Kes ਕੇਸ਼

What are Kes?

Kes or Kesh is the reference to a Practising Sikh’s uncut hair on the head and body.

What do the Kes represent?

Many Sikhs interpret the keeping of Kes as a sign of commitment to and acceptance of the will of the one universal force Sikhs call Vaheguru / Waheguru. The practice of keeping hair is deeply embedded in Sikh religious tradition and history and prohibits the cutting or shaving of any bodily hair, including facial hair, as a mark of respect to Vaheguru’s creation.

Sikh believe in self effort and hard work but also accepting the result from their labour. Keeping hair is a considered a reminder of this need to stand up and stand out for others along with the need to accept circumstances following the self effort.

The founders of the Sikh faith started the practice of maintaining hair unshorn. Guru Gobind Singh, the tenth Sikh Guru, gave Sikhs five articles of faith (including unshorn hair) and the dastaar (turban), which, as a whole, comprise the daily uniform of a Sikh. In other words, keeping kes and wearing a dastaar (turban) form an external identity for a practising Sikh.

For Practising and Amritdhari (initiated) Sikhs, the Kes is a mandatory article of faith. For Sikhs, the keeping of Kes at all times is a must and to part with it is considered a lapse in religious practice.

The Kes are an integral part of Sikh’s identity and to ask for it to be removed will be perceived as being disrespectful and offensive.

Who keeps their Kes?

Practising Sikhs and Amritdhari Sikhs keep all bodily hair uncut. Non-practising Sikhs may keep some of their hair. For example some Sikhs may keep their hair on their head untrimmed but they may still trim other bodily hair (e.g. facial hair).

Sikhs and their practices

Sikhs can be broadly broken up in to the following groups:

All Sikhs generally wear a Kara (steel / iron band worn around the predominant wrist)

Practising Sikhs may carry/wear some of the 5 Ks (e.g. Kara and Kes but not the Kirpan)

Only Amritdhari (initiated) Sikhs carry/wear all of the 5 Ks including the Kirpan

While not all Sikhs are initiated, the 5 Ks are deeply respected by all Sikhs whether Amritdhari (initiated) or practicing.

Note:

  • The above grouping categories of Sikhs do not bear any resemblance of a Sikh’s spiritual journey.

  • These categories are only being used for the purposes of providing an explanation of Sikh practices to a non-Sikh audience. Sikhs tend not to utilise these categories on the basis that they infer discrimination, which Sikhs oppose strongly in any shape or form.

Kes and the intersection with Australian Law

The 5 Ks

Guru Gobind Singh, the 10th Guru of the Sikhs gave his Sikhs a unique physical identity. An important part of this physical identity was that all Amritdhari (initiated) Sikhs were to maintain the Panj Kakaar or the ‘5 Ks’ on their body at all times.

All Amritdhari Sikhs are mandated to wear the five articles of faith which are:

  1. Kes (unshorn hair on whole body with the long hair on the head usually covered by a turban or headscarf)

  2. Kangha (wooden comb)

  3. Kara (iron/steel band worn around predominant wrist)

  4. Kachhehra (prescribed undershorts)

  5. Kirpan (small sheathed curved blade shaped object with handle)

For Sikhs these religious articles have deep spiritual and practical significance. The 5 Ks are not symbols. They are mandatory articles of faith to be worn at all times.

5 K’s graphic depiction above taken from publication ‘Sikhi - Faith and Followers’ by the Sikh Research Institute