Sikhism is one of the recent religions of the world. Sikhism is also called the Gurmat Marg means Path of Guru. The followers of this faith are called Sikhs. As per tradition a Sikh is a being who believes in  (one God), teachings of the ten Gurus, Sri Guru Granth Sahib and does not believe in any other faith. Sikhism was established by Guru Nanak (1469–1539) and subsequently led by a succession of nine other Gurus. Thus, Sikhism is based on the religious teachings and practices of ten Gurus who have same spirit.

Sikhism is a monotheistic religion. Sri Guru Granth Sahib opens with (Ek Onkar) which means Reality is One. Sikh thought enlightens that human beings and different faiths are created by the one Reality. Ek Onkar gives equal respect and space to others because He is the only Creator of various originalities. Ek Onkar is the real Creator of universe, which is not limited to any particular vision or religion. A special feature of Sikh God is that anybody can realize Akal Purakh or Waheguru.

 To share his experience of Ultimate reality Guru Nanak Dev visited various religious places of the day and created dialogue with different religious personalities. He preached his message of truth and truthful living throughout the length and breadth of India and the most distant regions of Asia. Guru Nanak tells that all faiths and various Prophets, mystics and gods and goddesses are pleasing to the same God. Thus, the respect of every faith means respect to Him. The Guru also liberates the human beings from bogus practices and transforms godly qualities in humanity.

Sikh Guru’s established many institutions to give the practical shape to their teachings. The sole purpose of all institutions was to generate the love of God. These institutions provided solidarity and regularity to the Sikh faith and community. Among all the institutions the first and foremost institution is Guru. Sikh life cannot be conceived without the Guru. The institution of Guru provides a continuity and freshness to the Sikhs. In the Sikh religion and in the practices of the Sikhs, Gurbani is a Guru. Generally, Guru means a guide, teacher or light, but for the Sikhs as Guru Nanak says that Guru is Sabad, so Sabad or scripture (Sri Guru Granth Sahib) is a Guru for the Sikhs. By his fresh vision of Guru he changed the age old custom of Guruship and gave an idea of eternal Guru. In Indian tradition, there was a gap between the Guru and his disciples. Guru Nanak eliminated such gaps and changed age-old traditions for the selection of Guru.

All the institutions of Sikhism basically connected with Gurdwara. Gurdwara is the place which enlightens us with Gurubani and helps to develop divine qualities within us. Gurdwara is a unique combination of various institutions; Sangat, Pangat, Langar and Seva. All the persons gathered in the gurdwara is called Sangat.  As per Sikh thought, God lives in Sangat and Gurdwara is a common place where Sangat meets together without any discrimination. Sangat creates a spiritual environment through Gurbani recitation which generate a feeling of love towards God as well as humanity. So in Sikhism it is indispensible for every member to take part in congregational activities.

Through Sangat three another important institutions mark their existence i.e Langar, Pangat and Seva. Langar and pangat came into existence to convey the message of human equality. Langar is the free meal which often serves in gurdwara while people sit in the pangat means in a line on floor. Seva is the voluntary service. It conveys the message of humility. To come over the negative tendencies in human nature especially ego, seva plays its vital role. The basic principles of Sikhism Kirat karo, Naam japo and Vand chako practically reflects in these institutions. All these process helps one to rise above the worldy nature to godly one.

Another important feature of Sikhism is the tradition of miri and piri. It means Sikhism creates a balance between religion and politics. In another words we can say that spiritually enlightened persons should take the responsibility to guide the worldly matters and should not become escapist to it. This concept practically took shape in the form of Akal Takhat and Khalsa. Akal takhat is the highest religio- political authority of the Sikhs and it is liable to spread the kingdom and message of god. The highest feature of Sikh identity is Khalsa. Khalsa is called the soldier of God “Waheguru ji ka Khalsa” and it only works according to will of God. Khalsa always intune himself in the loving meditation of God and it shows the culmination point of human personality.

In Sikh life four rites have a very significant place. These rites are performed at the different intervals of life. These rites are, Naming ceremony, Anand ceremony, Amrit Ceremony and funeral ceremony. Every ceremony in Sikh faith is the moment of joy, so while performing above mentioned every rite the recitation of Anand Bani is necessary. Literally Anand means the realm of bliss and joy.

1.         Sri Guru Granth Sahib opens with
            I. Vaheguru                 II. Satnam
            III. Ek Onkar              IV. Akal Purakh

2.         Guru Nanak preached the message of
            I. Various Prophetics              II. Truthful and Truthful Living
            III. Religion                            IV. Gods and Goddesses

3.         The sole purpose of all institutions is to
            I. Generate the love of God    II. Praise Gods and Goddesses
            III. To please the masses         IV. To preach their own religion

4.         The word 'Guru' means
            I. Guide           II. Teacher           III. Light           IV. Akal Purakh

5.         For Sikhs, Guru is
            I. Preacher           II. Teacher           III. Shabad           IV. Guide

6.         Gurdwara is a unique institution of
            I. Sangat-Pangat         II. Gurbani Recitation         III. Seva         IV. All the above

7.         All the persons gathered in Gurdwara are called
            I. Pangat         II. Seva         III. Sangat         IV. All the above

8.         As per Sikh thought, God lives in
            I. Sangat         II. Gurdwara         III. Both I and II         IV. None of the above

9.         The message of human equality is conveyed through
            I. Langar         II. Pangat         III. Both I and II         IV. None of these

10.       The word Seva means
            I. Voluntary Service                     II. Self Service
            III. Preaching the masses            IV. All the above

11.       The word Pangat literally means
            I. Sitting in a line                II. Standing in a line
            III. Eating Langar                     IV. All the above

12.       The basic principle of Sikhism is
            I. Kirat Karo                 II. Naam Jap
            III. Vand Chhako            IV. All the above

13.       Miri and Piri symbolises
            I. Spirituality and Devotion                II. Politics and Economy        
            III. Religion and Politics                    IV. None of the above

14.       Which is the highest religio-political authority of the Sikhs?
            I. Sri Guru Granth Sahib                     II. Sri Akal Takht Sahib
            III. None of the above                         IV. Both I and II

15.       The most significant rites in Sikh life are
            I. Naming Ceremony and Anand Ceremony
            II. Amrit Ceremony and Funeral Ceremony
            III. both I and II
            IV. None of the above

1.         Teach Your Self: Sikhism, W. Owen Cole, Hodder Headline Ltd., London, 2003
2.         Encylopaedia of Sikhism, Harbans Singh, Punjabi University Patiala, 1998
3.         Sikhism, L.M Joshi, Punjabi University Patiala, 1990
4.         Essays in Sikhism, Principal Teja Singh, Language Department Punjab, Patiala,       1988