Kirpan
The kirpan is the curved sword or dagger that an initiated Sikh wears as one of the five Ks, the panj kakkar, along with unshorn hair (kesh), a comb (kanga), a steel bangle (kara) and the cotton undergarment (kachera). Introduced at the founding of the Khalsa in 1699 by Guru Gobind Singh, the kirpan embodies the Sikh duty to defend the weak and to stand against injustice, and it is worn constantly as a reminder of that responsibility. The size and form of the kirpan vary with the community and the wearer's circumstances, from a small symbolically worn blade in parts of the diaspora to the long