The Rehat Maryada
The Sikh code of conduct — the shared discipline of belief and practice, approved by the SGPC in 1945.
A shared discipline
The Sikh Rehat Maryada is the code of conduct that sets out Sikh belief, ceremony and daily practice. Drawn together over years of deliberation and approved by the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee in 1945, it gives Sikhs worldwide a single, agreed standard.1,2
The Five Ks
An initiated (Amritdhari) Sikh keeps the five articles of faith, the Panj Kakar: kesh (uncut hair), kangha (a wooden comb), kara (a steel bracelet), kachera (a cotton undergarment) and kirpan (a small sword). Together they mark commitment to the Khalsa.1,2
The four prohibitions
The code names four cardinal prohibitions (bajjar kurahits): cutting the hair, eating kutha meat (ritually slaughtered), adultery, and the use of tobacco or other intoxicants.1,2
In the history
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