Photos

Lately I was attending a traditional Sikh wedding ceremony in Alor Star, which was very impressive. Everybody has to cover the head with a turban or a piece of cloth. This woman is the priest reading from the holy scripture of the Sikh, The Granth, to the groom and bride.

Sikhism is an offshoot of Hinduism. Regarded by many scholars as only a reformed Hindu sect, it is considered by its own followers as a separate faith. The British Indian census has recognized it as such and each decade numbered the Sikhs apart from the Hindus. The most recent census revealed a total of 5,691,447 followers of the faith. A comparative study of population growth and the growth of the Sikh movement over the last four decades indicates a steady growth, substantially exceeding the percentage increase of the total population. Sikhs are liven all over the world, among others also in Malaysia.

The scriptures of the Sikhs are almost wholly unknown to the western world. Though there are now a number of anthologies containing selections from most of the sacred books of the world, so far only one that has come to the attention of the writer contains anything from the Granth, the Sikh Bible, and that only a very limited selection.