Total population | |
---|---|
520,092 0.92% of the total population (2021) | |
Regions with significant populations | |
West Midlands | 172,398 (2.90%) |
London | 144,543 (1.64%) |
South East | 74,348 (0.80%) |
East Midlands | 53,950 (1.11%) |
East | 24,284 (0.38%) |
Religions | |
Sikhism | |
Languages | |
British English • Punjabi Hindi • Urdu |
English Sikhs number over 520,000 people and account for 0.9% of England's population in 2021, forming the country's fourth-largest religious group. In 2006 there were 352 gurdwaras in England. [1] The largest Sikh populations in the U.K. are in the West Midlands and Greater London.
Year | Pop. | ±% |
---|---|---|
2001 | 327,343 | — |
2011 | 420,196 | +28.4% |
2021 | 520,092 | +23.8% |
Source: Office for National Statistics [2] [3] |
The permanent arrival of Sikhism in England is dated to 1850 A.D. with the arrival of Maharajah Duleep Singh (last ruler of the Sikh Empire). The first Sikh place of worship, called a Gurdwara, was opened in 1911 in London and this was partly funded by the Maharaja of Patiala. [4] Prior to this the first Sikh Society called Khalsa Jatha was formed in 1908. [5]
In 2019, the statue of Sikh soldier was unveiled in the West Yorkshire to commemorate the Sikhs martyrs in the World War I and World War II. [6]
Local authority | Population |
---|---|
Sandwell | 39,252 |
Birmingham | 33,126 |
Wolverhampton | 31,769 |
Ealing | 28,491 |
Hillingdon | 26,339 |
Hounslow | 24,677 |
Slough | 17,985 |
Redbridge | 17,622 |
Coventry | 17,297 |
Walsall | 17,148 |
Local authority | Percentage |
---|---|
Wolverhampton | 12.0% |
Sandwell | 11.5% |
Slough | 11.3% |
Hillingdon | 8.6% |
Hounslow | 8.6% |
Gravesham | 8.0% |
Ealing | 7.8% |
Oadby and Wigston | 7.5% |
Walsall | 6.0% |
Redbridge | 5.7% |
Region | 2021 [9] | 2011 [10] | 2001 [11] | |||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Pop. | % | Pop. | % | Pop. | % | |
West Midlands | 172,398 | 2.9% | 133,681 | 2.39% | 103,870 | 1.97% |
London | 144,543 | 1.64% | 126,134 | 1.54% | 104,230 | 1.45% |
South East | 74,348 | 0.8% | 54,941 | 0.64% | 37,735 | 0.47% |
East Midlands | 53,950 | 1.11% | 44,335 | 0.98% | 33,551 | 0.8% |
East | 24,284 | 0.38% | 18,213 | 0.31% | 13,365 | 0.25% |
Yorkshire and the Humber | 24,034 | 0.44% | 22,179 | 0.42% | 18,711 | 0.38% |
North West | 11,862 | 0.16% | 8,857 | 0.13% | 6,487 | 0.1% |
South West | 7,465 | 0.13% | 5,892 | 0.11% | 4,614 | 0.09% |
North East | 7,206 | 0.27% | 5,964 | 0.23% | 4,780 | 0.19% |
England | 520,092 | 0.92% | 420,196 | 0.79% | 327,343 | 0.63% |
Part of a series on |
Sikhism |
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Between 2001 and 2011, the proportion of English Sikhs who identified as Indian declined from 91.6% to 74.0%, while the proportion of English Sikhs who identified as "Other Asian" rose from 4.6% to 12.0% and the proportion of English Sikhs who identified as "Other Ethnic group" rose from 0.7% to 9.5%.
