Blades and Banners: Sacred Iconography and Political Identity in Sikh and Iranian Traditions
Devinder Pal Singh
Abstract:
A comparative study of the Sikh Khanda and Iranian state symbols has been undertaken to examine the relationship between religious symbolism and the development of political identity in two distinct cultural contexts. The study investigates how sacred iconography serves as a means of expressing authority, resistance, unity, and cultural memory. The Sikh Khanda represents the synthesis of spiritual and temporal authority through its components. It embodies the Khalsa ideal of the saint-soldier. The intricate balance between religious authority and national identity is also reflected in Iranian official symbols, which range from the antiquated Faravahar to modern emblems that use Islamic calligraphy and pre-Islamic themes. This multidisciplinary study uses historical contextualization, theological interpretation, and visual analysis to comprehend how these symbols act as compact repositories of cultural meaning. The obtained results show how sacred iconography serves as a link between temporal governance and spiritual devotion, in both ancient and modern contexts.
Keywords:
Cultural identity, Ethnography, Faravahar, Iconographic analysis, Islamic calligraphy, Khanda, Political identity, Religious symbolism.
Citation: Devinder Pal Singh (2025). Blades and Banners: Sacred Iconography and Political Identity in Sikh and Iranian Traditions. Horizon J. Hum. Soc. Sci. Res. 7 (2), 146–154. https://doi.org/10.37534/bp.jhssr.2025.v7.n2.id1307.p146
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