kirpan but it is not a "kakkar". Again I will differentiate: the Guru gave the kakkar. The sri sahib kirpan is a shastar. The so called "small kirpan" is a separate kakkar, that was originally called Karad in all rehatnamas. The sri sahib cannot be and has never been used to bless degh. It was never and cannot be worn 24/7 etc. The handle is typically welded on with a different material for battle purposes. Meanwhile the kakkar serves a different purpose and requires direct contact with the iron on the handle. If it is full tang, the material (wood/ivory) should be removed. 4. There is apparently purtan maryada. You will find that Taksali maryada requires this and they claim to have maintained this from historical practice. This following discussion will answer your questions in detail. You can contact the person there for details: http://gurmatbibek.com/forum/read.php?3,1069

Some more examples of Sikh “small kirpans”. Along with Guru’s “small kirpan” at Keshgar Sahib, all the “small kirpans” at Akal Takht sahib are the same, including belonging to Baba Deep Singh etc. Mata Sahib’s “small” and “large” kirpan are at Bala Sahib, delhi and the "small kirpan" is the same straight shape as that of the Guru's. There are several more examples including Mata Bhago and many such well known Sikhs whose personal effects have been preserved. Damdami taksal also claims to have Guru Gobind Singh's small kirpans. These are very similar to the others in being more straight. It has a more taksali style of handle design but nevertheless looks nothing like the modern taksali kirpan. Edit: I previously made a comment regarding the authenticity of this kirpan, as the Guru's kirpan and kanga are known to be in Keshgarh sahib and that perhaps these were gifts or had some association to the Guru, which I shall endevour to find out. This nevertheless further supports the fact that the early "small kirpans" were not a curved Arab knife, but rather a Kard dagger with straight/dagger like edge. I will need to determine from Taksali sources, as to where their kirpan design came from.

Brother Singh, please see my comment above. I think there is a miscommunication between us regarding what we are referring to. I am referring to a kakkar kirpan, which has to be a single piece of iron. I am not referring to sri sahibs or any other shastar. Anything with a separate handle is not a kakkar kirpan. There is significant spiritual signifance in this single piece of iron. The taksali kirpan does do justice in terms of this, but only this. It has no sharp edge, no point, it is curved and the sheath with its sharply curved tip and wood/steel decorative style is an arab style dagger which has nothing whatsoever to do with Sikhs. The taksali kirpan has someting going for it but it's not authentic as far as I can tell.

There is a difference between bana and pant-shirt, even though most sikhs wear the latter. There is a difference between purataan dastaar and patiala/afghani turban, even though sikhs wear the latter. There is a difference between tanti saaj and harmonium etc. For me personally the kirpan is one of the most important things in my life. I cannot comment for others. This has been troubling me for some time and I believe that the Guru has given me some guidance to help me in this matter. I wanted to see what was available on the internet before conducting offline enquiries with some elders. I will report back what I find.

From the handle you can tell that these are not kakar kirpans. These are shastar of which the Guru had plenty. There is a puratan marayada that makes clear that the only the kakkar kirpan which is a single piece of iron (no separate handle) can be used for blessing the degh. As per this the kakkar kirpan can only be the style of a single piece of iron, which the taksali kirpan is, but it does not stay true to the shape and the sheath.

Okay. But just to avoid confusion in terminology, by sri sahib, do you mean the 3 foot shamsheer (curved) blade or a few inches of kirpan? I am interested in the small kirpan. There is no doubt as to the size and shape of the 2-3 foot sri sahib. I can find this, which is the long sri sahib as belonging to Guru Tegh Bahadur ji, located in patiala. There is no small kirpan (taksali or otherwise) on the table:

Historical artefacts can have a provenance (demonstrable line of history of being passed down and documentary evidence to support this). The Guru's own kirpan matches that of Baba Deep Singh, Mata Sahib Kaur and many others. I have not found a single example of a small taksali kirpan that can be attributed to any Sikh from the time. You claim that you have seen one but show no evidence for this. Where did you see it and what was the size and shape? I will go there and check for myself. All I can find is that Guru Tegh Bahadur's sri sahib is preserved at Guruwara Dukhi Waran Sahib (Patiala), which is a regular shamsheer sri sahib. All Sri sahibs throughout history look identical. It is quite probabe that Gurus before Guru Gobind Singh Ji did not have the small kakkar kirpan. I cannot speak for yourself but the reason why I am here asking these questions is because I have seen the authentic kirpan in meditation, when all I knew that existed was the taksali kirpan that I wear. I never knew there was any other. Then it came to me in meditation and I have found that it matches exactly, the Guru's kirpan, in particular the sheath. These are very important questions.

