Karas or Sikh Bracelets

Karas or Sikh Bracelets

Bracelets

A kara is a steel or iron bracelet that is worn by most initiated Sikhs. The kara was instituted by the tenth Sikh guru, Gobind Singh. It is considered one of the five kakars or one of the five external links of faith that identify Sikhs to their religious order. The kara symbolizes an unbreakable attachment and commitment to God. Likewise, the circular shape represents the eternal nature of God himself, with no beginning and no end. 

Check out the High Library for more information. 

Check out texts that relate to the artifact. 

Sources:
Doris R. Jakobsh, Sikhism (Honolulu (T.H.): University of Hawaiʻi Press, 2012).

20th Century

Elizabethtown College (Elizabethtown, Pennsylvania, USA)

Dr. William V. Puffenberger

Elizabethtown College retains all intellectual property rights to this image including, but not limited to, digital rights and any derivative works. For permission for reproduction, please contact the College’s Administrative Assistant for Humanities.

Two silver Sikh bracelets with some rusting.

Diameter of each bracelet: 3.5 in (8.9 cm)

Physical Object

Puffenberger #82

India