Nishan Sahib-The Sikh Flag:
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Every nation has its own flag. Sikhs too have their own saffron flag called Nishan Sahib.
It is to be seen near the entrance to the Gurdwara, standing firmly on a raised platform, overlooking the whole building.
Sikhs show great respect to the Nishan Sahib. This is symbolic of separate sovereign identity of the Sikhs and is a symbol
of the freedom of the Khalsa. That is why we daily pray to the Guru to keep the flag ever fluttering high in the sky.
The
Sikh flag is a saffron-colored triangular-shaped cloth, usually reinforced in the middle with Sikh insignia in blue. It is
usually mounted on a long steel pole (which is also covered with saffron-coloured cloth) headed with a Khanda. The Sikh flag
is often seen near the entrance to the Gurdwara, standing firmly on the platform, overlooking the whole building. Sikhs show
great respect to their flag as it is, indeed, the symbol of the freedom of the Khalsa.
Khanda - The Sikh Insignia:
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The Khanda constitutes three symbols in one. However, the name is derived from the central
symbol, Khanda, a special type of double-edged sword which confirms the Sikhs' belief in One God. The double-edged sword symbolizes
the unitary view of the world which Sikhism subscribes to.
* On the left side is the sword of spiritual sovereignty,
Piri; on the right side is the sword of political sovereignty, Miri.
* The right edge of the double-edged sword symbolizes
freedom and authority governed by moral and spiritual values.
* The left edge of the double-edged sword symbolizes
divine justice which chastises and punishes the wicked oppressors.
There must always be a balance between miri and
piri and this balance is emphasized by the joining together of the two swords into one double-edged one in the middle. The
quoit is what is called the Chakra. This is a symbol of all-embracing divine manifestation including everything and wanting
nothing, without beginning or end, neither first or last, timeless, and absolute. The Chakra was also used by the Sikhs as
one of the war weapons against injustice and oppression. Almost all Sikh warriors used to wear it in the eighteenth century.
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