2001 | 2011 | 2021 | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Number | % | Number | % | Number | % | |
Asian | 315,144 | 96.27% | 366,033 | 87.11% | 422,906 | 85.16% |
– Indian | 299,717 | 91.56% | 310,845 | 73.98% | 383,954 | 73.82% |
– Pakistani | 343 | 0.1% | 3,268 | 0.78% | 585 | 0.11% |
– Chinese | 76 | 0.02% | 1,000 | 0.24% | 85 | 0.02% |
– Bangladeshi | 112 | 0.03% | 657 | 0.16% | 174 | 0.03% |
– Other Asian | 14,896 | 4.55% | 50,263 | 11.96% | 38,108 | 7.33% |
White | 6,625 | 2.02% | 7,232 | 1.72% | 3,269 | 0.63% |
– British | 5,953 | 1.82% | 5,220 | 1.24% | 2,479 | 0.48% |
– Irish | 146 | 0.04% | 147 | 0.03% | 70 | 0.01% |
– Irish Traveller | 89 | 0.02% | 82 | 0.02% | ||
– Roma | 42 | 0.01% | ||||
– Other White | 526 | 0.16% | 1,776 | 0.42% | 596 | 0.11% |
Mixed | 2,722 | 0.83% | 5,025 | 1.2% | 6,906 | 1.33% |
– White and Asian | 2,083 | 0.64% | 3,768 | 0.9% | 5,516 | 1.06% |
– White and Black Caribbean | 63 | 0.02% | 269 | 0.06% | 102 | 0.02% |
– White and Black African | 30 | 0.01% | 104 | 0.02% | 51 | 0.01% |
– Other Mixed | 546 | 0.17% | 884 | 0.21% | 1,237 | 0.24% |
Black | 614 | 0.19% | 1,426 | 0.34% | 300 | 0.06% |
– African | 408 | 0.12% | 553 | 0.13% | 139 | 0.03% |
– Caribbean | 140 | 0.04% | 347 | 0.08% | 108 | 0.02% |
– Other Black | 66 | 0.02% | 526 | 0.13% | 53 | 0.01% |
Arab | 494 | 0.12% | 80 | 0.02% | ||
Other Ethnic group | 2,238 | 0.68% | 39,986 | 9.52% | 86,830 | 16.7% |
TOTAL | 327,343 | 100% | 420,196 | 100% | 100% | |
There are currently 13 Sikh Schools in England that teach the national curriculum alongside Sikh values. These schools are often oversubscribed and outperform regular schools, for example the Nishkam High School in Birmingham was recently rated by Ofsted as outstanding in every area. [12] The Nishkam School Trust is also developing a sister school in West London, which is an area with a large Sikh community, which is due to open in September 2016. [13]
The schools include:
Southall, in London, is home to the largest Sikh temple outside India, known as Gurdwara Sri Guru Singh Sabha. [14] It opened in 2003 after almost three years construction and a cost of £17 million. [15] Another large Gurdwara in Gravesend began construction in 2001, and was officially opened in November 2010 . [16] In Sunderland, a former Church of England church has been transformed into a Sikh Gurdwara by the Sunderland Sikh Association. [17]
Many cities, especially those with large Sikh communities, now have several Gurdwaras to cater to their growing congregations. For example, Bradford is a city that now has 6 Gurdwaras. Many Gurdwaras will have had other uses and have been converted from industrial buildings to even former churches that have closed down. Increasingly, Gurdwaras are being purposely built, The Guru Gobind Singh Gurdwara in Bradford is an example of a purpose built Gurdwara. [18]
In addition to Gurdwaras there are now a variety of additional organisations which have been setup by Sikhs to support the community:
Sikhs in England have managed to establish a range of media outlets to propagate and encourage dialogue between Sikhs across the country, predominantly in Punjabi, although increasingly media is produced in English to include the new generation. Many Sikhs still speak Punjabi as a first and second language. In England there are currently no less than 4 Sky channels including, Sikh Channel, Sikh TV, Akaal Channel and Sangat TV, all are also broadcast worldwide and on the internet. [19] There are now also radio stations, which broadcast Gurbani at different times during the morning and evening hours.
In radio there are numerous stations broadcast on analogue in areas with large Sikh communities as well as internationally on the Sky platform, since 2001 Sukh Sagar on Sky channel 0150 is one such station that was also the world's first 24-hour Gurbani (Sikh prayer) radio station. [20]
Sikhism, also known as Sikhi, is an Indian religion and philosophy in particular for the Sikh ethnoreligious group that originated in the Punjab region of India around the end of the 15th century CE. The Sikh scriptures are written in the Gurumukhi script particular to Sikhs. It is one of the most recently founded major religious groups and among the largest in the world, with about 25–30 million adherents.
The following outline is provides an overview of Sikhism, or Sikhi.
Sukhmani Sahib, known under the title of Gauri Sukhmani in the scripture, is usually translated to mean Prayer of Peace is a set of 192 padas present in the holy Guru Granth Sahib, the main scripture and living Guru of Sikhism from Ang 262 to Ang 296. This Gurbani text was written by the 5th Guru, Guru Arjan (1563–1606) at Amritsar in around 1602. Guru Arjan first recited the bani at Gurdwara Barth Sahib in the Gurdaspur district of Punjab, India.
The Damdamī Ṭaksāl, also sometimes referred to as Giani Samparda, Jatha Bhindra(n), or Sampardai Bhindra(n) is an orthodox Khalsa Sikh cultural and educational organization, based in India. They are known for their teachings of vidya as well as gurbanisanthiya. Its headquarters are located in the town of Mehta Chowk, approximately 40 km north of the city of Amritsar. It has been described as a seminary or “moving university” of the Sikh countryside.
