A kara (Punjabi: ਕੜਾ (Gurmukhi), کڑا (Shahmukhi) कड़ा (Devanagari)), is a steel or iron bracelet, worn by both male and female initiated Sikhs. It is one of the five kakars or 5Ks — external articles of faith — that identify a Sikh as dedicated to their religious order. The Kara is a universal symbol of the totality of God; free for everybody to use. Any Sikh who will see the Sikh Kara on you will be happy and proud that you choose to wear it.|publisher=Sikh Karas|accessdate=17 December 2011}}</ref> The kara was instituted by the tenth Sikh guru Gobind Singh at the Baisakhi Amrit Sanskar in 1699. Guru Gobind Singh Ji explained:
He does not recognize anyone else except One Lord, not even the bestowal of charities, performance of merciful acts, austerities and restraint on pilgrim-stations; the perfect light of the Lord illuminates his heart, then consider him as the immaculate Khalsa.—[1]
The kara is to constantly remind the Sikh disciple to do God's work, a constant reminder of the Sikh's mission on this earth and that he or she must carry out righteous and true deeds and actions, keeping with the advice given by the Guru. Also the kara comes in many forms and sizes, from battle field types, sharp edges, spikes etc. The kara is also used in self-defense like a knuckle duster. It was used in the deadly brutal Sikh martial art of Shastar Vidiya, when using the kara to settle a dispute by fighting without weapons known in Northern India as iron fist fighting or Loh Mushti in Punjab, like a form of boxing but using these steel or iron bracelets instead of gloves.
As the Sikhs' holy text the Guru Granth Sahib says "In the tenth month, you were made into a human being, O my merchant friend, and you were given your allotted time to perform good deeds."[2] Similarly, Bhagat Kabir reminds the Sikh to always keep one's consciousness with God: "With your hands and feet, do all your work, but let your consciousness remain with the Immaculate Lord."[3]
The Kara is a symbol of unbreakable attachment to God. It is in the shape of a circle which has no beginning and no end, like the eternal nature of God. It is also a symbol of the Sikh brotherhood.
The Kara is worn on the dominant hand.[4]
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