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Extensible Markup Language | 1995-08-14 | 12KB | 34 lines

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8" ?> <!DOCTYPE card PUBLIC "-//Apple, Inc.//DTD card V 2.0//EN" "" > <card> <id>7198</id> <filler1>0</filler1> <cantDelete> <false /> </cantDelete> <showPict> <true /> </showPict> <dontSearch> <false /> </dontSearch> <owner>5472</owner> <link rel="stylesheet" type="text/css" href="stylesheet_3106.css" /> <content> <layer>background</layer> <id>25</id> <text>he Religions of India (3 of 3)The SikhsThe Sikhs, like the Jains, are comparatively small in number in India. Sikhism, however, is an important religion, particularly in the north, where there has been a call for a separate Sikh homeland, Khalistan, in the Punjab. In the 1980s, a minority of extremist Sikhs began a campaign of terrorism to achieve this aim.Sikhs are proud of their history and still remember, in their prayers and festivals, many of the events in the lives of their ten gurus. Sikhism is a monotheistic religion, and was founded by the first of the ten gurus, Nanak (1469-1539). The Sikh gurus were critical of the ritual and social aspects of Hindu tradition, rejecting the caste system. They were political as well as religious leaders, evolving the idea of the warrior-saint and standing up against the rule of the Muslims who had dominated north India since the 13th century.The foundations of Sikh life are the teachings of Nanak on how to lead a good life and seek final union with God. Also of fundamental importance was the formation by the last guru, Gobind Singh (1666-1708), of the Sikh community, with its shared symbols and the names 'Singh' and 'Kaur' for men and women respectively. The shared symbols are the so-called five K's worn by Sikh men.Equality is an important Sikh ideal, and this is symbolized by the sharing of food in the gurdwara. This is the place of worship where Sikhs meet and where they are in the presence of their holy book, the Guru Granth Sahib. The most important Sikh temple is the Golden Temple at Amritsar, built in the late 16th century.Many Sikhs begin and end the day with prayers from the holy book. Their aim is to sanctify ordinary life, keeping the mind and heart set on God. Of the four major religions of India, it is only Sikhism that has turned away from the ideals of asceticism and celibacy and focused instead on the householder.Indian religions around the worldHalf of the world's Sikhs, though Indian by origin, live in other countries, notably Britain, the USA and Canada. This is also true of India's other religious groups. In Nepal and parts of Southeast Asia, Hinduism is now an indigenous religion, originally exported from India many centuries ago. More recently, migrant Indians have taken Hinduism, Jainism and Parsiism with them all over the world, to Fiji and Mauritius, Trinidad and Guyana, Britain, the USA and Canada.The impact of India's religions now extends far beyond India itself, and from the 1960s many people in the West began to be attracted to Indian religions - not ├äonly Buddhism, but also various Hindu sects, such as the Hare Krishna movement. Some such sects have in fact evolved particularly to appeal to Westerners.KK HINDU GODS AND GODDESSES GODS OF THE VEDAS Indra Thunder god, god of battleVaruna Guardian of order; divine overseer Agni God of fire Surya God associated with the SunMAJOR GODS OF HINDUISM Brahma The creator; linked with goddess Saraswati Vishnu The preserver; with Shiva, one of Hinduism's great gods. Vishnu has ten incarnations or avataras, and is married to Lakshmi. Shiva A great god, associated with destruction. In Hindu mythology, Shiva is married to Parvati and is the father of Ganesh. Ganesh The elephant-headed god,worshipped as the remover of obstacles and god of good luck Hanuman The monkey warrior-god associated with the god RamaVISHNU'S TEN AVATARAS Matsya The fish Kurma The tortoise Varaha The boar Narasimha The man-lion Vamana The dwarf Parasurama Rama bearing the axe Ramachandra Otherwise known as Rama, identified by his bow and quiver of arrows. The god of the Ramayana epic, married to Sita. Krishna The important god featured in the Bhagavadgita. He is worshipped particularly as a baby and as a flute-playing cowherd and lover of Radha. The Buddha The great teacher from the 6th-5th century BC and founder of Buddhism Kalki 'The one to come'; a future avataraTHE GODDESSES The goddesses are manifestations of the great creative spirit or Shakti. The most popular are: Parvati Wife of Shiva; also known as Uma Durga All-powerful warrior goddess, also known as Amba, and linked with Shiva Kali Goddess associated with destruction Lakshmi Goddess of beauty, wealth and good fortune, wife of Vishnu Saraswati Goddess of learning, arts and music, and wife of BrahmaMAJOR FESTIVALS IN INDIA April Hindu / Sikh New Year Jain Mahavira's birthday July Hindu / Jain Monsoon begins August Hindu Krishna's birthday (Janamashtami) September Hindu Remembering ancestors (Shradh) October Hindu Celebration of goddesses (Durga Puja) Hindu Rama's victory over Ravana (Dashera) November Hindu / Jain / Festival of Lights (Divali) Sikh Sikh Guru Nanak's birthday December Sikh Guru Gobind Singh's birthday January Hindu Pilgrim fairs (Kumbha Mela) February Hindu Festival for Shiva (Mahashivaratri) March Hindu / Sikh Spring harvest celebration (Holi) Parsi New Year (No Ruz)</text> </content> <content> <layer>background</layer> <id>26</id> <text>anesha, the elephant-headed Hindu god. He is worshipped as the remover of obstacles and is the god of good luck.</text> </content> <content> <layer>background</layer> <id>23</id> <text>ΓÇó INDIA AND SOUTHEAST ASIA TO THE COLONIAL AGEΓÇó BUDDHISMΓÇó ISLAMΓÇó WORSHIP, PRAYER AND PILGRIMAGEΓÇó SACRED PLACES AND RITUALSΓÇó GOOD AND EVILΓÇó ASIAN ART</text> </content> <content> <layer>background</layer> <id>36</id> <text>384468478480482484512</text> </content> <name>p466-3</name> <script></script> </card>