Do you mean small or large size? If small, I don't believe that this would be authentic. All I can find is straight (small) kirpans and certainly no arab style sheath. After further research I can find that the small kirpan was always straight whereas the long sri sahib (sword) was shamsheer style (curved blade). This full length sri sahib (sword) is similar to what you will find today in terms of shape but for some reason the small kirpan (which nearly all sikhs wear as their kakkar), i.e. the taksali kirpan has morphed into an arab knife. I've also learned that Mata Saheb Kaur Ji's kirpans, both small (straight and sharp) and large (3 foot, curved) are on display. I will visit there and report back. I believe that it is very important to be true to the purtaan kakkar. I have felt it's spiritual energy personally. The on-body kakkar kirpan (as opposed to the shastar sri sahib kirpan- the Guru and all great Sikhs from the time clearly carried BOTH and the full version probably taken off whilst bathing, but kakkar kirpan never leaving the body), has a great significance. It is my aim to recreate this by hand and teach others.

I am also referring in particular to the sheath. Metal and wooden decorative sheath with the sharp bend at the end is a typical arab design. Given that there is only one surviving example of kirpan sheath, it was clearly made only of leather and looks nothing like an arab design whatsoever. I have seen this in meditation before seeing the Guru's own example.

Any definitive information on this? And why hasn't it been reverted back to what it should be, after all the British are long gone. Even the Nihangs and the 20/21st century Sikh preachers and leaders are wearing the modern style. It is only the arab knife which has this end kink in the sheath. It is clear that Guru Gobind Singh Jis kirpan is straight, sharp, very narrow handle and sheath is leather with space for kanga, and what could be attachment for securing mala and other such items.

Thank you brother Singh. They seem to have quite a collection of kirpans, going back to Guru Hargobind, I will have to go there. Why does the modern kirpan resemble an arab knife (especially given the sheath), when these historical examples are available?

PS, do you know where Baba Deep Singh's kirpan and other artifacts are stored/on display?

waheguru ji ka khalsa waheguru ji fateh Thank you so much for sharing Baba Deep Singh's kirpan. It indeed appears to be similar. The modern kirpan looks more like a decorative arab knife (especially given the sheath with sharp end curve), whereas it seems the original kirpan was sharp, functional and the leather sheath functional also with space for kanga built in. When I see this original kirpan, I can feel a very unusual sensation in my body and it almost blinds my eyes with a flash of bright light (only way to explain the sensation), with a combination of awe and raw power. I am going to try and remake the original kirpan by my own hands. It would be very helpful to find some more high quality images. I will try also to visit Anandpur Sahib to see the Guru's kirpan.

Any feedback please? Has anyone seen other examples of this old style of kirpan and sheath? How would it be attached to the gatra? The original leather sheath is longer than the blade, leaving sufficient space to store the kanga when required.

I'm trying to find some authentic information regarding the original kirpan. Along with other artifacts, the Kirpan allegedly belonging the Guru (handed over by Nabha royal family after court battle), has recently (2015) been on display in Anandpur Sahib and on specially organised tour. The kirpan is short and there are longer swords and other artefacts- see this link. The Kirpan itself has a sharp straight edge. It is not curved (photo below, top left). The sheaths on all artifacts are made of leather perhaps with some wood on the larger ones and are straight in shape (no end hook). Given the design of the leather sheath, the manner in which it would be held by a gatra would be very different as there is no holding edge. The gatra would have had to be secured to the leather sheath somehow- perhaps the original gatra was also different to what is known today. Leather is used to keep the edge sharp, so the kirpan would have been very much functional with a cutting edge. The longer sword sheaths, consistent with sword designs from the era, have hooks on them for mounting to a leather horse saddle. If someone has high quality photos of these can they please share them. They look very different to the bog standard modern (20th century) style of kirpan, which resembles an arab knife, complete with sharp curve in the metal/wood decorative sheath. This modern design has always struck me as odd and inauthentic. The recently revealed artefacts are more in line with what has appeared to me in spiritual visualisation, but there are certain missing features, which presumably could have been lost over time. Who invented the modern style of Kirpan? How many other examples exist of authentic early kirpans, sheaths and gatras (with documented provenance)? Presumably the presentation of the Guru's short kirpan sets aside the belief that the original kirpan was "full length" and only shortened in length in the 19th century.

