History Sikhs are followers of Sikhism, an Indian religion that originated in the Punjab in northwest India. In 1995, India had approximately 18.7 million Sikhs, 1.9% of the population. Small communities of Sikhs also exist in the United Kingdom, Canada, the United States, Malaysia, and East Africa. The movement was founded in the Punjab by Guru Nanak (1469-1539), who sought to combine Hindu and Muslim elements in a single religious creed. He taught "the unity of God, brotherhood …showed first 75 words of 2507 total…

…showed last 75 words of 2507 total…the end of the ceremony, and all those who are baptized in the batch eat out of the same dish. Of the Sikh festivals, Baisakhi marks the birth of the Khalsa, two Guru Purbs commemorate the birthdays of Guru Nank and Guru Gobind Singh, and the two others the martydom of Guru Arjan and Guru Teg Bahadur. In common with the Hindus, the Sikhs celebrate Divali and also Holi in the form of Hola Mohalla.