Kara (jewellery)

Kara or Kada is a thick metal ring or bracelet usually worn on the hands or wrists of men and women in India. It is a religious bracelet that Sikhs wear.[1] Mostly made of Iron, the kara has different design styles and is usually used to honor a religious figure.[2] Kara is worn by Sikhs who have been initiated into the Khalsa. It is one of the five kakars or five Ks — external articles of faith — that identify a Sikh as dedicated to their religious order. The kara was instituted by the tenth Sikh guru Gobind Singh at the Baisakhi Amrit Sanchar in 1699. Guru Gobind Singh Ji explained:

He does not recognize anyone else except me, not even the bestowal of charities, performance of merciful acts, austerities and restraint on pilgrim-stations; the perfect light of the Lord illuminates his heart, then consider him as the immaculate Khalsa.

— Siri Guru Gobind Singh Ji[3]

The Kara is a symbol of unbreakable attachment and commitment to God.[4] As the Sikhs' holy text the Guru Granth Sahib says "In the tenth month, you were made into a human being, O my merchant friend, and you were given your allotted time to perform good deeds."[5] Similarly, Bhagat Kabir reminds the Sikh to always keep one's consciousness with God: "With your hands and feet, do all your work, but let your consciousness remain with the Immaculate Lord."[6] The kara is also worn by many ethnic Punjabis and other non-Punjabi Indian families across the states in the North, North-West and West of India (such as Gujarat, Rajasthan, and Maharashtra) by Hindus.[7] Nowadays, irrespective of religion or its associated beliefs, many people wear kara for fashion purposes.

See also

References
  1. "Traditional Jewellery of India". University of Tennessee Chattanooga. Retrieved 8 February 2018.
  2. Lodha, Shri Chanchal Mal Sa. History of Oswals. iprakashan. p. 346.
  3. in the Dasam Granth, page 1350
  4. Old Sikh Glossary sikhnet.com Retrieved 12 May 2023
  5. Guru Granth Sahib, page 76
  6. ||213|| - Siri Guru Granth Sahib Ji, page 1376
  7. Dhooleka Sarhadi Raj (25 August 2003). Where are you from?: middle-class migrants in the modern world. University of California Press. ISBN 9780520928671. Retrieved 17 December 2011. Individual Sikhs and Hindus share symbols and practices of body inscription (such as wearing a kara and women keeping their hair long).


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