Serpents and Lions in the Sikh Kingdom

The establishment of the Khalsa was the starting point of militarization and animization of the Sikh community. Lions, hawks, snakes, horses and many other animal-like creatures in the narrative history and mythology of the Sikhs have been insufficiently interpreted as significant symbols and images of the cultural and spiritual tradition. Ethical norms were minimal and, for the most part, centered on the topic of vegetarianism. Sikhs believe that all animals have a soul, but it is not equal to a human one. In Guru Granth Sahib it is stated: “Mortals, forests, blades of grass, animals and birds all meditate on the Divine”. A key Sikh principle is care and protection: humans have a duty to cherish, respect animals and not to harm them. Up to this day, pilgrimage sites where Sikh gurus interacted with animals to some extent have been preserved; the scriptures contain paragraphs devoted to the appearance of fauna in the community’s life and its influence on the Sikh image; important historical and semi-legendary personalities and events are associated with animal images. The article examines the cult images of the lion and the serpent in the history and mythology of the followers of the monotheistic religion of Sikhism, who profess the equality of all living beings, and also presents a conceptual analysis of how these animals came to personify the socio-cultural component of the Sikh people: the symbolism of animals, Sikh identity and ethics are enshrined in the main holy book and legendary narratives.