The Akhand Kirtani Jatha, alternatively romanized as the Akhand Keertanee Jathaa and abbreviated as AKJ, is a jatha and sect of Sikhism dedicated to the Sikh lifestyle. The Jatha attempts to follow a strict discipline in keeping the Rehat of Guru Gobind Singh. They also enjoy an active style of Keertan recited by Sikhs in a collective manner in front of Guru Granth Sahib. This style of Keertan is relatively simple, and the entire congregation devotionally participates in singing along.
Sikh music, also known as Gurbani Sangeet , and as Gurmat Sangeet, or even as Shabad Kirtan, is the classical music style that is practised within Sikhism. It exists in institutional, popular, and folk traditions, forms, and varieties. Three types of Sikh musicians are rababis, ragis, and dhadhis. Sikh music exists in various melodic modes, musical forms, styles, musicians, and performance contexts.
A Granthi is a person, female or male, of the Sikh religion who is a ceremonial reader of the Guru Granth Sahib, which is the holy book in Sikhism, often read to worshipers at Sikh temples called a Gurdwara.
Gurdwara Sri Guru Singh Sabha Southall (SGSS) is a Sikh gurdwara situated on Guru Nanak Road and Park Avenue, Southall, in the London Borough of Ealing. It is the largest Sikh temple in London. Building work at the Havelock Road site commenced in March 2000 and the gurdwara opened on Sunday 30 March 2003, in order to accommodate Southall's growing Sikh community. The gurdwara cost £17.5 million to build. It was funded by donations from members of the local Sikh community.
The principles of Sikhism state that women have the same souls as men and thus possess an equal right to cultivate their spirituality with equal chances of achieving salvation. Women in Sikhism participate in all religious, cultural, social, and secular activities including lead religious congregations, take part in the Akhand Path, perform Kirtan, perform Gatka and work as a Granthis.
British Sikhs number over 535,000 people and account for 0.8% of the British population as of 2021, forming the United Kingdom's fourth-largest religious group. According to the 2021 United Kingdom census, British Sikhs numbered 535,517, with 520,092 in England, 10,988 in Scotland, 4,048 in Wales, and 389 in Northern Ireland. The largest Sikh populations in the United Kingdom are in the West Midlands and Greater London.
The Gurdwara Sahib is a Sikh place of worship or Gurdwara in Handsworth, Birmingham, England. It was built in the late 1970s under the spiritual guidance of Sant Baba Puran Singh ji and the leadership of Norang Singh. The Spiritual leadership of the jatha is now continued through the vision of Mohinder Singh.
The following list consists of concepts that are derived from both Sikh and Indian tradition. The main purpose of this list is to disambiguate multiple spellings, to make note of spellings no longer in use for these concepts, to define the concept in one or two lines, to make it easy for one to find and pin down specific concepts, and to provide a guide to unique concepts of Sikhism all in one place.
Followers of Sikhism do not have a preference for meat or vegetarian consumption. There are two views on initiated or "Amritdhari Sikhs" and meat consumption. "Amritdhari" Sikhs can eat meat. "Amritdharis" that belong to some Sikh sects are vehemently against the consumption of meat and eggs.
The arrival of Sikhism in Wales is relatively recent. As of the 2021 United Kingdom census there were 4,048 Sikhs in the country representing 0.1% of the population.
The 52 Hukams are a set of instruction in Sikhism set by Guru Gobind Singh in Nanded, Maharashtra, India in 1708. These edicts sum up the ideal way of life of the Khalsa and serve as a code of conduct for the Khalsa Panth. Members of the Khalsa aim to follow all the 52 edicts.
Sikh sects, denominations, traditions, movements, sub-traditions, also known as sampardai in the Punjabi language, are sub-traditions within Sikhism that believe in different approaches to practicing the religion. All sampradas believe in the One Creator God typically rejecting both idol worship and caste systems. Different interpretations have emerged over time, some of which have a living teacher as the leader. The major historic traditions in Sikhism, states Harjot Oberoi, have included Udasi, Nirmala, Nanakpanthi, Khalsa, Sahajdhari, Namdhari Kuka, Nirankari and Sarvaria.
Sikhism in Bangladesh has an extensive heritage and history, although Sikhs had always been a minority community in Bengal. Their founder, Guru Nanak visited a number of places in Bengal in the early sixteenth century where he introduced Sikhism to locals and founded numerous establishments. In its early history, the Sikh gurus despatched their followers to propagate Sikh teachings in Bengal and issued hukamnamas to that region. Guru Tegh Bahadur lived in Bengal for two years, and his successor Guru Gobind Singh also visited the region. Sikhism in Bengal continued to exist during the colonial period as Sikhs found employment in the region, but it declined after the partition in 1947. Among the eighteen historical gurdwaras in Bangladesh, only five are extant. The Gurdwara Nanak Shahi of Dhaka is the principal and largest gurdwara in the country. The Sikh population in the country almost entirely consists of businessmen and government officials from the neighbouring Republic of India.