Bit of a faux pas there my lad? I am an indigenous rights activist and tribal anthropological and health expert. Indigenous people have been the most advanced spiritually in the history of the world, but also the most persecuted. Kindly also remember that not all Sikhs are Punjabi, I certainly am not. I kindly request you not to comment further because it is taking away from the subject at hand. I am happy to discuss aboriginal rights with you offline. If anyone can contribute to the original question or the definitive legal response provided by the WSO, they are welcome to do so.

To all those in future who may want information on this subject, I have now received credible information on the legal position from the World Sikh Organisation (WSO) in Canada, who have been involved in negotiating Sikh rights with organisations (more on that below). The summary is below. Please PM for detailed information if you are interested. 1. Rights are limited. The Canadian constitution like many others around the world offer generic "religious" rights. The only right that is guaranteed under this is the right to profess a faith. Anything other than that is limited by law. The likes of a right to wear a kirpan or turban have to therefore be weighed up against the laws such as for public safety, health and safety, public order etc. 2. You can get by with wearing a kirpan openly on the street in big cities but be careful when headed to small provinces. WSO legal counsel has informed me that I am likely to be faced with arrest in smaller provinces. If one is detained, the kirpan will be removed. So take precaution in small towns. I suggest taking pre-emptive steps such as talking to the police chief or mayor, as they are in charge of dealing with "security threats". Calmly explain your rights, hand over literature if you can and reassure them of your peaceful motives. However just in case, be prepared to be arrested and have to explain yourself from a prison cell, kirpan removed and possibly turban removed if you are in Quebec. 3. You cannot wear kirpan openly pretty anywhere other than on the street in big cities. You cannot wear the kirpan openly on public transport, courts, public buildings, workplaces etc. You are not debarred by law or the courts, but rather the organisation WSO which has given away these rights on your behalf. The WSO believes that this is a "reasonable accomoation", whereas it is not even required by law and it just pandering to bigots (see point 3 below). If you even show the tip of your kirpan, you will be arrested. If there is a general security threat such as following a terror attach, you can be shot by police for this. This is the legal reality that you may not believe but its true. However I suggest civil disobedieince and to wear kirpan openly even if you are denied services. Remember that the law or courts does not bar your rights. This is the only way forward for Sikhs. 4. Legislation to protect rights does not exist and will not exist. The UK has similar constitutional religious rights as Canada offers but Sikhs have been successful in lobbying for specific legislation that excludes articles of faith from criminal law. E.g. kirpans are excluded from the Offensive Weapons Act and Turbans are specifically excluded from health and safety acts- so Sikhs cannot be asked to remove or conceal the kirpan in Public or made to wear a hard hat at a construction site. In Canada however, because the Sikh community has failed to obtain such protection, their bare minimum of religious rights obtained from the constitution are weighed against public safety and health and safety laws so rights become curtailed. Unfortunately the WSO, seemingly the main lobbyist group, takes a view that kirpans are not very important and that to give up these rights is a "reasonable accomodation" and they believe there is "no need for legislation". It would seem that they consider Sikhs like me who hold the kirpan with great reverance, and all the Sikhs who died for the kirpan rights under British Rule as being entirely irrelevant. They support assimilation and pander to discrimination. In comparison, in Australia, in spite of a small Sikh population and it being a very racist country, Sikhs have secured legislation protecting the kirpan. So this is a clear lack of will by Sikhs to protect rights. To understand "reasonable accomodation" consider that in the UK the only legal circumstance under which you can be forced to conceal the kirpan is under extremely rare circumstances, e.g. surgeons (in the operating theratre), firefighters etc. If you are pressured by anyone else, this is discrimination. For the WSO what the world considers discrimination, they consider to be "reasonable accomodation". Let us compare to the black civil rights movement. Black people won rights by refusing segregation, whereas many had previously considered it to be a "reasonable accomodation". 'Don't ask don't tell' was considered to be a "reasonable accomodation" until LGBT people fought for rights. The problem with the kirpan issue is that this because of the policies agreed by the WSO, Sikhs will find it very difficult to lobby for rights in future. They will say that the "sikh community" has already accepted it as being reasonable, even if some sikhs such as myself are rendered to be second class citizens as a result. The Canadian government and courts have historically taken the view that rights of minorities once given up cannot be restored even if given up under force- look no further than the shameful genocide of the First Peoples and other indigneous peoples. 