Met Some P'stani Claiming To Be A Shia

[dalsingh101]

If you look at the wrists of both Rustum and Hanuman both have the parent shastars that gave birth to todays “kara” as we know them today.

I don't know, that is stretching it a bit. I didn't know that a kara was a shaster. Kara is more than that now, it actually has a strong significance in terms of regional and religious identity. Those in the picture could just be armour or decorative. I wanted to find references using the word kara to describe the Shia bangle.

[Guest Dancing Warrior]

Kare’ are armament and shastars, if people give them more significance today then that’s up to them. I just hope they don’t become another “Bramins thread”

[dalsingh101]

Kare’ are armament and shastars, if people give them more significance today then that’s up to them. I just hope they don’t become another “Bramins thread”

One thing we need to factor in when analysing karae is that Guru Gobind Singh Ji gave steel an elevated status, even referring to God as All Steel (Sarabh Loh). We have to ask, is this related to the wearing of a kara?

[dalsingh101]

Karae are very important though. Notice how they are usually the last of the 5 ks to be discarded. I know people say all the 5 Ks and Amrit together are what matters and that is true for obvious reasons. But still people are reluctant to let go of the Sikh/Khalsa identity fully.

No offence anyone! Just discussing.

[Gurbar Akaal]

Kareh are refered to as "Veeni Keh Shastar" in Gurbilas Paatshahi 6, so they have been around way before the Khalsa of Guru Gobind Singh was formed.

If you take a study into Indian Martial Arts you will see that arts such as Vajra Mushti used various types of Kareh type weapons.

I also did a search on the net for Shia Kareh and found no possitive results. Anyone else find any different?

[dalsingh101]

Kareh are refered to as "Veeni Keh Shastar" in Gurbilas Paatshahi 6, so they have been around way before the Khalsa of Guru Gobind Singh was formed.

In what context is this reference made?

[Guest Dancing Warrior]

Very true like Gurbar said in Vajra Musti even bone shaped like karea types were used.

Shiism is vast and a lot of it crosses in to all types of belief systems , but within itself its also contradictory . As fare as I know there is no school that states karea are worn according to the same reasoning and understanding as Sikhs believe today.

[proactive]

If you look at the wrists of both Rustum and Hanuman both have the parent shastars that gave birth to todays “kara” as we know them today.

Hanuman's pictures shows kara like bangles but Rustom's look more like lower arm plate armour similar to the ones worn by the ancient Greeks. This was a plate shaped like the lower arm and worn from the wrist to the elbow. A smaller plate was worn by Persians but rather than a Kara this was more of a shortened version of the Greek armour.

[dalsingh101]

If you look at the wrists of both Rustum and Hanuman both have the parent shastars that gave birth to todays “kara” as we know them today.

Hanuman's pictures shows kara like bangles but Rustom's look more like lower arm plate armour similar to the ones worn by the ancient Greeks. This was a plate shaped like the lower arm and worn from the wrist to the elbow. A smaller plate was worn by Persians but rather than a Kara this was more of a shortened version of the Greek armour.

I know Rustom is the subject of the Persian work Shah Nama by the poet Firdausi (written way before Sikhi). This classic poet was quoted by Guru Gobind Singh Ji in Zafar Nama I think.

I've also seen an old wood cut print from the mid to late 1800s of a top Akali Jathedar by a European. In that picture you can see him wearing dozens of karas on his forearm, as if they were some form of protective armour. But this is the only one i've seen like that. The rest have them wearing one or two small karae.

[dalsingh101]

Strange - Here is a reference to karae as "slave bangles" on the Sikhwiki site!

http://www.sikhiwiki.org/index.php?title=Kara