Kirpan

Kirpan
An example of a kirpan, a type of religious dagger, worn at all times by Sikhs
Type	Sword
Place of origin	Punjab

The kirpan (/kɪərˈpɑːn/; Punjabi: ਕਿਰਪਾਨ kirpān) is a sword or knife carried by Sikhs. It is a religious commandment given by Guru Gobind Singh in 1699, that Sikhs must wear five articles of faith at all times, the kirpan being one of five articles.

The word kirpan has two roots: the first root is kirpa, which means "mercy", "grace", "compassion" or "kindness"; the second root is aanaa, which in turn means "honor", "grace" or "dignity".

Sikhs are expected to embody the qualities of a Sant Sipahi or "saint-soldier" with the courage to defend the rights of all who are wrongfully oppressed or persecuted irrespective of their color, caste, or creed.

Kirpans are curved and have a single cutting edge that may be either blunt or sharp. They are often between 3.0 inches (7.6 cm) and 9.0 inches (23 cm) long, and must be made of steel or iron.

Sikhism was founded in the 15th century, in present-day Punjab. At the time of its founding, this culturally rich region had been conquered by Mughal Empire from central Asia. During the time of the founder of the Sikh faith and its first guru, Guru Nanak, Sikhism flourished as a counter to both the prevalent Hindu and Muslim teachings. The Mughal emperor Akbar was relatively tolerant of non-Islamic religions and focused on religious tolerance. His relationship with Nanak was cordial.

The relationship between the Sikhs and Akbar's successor Jehangir was not friendly. Due to a large number of Muslim converts to Sikhism and references to Muslim and Hindu teachings in the Guru Granth Sahib, the fifth guru, Guru Arjan Dev was summoned and executed.