The Khanda is the emblem of the Sikh faith, symbolizing the four pillars of Sikh belief.
It consists of four symbolic weapons:
In the center is the double edged sword, or khanda, from which the symbol derives its name. The Khanda represents knowledge of divinity and the creative power of God. It also symbolises disintegration of false pride and vanity and demolition of the barriers of caste and other inequalities. Amrit is stirred with the Khanda. The original Khanda with which Guru Gobind Singh ji stirred the Amrit on March 30, A.D. 1699 is now preserved at Anandpur.
Surrounding the khanda is a circular quoit, called a Chakkar (meaning wheel, from the same root as chakra), which symbolizes the unity of God, and the fact that God is unborn and undying. It is also a weapon which Sikhs (usually Nihang Singhs) wear around their Dastaars (turbans). The Chakra being a circle without a beginning or an end exhorts the Sikhs to make the whole creation as the object of their compassion and activities. It signifies the symbol of Ek Ounkar, the Oneness of God, who is without beginning or end. The circle signifies oneness, unity, justice, humanity and morality.
On either side there are crossed swords/daggers, or kirpans, called Miri and Piri. They are the swords of Guru Hargobind Sahib Ji, the sixth Guru, and the first to arm themselves. They represent the spiritual power and the temporal power. They also represent protection of those who require it. The two Kirpans impart a conceptual balance to the Khanda like the Yin and Yang of ancient Chinese philosophy.
It consists of four symbolic weapons:
In the center is the double edged sword, or khanda, from which the symbol derives its name. The Khanda represents knowledge of divinity and the creative power of God. It also symbolises disintegration of false pride and vanity and demolition of the barriers of caste and other inequalities. Amrit is stirred with the Khanda. The original Khanda with which Guru Gobind Singh ji stirred the Amrit on March 30, A.D. 1699 is now preserved at Anandpur.
Surrounding the khanda is a circular quoit, called a Chakkar (meaning wheel, from the same root as chakra), which symbolizes the unity of God, and the fact that God is unborn and undying. It is also a weapon which Sikhs (usually Nihang Singhs) wear around their Dastaars (turbans). The Chakra being a circle without a beginning or an end exhorts the Sikhs to make the whole creation as the object of their compassion and activities. It signifies the symbol of Ek Ounkar, the Oneness of God, who is without beginning or end. The circle signifies oneness, unity, justice, humanity and morality.
On either side there are crossed swords/daggers, or kirpans, called Miri and Piri. They are the swords of Guru Hargobind Sahib Ji, the sixth Guru, and the first to arm themselves. They represent the spiritual power and the temporal power. They also represent protection of those who require it. The two Kirpans impart a conceptual balance to the Khanda like the Yin and Yang of ancient Chinese philosophy.
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