Kara (Sikhism)

A kara, or kada (Punjabi: ਕੜਾ (Gurmukhi), کڑا (Shahmukhi) कड़ा (Devanagari)), is a steel or cast iron bangle worn by Sikhs and sometimes Indian people of other religions.

[1][2] Sikhism preaches the importance of equality and having reverence for God at all times, which is represented through the five Ks—ceremonial items worn or used by Sikhs who have been initiated into the Khalsa, of which kara is one.

[7][8] The kara is also worn by many ethnic Punjabis and other non-Punjabi Hindu families across states in the north, northwest, and west of India (such as Gujarat, Rajasthan, and Maharashtra).

[9] In 2022, a female Sikh candidate, Manharleen Kaur, was barred from taking a competitive examination by the Delhi Subordinate Services Selection Board (DSSSB) until she removed her kara.

[12] In July 2008, Judge Stephen Silber of the High Court of England and Wales stated that "the bangle — known as the kara — was a symbol of her Sikh faith and not a piece of jewellery".