The kara is a plain iron or steel bangle worn continuously from initiation, one of the five articles of faith of the Khalsa, and its meaning is carried in its very plainness and its shape.
Deliberately plain
The kara is made of iron or steel and is deliberately undecorated, a rejection of the value placed on gold and ornament, and it is worn at all times on the wrist once a Sikh is initiated. Its unbroken circle is taken to signify the oneness and the eternity of God, having no beginning and no end, and the metal, common and strong rather than precious, expresses a discipline and a restraint proper to the initiated. The bangle is thus a piece of doctrine worn on the body, a constant reminder present in the field of vision of the hand at work.
A reminder in action
Worn on the wrist, the kara is before the eyes whenever the hand acts, and it is understood as a check on wrongdoing, a reminder at the moment of action that the Sikh belongs to God and to the community and should act accordingly. It is the most visible and the most widely worn of the five articles, kept even by many who have not been formally initiated as a mark of Sikh identity. Among the five Ks it is the one most often seen by others, a plain steel ring that quietly declares an allegiance and recalls a discipline.