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The Dastaar (turban) is a very important part of Sikh religion. To Sikhs it is more than what is a crown to a king or queen. The Sikh Gurus showed a great respect to the turban. But there is a misconception that only men are required to wear the turban. The Guru has graced both men and women with the spiritual crown that not only protects the Kesh (unshorn hair) and Dasam Duaar (tenth spiritual Gate on the top of the forehead) but also gives the Khalsa (both male & female) a unique & distinct identity.

The first quote is from Guru Granth Sahib Ji. Guru Ji says:

For the Sikhs, the turban is an Article of Faith. The turban is a mark of visual identity, which conveys royalty, grace and uniqueness. The turban represents complete commitment. It is made up of cotton fabric and is usually 3-6 meters long. Practising Sikh men and women both wear the turban. It is a spiritual crown reminding a Sikh that he or she sits on the throne of consciousness, committed to higher principles.

The unshorn hair (Kesh) is part of nature and God's system. Sikhs maintains long unshorn hair (‘Kesh’) as an act of acceptance of God's Will and living as nature intended, sustaining the individual in higher consciousness. The unshorn hair is regarded with the highest importance in the Sikh religion and is one of the basic requirements for a Sikh. Dishonouring one’s hair is one of the four Bajjar Kurehats (cardinal sins), which the Guru has told a Sikh never to commit.

Gurmat (the Guru’s teachings) is against all blind rituals that have no meaning. The 5 K’s were given to us by our Guru as our external identity and discipline.

By simply wearing any article of clothing will not make one a better person, but a person who is living an internal spiritual discipline, the outer discipline and uniform helps reinforce that commitment. We are all affiliated to someone or something, the 5Ks is our commitment to uphold the ideals of our Gurus, as well as encompassing practical and spiritual value, meaning and purpose.

When Guru Gobind Singh created the Khalsa Panth in 1699, he ordered them to maintain the five articles of faith - Panj Kakaar. These articles of faith were not only necessary for the strength and uniformity of the organization, but also for the value they each had in their own right. Let us examine the significance of each symbol.

It has been found that the maintenance of a similarity of appearance is essential, not only for the sake of uniformity but also for sustaining the enthusiasm of an organization. Such uniformity should be a living demonstration of the inspiration of the personality that created them. They symbolise the ideal and make it more real and meaningful to the followers.