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Khalsa Kirpans

The Exceptional Handmade Knives, Swords
and Kirpans of Jot Singh Khalsa

Adi Shakti

Bio

My wife and I live and have our business and my shop on the grounds of a wonderful spiritual community in Millis Massachusetts USA about a 50 minute drive, southwest of Boston. Classes are offered here in yoga and meditation, healing, humanology and a lot more. I’m Jot (pronounced Jote) Singh Khalsa and my wife and I have been part of this community since 1980. I grew up in the Boston area.

For 6 years, beginning in 1972, I trained intensively in art, jewelry making and metalsmithing at the State University of New York at New Paltz where I learned to create silver and gold jewelry and artful objects. Shortly thereafter in New York City, I attended the 1st New York Knife Show, was impressed by what I saw and handled and said to myself 'I can do this!' My shop and home office are where I design and fabricate handmade knives, swords and kirpans (Sikh daggers) and where I'm happy to consider your request for something unique and special. I also design and produce quite a bit of jewelry which can be viewed and purchased at: www.theKhalsaRaj.com and www.LifeKnives.com

I enjoy designing edged items, fine-tuning the mechanics of a folding knife, and meeting the challenges that a one-of-a-kind dagger, sword or Kirpan present. Choosing the materials that will best suit the subtleties of a particular piece is another aspect that I take pleasure in - matching different colors and shapes of a handle or inlay materials with patterns of damascus steel. It's very satisfying when a piece that I've toiled hours, days or months over develops into something that pleases others as well as myself.

It wouldn't be a lie for me to say, "knife, sword and Kirpan making have been a spiritual experience for me." When I was nineteen years old, in college focused on studying fine arts, I began to practice Kundalini Yoga and meditation. This was significant for me, as I embarked on building a new self-reliance within myself, through regular practice of this sacred technology . Through my affiliation with our non-sectarian yoga organization, 3HO Foundation, I met Yogi Bhajan, a spiritual master who was also a member of the Sikh religion. The fundamental practices of Sikh Dharma (lifestyle) appealed to me: daily yoga and meditation, relating to the One God in all; and living a healthy, vegetarian lifestyle. One of the symbols of the Sikh religion is a Kirpan, which is worn to remind one to be a protector of the weak and innocent. (This originated from generations of religious oppression in India, and the Sikhs were the ones willing to take up arms to protect all being oppressed, including themselves). The symbolic Kirpans that friends were obtaining from India were/are still not of great quality. Encouragement from a couple of Sikh friends led me to acquire the special metalsmithing skills required for knife, sword and Kirpan making. I made my first knife at SUNY, College at New Paltz, New York, in 1977. That first knife was more decorative than practical, but making it "forged" in me the desire to perfect the art of knife and swordmaking. I sought out established knifemakers and bladesmiths throughout the USA to learn about grinding and forging; the best steels and their heat treatment; as well as information on knife/sword construction and fabrication. I quickly developed the necessary skills and experience to become a member of the Knifemakers' Guild, and have enjoyed making knives, swords and kirpans full-time since 1978.

I've continued to practice and teach yoga and meditation – and learned much from my teacher/mentor of over 30 years, the late Yogi Bhajan. Both my personal yogic and Dharmic practices and my teacher have given me valuable insights into my life, as well as tools for deep relaxation and accessing my gifts and potential. I've shared the wonderful science of Kundalini yoga with many people – through yoga classes, at knife shows and yoga-related venues worldwide – for over 35 years. Martial arts, which I've enjoyed embracing for 25+ years, has been another source of relaxation, exercise, and self-confidence. I also serve as a Sikh minister and am easy to find at the few knife shows I attend these days as "the guy in white, wearing a turban." Luckily for me, my colleagues and customers know that I'm one of the good guys!

The Legacy Series - Planning Your Legacy Now

Over the last 17 years I’ve had the good fortune to create some rather extraordinary knives, swords and Kirpans with themes depicting characters and events from Sikh history. Several of these complex projects came through the request and inspiration of the late Siri Singh Sahib, Yogi Bhajan, my teacher for over three decades. The Legacy Series began with The Sikh Dharma Dagger in 1992, and continued with The Sword of Baisakhi 1999 and continued with The Sword of the Siri Singh Sahib in 2002. Since finishing the latest of these projects in 2002, clients worldwide have requested me to create unique and wonderful edged objects, incorporating images that represent their values (at times from Sikh history) or important events in the lives of their families. I invite you to consider how I might create something for you that you will be able to pass to your future generations, affording them deeper meaning and connection with important people and events in your life/lives.