In the early part of 1699 Guru Gobind Singh Ji sent out messages to his followers to make a special effort to attend the Baisakhi festival. So thousands (some estimate the gathering to be 200,000) gathered at the holy city of Anandpur Sahib. After the morning service Guru Ji appeared before them to convey his special message.
"Sikhs of Guru Nanak, you have all gathered here, most of you from the Punjab but many of you from Cuttack (Orissa), Bidar (Mysore), Gujrat , Kabul and Kandehar (Afganistan), I welcome you all.
"This goddess of All Steel (referring to the sword) has to be worshipped today. It has to be appeased for the sake of Dharma. Will any one of you come forward to offer his head before me ?" There was complete silence, some worried that Guru Ji may call upon them by name. When Guru Ji demanded someone's head for a third time a Khatri from Lahore stepped forward. Guru Ji immediately took him to the nearby tent, a thud was heard from within and Guru ji appeared with his sword dripping with blood. The same demand was repeated and four more times Sikhs stepped up and offered their lives to Guru Ji.

After some time Guru Ji came out of the tent along with the five Sikhs now dressed in saffron coloured clothes with swords dangling from their sides and a lustrous glory radiating from their faces. They were

Guru Ji poured pure water from the river Sutlej into a large iron vessel. Patasey (sugar candy) brought by Mata Sahib Devan were added. Guru Ji stirred the water with a Khanda (double edged sword) he recited Japji Sahib, Jaap Sahib, Sudha Swayyas, Chaupai Benti and Sri Anand Sahib, and thus turned it into Amrit.(nectar of immortality). He administered the Amrit to the Panj Payarai (the five beloved) and then knelt in front of them and asked to be initiated into the brotherhood of the Khalsa himself.

What truly happened inside the tent is a secret known only to the Guru.

One thought that still persists is that goats were slaughtered. This defies all sense. If Guru Ji had killed goats then proclaimed that he had sacrificed the Sikhs would this not be fraud ? On one of the most important days in Sikh history would Guru Gobind Singh Ji have defrauded his own Sikhs, the same Sikhs for which he was prepared to give his own life to? Would that mean that the foundation of the Khalsa was flawed ? There were up to 200,000 people at the gathering, there were spies from Emperor Aurangzebs court , would not someone have noticed half a dozen or so goats being brought in ? If you kill an animal infront of another the rest start to cause a commotion as they hear the death throws of there companion. If indeed goats were killed would not someone have heard them, could Guru Ji risk this happening ? Are we not belittling our glorious Guru by suggesting that he lied to us ? Should we not have faith in our Guru Ji that the divine shakti that he possessed was used on the greatest event that has ever happened, the birth of the Khalsa.

Although there are several differing historical accounts and consequent interpretations regarding the events that took place upon that dramatic day in 1699, the majority of Sikhs are of the firm conviction that the heads of these Five Beloved Disciples were actually severed from their bodies and then later re-attached through The Guru's miraculous powers. As far as His Sikhs are concerned, The Guru requested five heads and that was what He took in order to test the Khalsa's willingness to sacrifice all for their Guru.

It can be argued that without the actual act of decapitation, it would have been an incomplete test and perhaps even a dishonest request upon the part of The Guru; perhaps it is for this reason that Sikhs have such faith that The Guru did as the The Guru said He would.

It also follows therefore that without being 'killed', these Five Beloved Disciples would not have had the opportunity to be 'reborn' as The Khalsa of The Guru which is clearly the very concept that The Guru intended to put across to His Sikhs. However, why did The Guru go through all this trouble to make a seemingly simple point?

To this day, the Amrit Sanchaar (Sikh initiation ceremony) is viewed as a 'life-giving' opportunity where the aspiring Sikh is blessed and literally infused with the immortal nectarian Word which represents God's self-generated Name; this is WaheGuru which translates as 'wondrous enlightener'. They are instructed that when The Name is meditated upon, in tandem with a strictly disciplined Sikh lifestyle, the gateway to inner divine illumination and Oneness with The One will be revealed. They receive The Name and the code of discipline from Five Initiated and fully-practising Sikhs - this is no small coincidence. By showing their willingness to sacrifice their very head for their Guru, The Five have in turn been invested with His authority - in fact, their very presence He has said represents His physical manifestation.

It is with this legacy in mind that Sikhs are obliged to take part in that ceremony which was inaugurated during the fertile Spring of 1699 - when five Sikhs were killed and then miraculously revived into the life-giving fraternity of The Khalsa, reborn into The House of The Guru."

It the belief of all true Sikhs that Guru Sahib Ji beheaded each of the five Sikhs and breathed new life into them. Thus the creation of a new brother hood, the Khalsa. The Guru baptiesed them with a Khanda and in turn asked to be accepted into the Khalsa himself. So from the Panj Piyaray Guru Gobind Rai became Guru Gobind Singh. Such was the dramatic beginning of the Khalsa brotherhood.

Guru Ji knew he now had five men he could depend on. After the baptism they all took the new name of Singh and were instructed to always wear the five articles of faith - Kesh - unshorn hair, kanga - comb, Kirpan - sword, kara - steel bracelet and Kachcha - under-shorts. Thus they would be quite distinct from the Hindu and Muslim, and their group consciousness would be intensified. It would be impossible too, for them to deny their religion.

Discipline was tightened up. The baptism was to be performed with a khanda, discarding the Brahmin priest tradition of dipping the foot in water or Charan pahaul. The sacred thread of the high casts was discarded, the old casts erased, and now all Singhs were equal and were to intermarry with other Singhs freely. They were to have no relations with smokers, infanticides, or the ostracized followers of Prithi Chand, Dhir Mal, Ram Rai's or masands. They would not eat any type of meat, consume alcohol or smoke, There would be no idolatry and the Gurus hymns would be read or sung at the stated daily times. Guru Sahib Ji spoke in favour of the family man as superior to the recluse, he spoke against the reliance on astrology or fortune telling.

Guru Ji writes about the Khalsa :

Khalsa is my own form and shape, I live in my Khalsa.
Khalsa is my brave friend, he is my perfect and true Guru.
With one tongue it is difficult to sing the praise of the Khalsa fully.
What I am saying is nothing untrue, I am doing so with God and Guru Nanak as my witness.