Editing Sikhism (section)

===Initiation and the Khalsa===

[[Khalsa]] (meaning "pure and sovereign") is the collective name given by Guru Gobind Singh,<ref name="pashauraarjan" /><ref name="Gandhi" /> to those Sikhs who have been fully initiated by taking part in a ceremony called ''[[ammrit sañcār]]'' (nectar ceremony).<ref name="SinghFenech2014p23" /> During this ceremony, sweetened water is stirred with a double-edged sword while liturgical prayers are sung; it is offered to the initiating Sikh, who ritually drinks it.<ref name="SinghFenech2014p23">{{cite book |first1=Pashaura |last1=Singh |first2=Louis E. |last2=Fenech |title=The Oxford Handbook of Sikh Studies |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=7YwNAwAAQBAJ |date=2014 |publisher=[[Oxford University Press]] |isbn=978-0-19-100411-7 |pages=23–24 |access-date=16 May 2016 |archive-date=8 March 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240308160518/https://books.google.com/books?id=7YwNAwAAQBAJ |url-status=live }}</ref> Many Sikhs are not formally and fully initiated, as they do not undergo this ceremony, but do adhere to some components of Sikhism and identify as Sikhs. The initiated Sikh, who is believed to be [[Dvija#The meaning of the two births|reborn]], is referred to as [[Amritdhari]] or Khalsa Sikh, while those who are not initiated or baptised are referred to as Kesdhari or Sahajdhari Sikhs.<ref name="SinghFenech2014p23" /><ref>{{cite book |first1=Louis E. |last1=Fenech |first2=W. H. |last2=McLeod |title=Historical Dictionary of Sikhism |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=xajcAwAAQBAJ |date=2014 |publisher=[[Rowman & Littlefield]] |location=Lanham, Maryland |isbn=978-1-4422-3601-1 |pages=84–85 |access-date=16 May 2016 |archive-date=17 August 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230817161136/https://books.google.com/books?id=xajcAwAAQBAJ |url-status=live }}</ref>

The first time that this ceremony took place was on [[Vaisakhi]], which fell on 30 March 1699 at [[Anandpur Sahib]] in Punjab.<ref name="SinghFenech2014p23" /> It was on that occasion that Gobind Singh baptised the [[Panj Piare|Pañj Piārē]] – the five beloved ones, who in turn baptised Guru Gobind Singh himself. To males who initiated, the last name Singh, meaning "lion", was given, while the last name Kaur, meaning "princess", was given to baptised Sikh females.<ref name="SinghFenech2014p23" />

Baptised [[Sikhs]] wear five items, called the [[five Ks]] (in Punjabi known as ''pañj kakkē'' or ''pañj kakār''), at all times. The five items are: ''[[Kesh (Sikhism)|kēs]]'' (uncut hair), ''[[Kanga (Sikhism)|kaṅghā]]'' (small wooden comb), ''[[Kara (Sikhism)|kaṛā]]'' (circular steel or iron bracelet), ''[[Kirpan|kirpān]]'' (sword/dagger), and ''[[Kaccha|kacchera]]'' (special undergarment).<ref name="SinghFenech2014p23" /> The five Ks have both practical and symbolic purposes.<ref>{{cite book |last=Simmonds |first=David |date=1992 |title=Believers All: A Book of Six World Religions |publisher=[[Nelson Thornes]] |location=Cheltenham, England |isbn=978-0-17-437057-4 |pages=120–121}}</ref>