Enlightenment · South Asia · Religion
1699
Guru Gobind Singh Founds the Khalsa
March 29, 1699
At Anandpur in the Punjab, the tenth Sikh guru initiated five volunteers into a new martial brotherhood called the Khalsa, requiring them to adopt the name Singh and observe the five Ks including uncut hair and a steel bracelet. Sikhism became a disciplined community of soldier-saints, forging an identity so distinct and resilient that it would endure persecution, partition, and diaspora.