Sikhism is another major world religion today, though not as populated as Hinduism or Christianity. Sikhism is also the youngest of the world religions, about five hundred years old. Although there has been no agreement on the origins of Sikhism, it is known that the religion of Sikhism has originated in India. Followers of Sikhism are called Sikhs, of course. The term "Sikhs" means "seekers of truth." Historians and Eastern religion specialists believe that Sikhism is a syncretistic religion, which originally related to Hinduism's Bhakti movement. Another piece of fact is that some Sikhs believe that their religion is a re-purification of Hinduism. On the other hand, many Sikhs disagree, and believe that Sikhism is a religion that is a direct revelation from God.
             Sikhism began in Punjab, which is in northwestern India. Shri Guru Nanak Dev Ji, born in 1469, was the first to start the religion in 1499, and was followed by nine more Sikh Gurus. Between 1499 and 1708, Sikhism was taught by these ten Sikh Gurus. The last Sikh Guru, Gobind Singh, established the Khalsa and died in 1708. All this started when Nanak received a vision to preach the way to enlightenment and God. Nanak preached a message of love and understanding: "we are all one, created by the one creator of all creation. Nanak's main principle was that God is the true Guru, unknowable in the transcendent state, but manifested in certain earthly phenomena. Guru Nanak died in 1539. Since the 1940's, the Sikhs have been seeking an independent homeland. Because of all the divisions of the Indian subcontinent and the Muslim/Sikh migrations from Pakistan to India, this has been a difficult task for Sikhs to do.
             Moreover, in its originality, Sikhism contains a strong mystical and devotional basis. It not only grew out of the Bhakti movement of Hinduism, as already mentioned, but it also grew out of the monotheistic influenc...