The issue of keskee being a kakaar can be addressed from two different angles. The first being historical and the second being purely logical.

 

Historical: The most convincing evidence that Keskee was given as a kakaar at first amrit sinchaar comes from the Guru Keeaan Sakheean. These are records from Bhatts, or poets who recorded events. This is the most authentic record of what happened. These Guru Keean Sakheean were published by Piara Singh Padam.

 

The following is a great link about these puraatan writings, dated around 1708: http://www.sikhreview.org/march2001/chronicle.htm

 

Some of the most convincing passages read like this: "Assigning the word Singh first to his own name and thence to the names of all the Five Chosen Sikhs, Guru ji called out Fateh (the victory salutation) and raised aloud the spirited chant of Sat Sri Akal.

 

"Thereafter, Guru ji pronounced, ‘on your rebirth in the Khalsa Panth, your previous lineage, caste, creed, calling, customs, beliefs and superstitions, etc. stand annulled from now onwards. Transforming you into the Order of Khalsa, I have endowed you with the apparel of the Almighty God, you shall have to keep its honour. Before administering this nectar of steel, I also bestowed you with five kakaars (Ks, i.e. defining emblems). You have never to keep them away from your body even by mistake. I gave you, at the start, a blue keski, kangha, kirpan, sarbloh ka kara and white kachhehra. In the event of the loss or misplacement of any of these, get its infringement pardoned in the Sangat by going to Gurdwara without any delay."

 

Another account by a different bhatt in the same records reads: "Sri Guru Gobind Singh Ji Tenth Guru, son of Guru Tegh Bahadur Ji, in the year Seventeen Hundred Fifty Two, on Tuesday - the Vaisakhi day - gave Khande-Ki-Pahul to Five Sikhs and surnamed them as Singhs. First Daya Ram Sopti, Khatri resident of Lahore stood up. Then Mohkam Chand Calico Printer of Dawarka; Sahib Chand Barber of Zafrabad city; Dharam Chand Jawanda Jat of Hastnapur; Himmat Chand Water Carrier of Jagannath stood up one after the other. All were dressed in blue and he himself also dressed the same way. Huqqah, Halaal, Hajaamat, Haraam, Tikka, Janeyu, Dhoti, were prohibited. Socialization with the descendants of Prithi chand (Meenay), followers of Dhirmal and Ram Rai, clean shaven people and Masands was prohibited. All were given Kangha, Karad (***Karad is synonomous with kirpaan***), KESGI, Kada and Kachhehra. All were made Keshadhari. Everyone's place of birth was told to be Patna, of residence as Anandpur. Rest, Guru's deeds are known only to the Satguru. Say Guru! Guru! Guru! Guru will help everywhere."

 

In the story of how Satguru Gobind Singh jee iniated Baba Banda Singh Bahadur in the puraatan Guru Keeaan Sakheean, it is written that Guru jee himself tied a "keskee" on his head.

 

Other rehitnamas such as Bh. Daya Singh insist that all Sikhs should wear dastaar, but the Bhat Vehis leave no doubt that Keskee is a kakaar. A Version of the Bhai Chaupa Singh rehitnama also contains the famous lines "kachh kaRa kirpaan kangha keskee, eh panj kakaaree rehit dhaaray, sikh soee". The interesting feature of the rehitnamas however is that they themselves acknowledge that they are not authoritative and complete sources for rehit. In more than one rehitnama you'll find a disclaimer that the complete rehit is that which was given by the punj pyaaray, the one written is just a supplement. Not any of the authoritative rehitnamas actually give a list of the "five kakaars". This is only found in the puraatan Bhatt Vehis.

 

It's often brought up that Guru Gobind Singh jee himself has written of kes as a kakaar in the Kabul hukumnama. It can't be stressed enough that the Kabul Hukumnama is universally considered a fake. It does not follow the traditional hukumnama format. It does not contain the nishaan of Satguru Gobind Singh at the top nor a personal message by him. The hand writing is clearly not by Guru Saahib and contains only the writing of a scribe. But in all traditional hukumnamas, the top portion always contains a message and manglacharan by the Guru in his own hand to authenticate the hukumnama. Dr. Ganda Singh has collected all the historical hukumnamas in his book "Hukumnamey" and he does not include this hukumnama in that book, due to it being a blatant fake. This hukumnama has come into prominence in recent years only.

 

A Second point that is often brought up is that Guru Saahib in Dasam Granth has written of kes as kakaar in the shabad "nishanay sikhee...". It is important to understand that this shabad is not considered part of the body of Dasam Granth. It was not added by Bhai Mani Singh and is not contained in puraatan saroops. In present day saroops of Dasam Granth it is included in the last pages but as an Appendix. The numbering at the top of those pages is done in Gurmukhi letters to indicate that they are an appendix and not part of the body. The Shabad in question appears on the appendix "gugga". Analysis of the language used and the date this shabad started to appear make it clear that it is a later addition.

 

Overall, the historical writings leave no doubt that Keskee is a kakaar. In fact, wherever the term "kakaar" has been found in historical writings, keskee is listed as one.

 

Logical: No jathebandee in the Panth today can deny that women and men in Gurmat have equal rights and responsibilities. If men must wear a dastaar and keskee, then women also must do so. All are Khalsa, no Khalsee exists. No Singh can receive amrit with braided hair or bun at the back of the head, so why can a Bibi? There is complete equality. Khalsa is beyond gender and hence, all rehits and kurehits are the same for all Khalsa.

 

2ndly, all the kakaars are external. The Guru has bestowed the Kakaars to the Sikh during amrit sinchaar. Guru Saahib did not bestow kesh. These are naturally occuring on most humans. The panj pyaaray can dress the abhilaakhee in all kakaars but cannot give the abhilaakhee Kesh. In the Banda Singh Bahadur story in the Bhatt Vehis, Guru Gobind Singh himself dresses Banda in the Kakaars and the story makes a point of saying how keskee is tied by Guru Saahib. Kesh thus is a naturally occuring thing, not something bestowed during amrit sinchaar.

 

If kesh is a kakaar, then why the need to say "don't cut kesh" as a bujjer kurehit? If I must keep the kesh, then obviously I cannot cut them. If a Sikh removes any kakaar, he must appear before the Punj Pyaaray and receive a tankhah but is not considered a patit and amrit is not re-administered. If a Sikh cuts the Kesh, s/he is bujjer kurehitee, patit and must be re-initiated into the Khalsa. Thus it is clear that kesh cannot be a kakaar. Kesh are not a kakaar, but much above kakaars. To maintain kesh, two kakaars are given: kangha and keskee.

 

Thus, even logically looking at the evidence, Kesh clearly cannot be a kakaar. During the early 1800s a rot set into the Sikh community where many old principle and rehits were lost. Many enemies of the Panth encouraged the abolition of fundamental rehits. At this time Sikh women stopped receiving khanday kee paahul (and in some jathas/places ie. Hazoor Saahib they still receive Kirpaan Kee Paahul, not Khanday kee). Women stopped wearing Kachheras and keskee also was lost. In 1900s, there was a big struggle to make kacherras mandatory again for women and the re-popularising of Khanday kee Paahul. Some women had remained strict in rehit in some places and some jathas, but it was rare. The rehit of keskee was maintained even at the Akal Takhat for women till 1930 until the Jathedar, Gurmukh Singh Mussafir removed this condition. There has been significant improvement from the dark days of the 1800s and pre-Singh Sabha, but unfortunately the whole Panth has not embraced Keskee as a kakaar yet. Hopefully in the near future, just as women were restored the right to receive Amrit and keep other kakaars, they too will be restored the kakaar of Keskee.