5. Sikh organisations have given away rights without a fight. The WSO has negotiated "kirpan policies" with many public and private organisations, such as Greyhound coach, Via rail, public buildings, court houses and employers. This kirpan policy requires Sikhs to strap the kirpan to their chest securely beneath clothing at all times, breach of which means that they will be denied service, arrested, fired from the job etc. The WSO calls this "reasonable accomodation" but it is far from being reasonable. For Sikhs like me for whom concealing the kirpan is akin to taking it off, we are rendered second class citizens who cannot travel, work or exercise fundamental democratic rights by being denied access to courts and other public buildings with kirpan even partially visible. They could have taken a stronger position on this to protect rights as since, with lack of exemption from legislation, there needs to be a demonstrable security threat that can compel authorities, organisatins and employers to force Sikhs to conceal the kirpan and in practice, as it is easily proven that the kirpan is not a weapon and that apprehensions are unfounded, this would be very difficult to prove. What this means is that the WSO, acting in the name of all Sikhs have signed away your rights. This has several implications such as: (i) Sikhs will find it very difficult to lobby for greater rights in future (explained above) (ii) It does not help improve the Sikh profile and understanding of Sikhs. This can only happen through acclimitisation (kirpan become more visibile in public and people getting used to it and being educated about it) and public debate, but concealed kirpans actually further a negative stereotype and panders to racists and bigots and Francophone secularists who are lobbying against all articles of faith. (iii) future generations of Canadians will grow up believing that it is normal to conceal a kirpan. Indeed the message being propagated by the WSO and other organisations is that the kirpan is always worn beneath the clothing. Most non Sikhs particularly outside of the big cities are being given this message. Police are being trained with this in mind. So rather than the Government or the courts forcing kirpans to be concealed or taken off, the WSO, acting on behalf of sikhs have sold away our rights without a fight. Indeed if this had gone to court, it would have been difficult or impossible for these organisations to prove a security threat or if not (and Canadian courts have a long history of discrimination- just look at the plight of the natives), it would have been reasonable to reach a settlement wherein the kirpan could only be challeged if there was a demonstrable safety threat and like in Western Australia, sikhs could be asked to be respectful of local customs and the prevailing circumsntances (read little old ladies being frightened). However the WSO has SOLD AWAY YOUR RIGHTS. In the words of Benjamin Franklin, “Those who would give up essential Liberty, to purchase a little temporary Safety, deserve neither Liberty nor Safety” (Historical Review of Pennsylvania, 1787). 6. The extent of rights offered depend entirely upon the Government of the day and prevailing public opinion. All said and done, it is considered to be entirely reasonable for the state to strip (outwardly) "religious" rights from a Canadian resident if they have grounds to do so. They can demolish a Gurdwara, snatch a kirpan and require the turban to be removed like they do in France and other countries. The European Convention on Human Rights is considerd to be quite progressive however French Sikhs have failed to gain rights as Francophone "secular" law discriminates against them. Sikhs do have rights in the UK however- so this is entirely dependent upon political will and ultimately the strength of lobbying. In Canada, Sikhs have won small concessions from the federal Government, but provinces such as Quebec, following the Francophone approach can freely discriminate against Sikhs at the provincial level. Therefore it is important that Sikhs lobby for legislation and guaranteed rights. Therefore it is important that Sikhs lobby for legislation and guaranteed rights and spread awareness. Finally, I have challeneged the WSO on their stance: In my dealings with the WSO (which are ongoing and if they change their position I will amend my statement), they seem to express complete disregard for the fundamental rights of Sikhs, consider assimilation as the way forward i.e. the 'modern, trendy sikh' in a business suit who capitutes to bigots. Their response was friendly and polite up until I criticized the implications of their policies on Sikhs like me, when it became blunt and administrative. As to the make-up of this organisation: Formed in 1984 in the aftermath of bloodshed in India, it is basically a PR front for the self-determination issue in India whilst promoting itself as being a human rights organisation worldwide. The balance between the two may have shifted with change of leadership however- it was until a few months ago headed by Indian-born sardars but is now headed by a Canadian born singh. Their membership and representation is limited to the four big provices only. I have no information on religious affiliation, if any. They may be doing good work elsewhere (I have no information on their activities), but on this particular issue, they have failed the Sikh community.

