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Gatka (Gurmukhi: ਗੱਤਕਾ; Shahmukhi: گَتّکا; Hindi: गतका; Urdu: گَتکا) is a form of martial art associated primarily with the Sikhs of the Punjab and other related ethnic groups, such as Hindkowans. [1] [2] It is a style of stick-fighting, with wooden sticks intended to simulate swords. [3]
Fighting with swords and spears is known as ahan-i-sard ('cold iron'). [6] The Sikhs employed a particular type of "hit-and-run" tactic on horseback known as Dhaī Phaṭ ('two and a half injuries') that was observed by contemporary writers (both native and foreign): first the Sikhs advance and then retreat, then rally and return to the fight ...
In 1994, the Ninth Circuit held that Sikh students in public school have a right to wear the kirpan. [40] State courts in New York and Ohio have ruled in favor of Sikhs who faced the rare situation of prosecution under anti-weapons statutes for wearing kirpans, "because of the kirpan's religious nature and Sikhs' benign intent in wearing them."
The word khanda has its origins in the Sanskrit khaḍga [3] (खड्ग) or khaṅga, from a root khaṇḍ meaning "to break, divide, cut, destroy". The older word for a bladed weapon, asi, is used in the Rigveda in reference to either an early form of the sword or to a sacrificial knife or dagger to be used in war.
When fully armed a Nihang will also bear one or two swords (either the curved talwar or the straight khanda, or another type of sword like saif or sarohi on his right hip), a katar (dagger) on his left hip, a buckler made from buffalo-hide on his back, a large chakram around his neck, and an iron chain.
A Nihang Sikh in the 1860s with a characteristically elaborate turban. Dastar bunga, or "towering fortress", [1] is a style of turban used by a specific sect within the Sikhs, the Akali Nihangs (Immortal Crocodiles). As an essential part of their faith the warriors used the turban as a store for their expansive range of weapons.
The Indian swords have been also used by Arabians [4] and Europeans since medieval times. [5] Swords have culturally influenced the iconography and culture of India. [6] Sikhs consider sword to be holy and the Sikh emblem (Khanda (Sikh symbol)) depicts a doubled-edged sword surrounded by a circle and two curved swords. [7]
Emblem of Sikh faith that symbolizes the four pillars of Sikh belief. It consists of four symbolic weapons. Khalsa Pure – must carry panj kakkar. Khalsa Fauj The military stablished by Guru Gobind Singh. Kirpan Short sword – one of the Five Ks that a Khalsa Sikh must wear. It is a symbol of the fight against injustice and religious oppression.