Your response is entirely unreasonable and indeed downright rude. Even in India, where Sikhs are well known, within Punjab itself I was chased by a blood thirsty knife weilding Hindu mob because no Sikh had ever entered into their village before and they thought I was some kind of terrorist or bandit. The village head defused the situation and advised me to approach influential local figures whilst travelling in remote areas in future. This advice has held well when travelling throughout the WORLD. I have had the police called to the scene, army called to the scene all over the world. I'm sorry that you are not well travelled. Its not a question of fear, rather It is always a prudent course of action to be be prepared and take precautionary measures when heading into remote areas. Why should I brazenly walk into a remote Yukon village and put the fear of life into a little old lady who has never seen a Sikh, whilst simulatenously courting arrest and causing needless public panic? I have asked for what would be a suitable course of action when dealing with rural and remote areas in Canada in particular. If you have no first hand experience with this then I suggest that you do not offend others. I am travelling to Canada by the will of God. Indeed I would prefer not to but that is the situation. I am needed and I am fully prepared to die in the cause (but that doens't mean I get myself killed).

What steps can I take to reduce friction in such places where sikhs are not very well known? Would it be advisable to head straight to the mayor's office and make myself known?

Californian police officer asking Sikhs to wear kirpan openly.Simple question- do many Canadians wear their kirpan openly? If so, what has been your experience? If not, why not?

That's very useful to know Singh, thank you. Presumably you are referring to laws surrounding knives and concealed/open carry. Do you know about the practical side of things in Canada? Do you have friends there who wear kirpan openly? It seems that there aren't any laws relating to the Kirpan in Canada, whether federal or provincial, apart from some court cases that permit kirpans in schools and some organistions have agreed to institute a kirpan policy (wherein they state that it's not allowed to be worn openly). What about just walking down the street? it's always best to know one's rights and de facto practice. I don't want to risk having a situation where I'm arrested or harassed for my kirpan and want to prepare well to handle any such eventuality.

Thanks for the advice so far. In the UK and Australia, the kirpan is specifically legal throughout the country through legislation (although some Australian states impose limits e.g. in schools) and those who specificaly have 'religious appearance' like 'preachers' can wear bana and kirpan without any problem, people generally understand and officials are very cooperative. There is even guidance such as "Should you choose to wear the Kirpan externally, keep the Kirpan clearly visible." (quote from Western Australia police kirpan policy). It seems however that there aren't any such laws in Canada, but there have been several court cases where certain organisations (schools in certain provinces, VIA rail, Greyhound, federal parliament, consulates abroad, but generally not in courts and banned from parliament buildings in Quebec) have agreed to institute a kirpan policy (wherein they state that it's not allowed to be worn openly or that it must be worn beneath clothing at all times). The only outright federal ban on offensive weapons seems to exclude the kirpan, but from what I understand, provinces have greater control on this, but I can't find any legislation specifically relating to kirpans. Although more discriminatory in general, it seems that the US affords greater rights to sikhs when it comes to the Kirpan, with a couple of states upholding it as a constitutional right and multiple cases of sikhs who were arrested and charged for wearing their kirpan openly but winning in court. My concern is not about schools or parliament buildings, but just everyday life. Has anyone in Canada ever been arrested and tried for wearing a kirpan openly, as many have in the US? If not, does this mean that sikhs tend not to wear kirpans openly in Canada, or that they do and it's not a problem? Any personal experience of yourself or people you know who openly wear Bana (with kirpan visible) in Canada? Please let me know so that I can approach them for advice, particuarly how to be prepared. In Australia e.g. Sikh organisations issue a "kirpan card" and advise Sikhs to carry a copy of the relevant legislation at all times to prevent being harassed by uninformed police. Please, this is a very important issue for me. I have written to the World Sikh Organisation (WSO) in Canada for advice. Are there any other organisations that I can contact?