Kutha meat

Kutha (Kuttha) meat is defined as "meat of animal or fowl slaughtered slowly as prescribed by Islamic law." . It has been more broadly defined as "killing an animal with a prayer" or "a sacrifice to God" .

There are two views on Kutha meat as defined below, the Sikh view, which sees Kutha as that which has been "sacrificed", and the Hindu view which views Kutha as a means of repression, and a non-Hindu Aryan method of slaughter.

Kutha and Sikhs

Eating Kutha Meat for a Baptised Sikh is considered to be one of the 4 Cardinal Sins. These 4 sins are part of the Sikh Code of Conduct (Rehit Maryada).In the Rehit Marayada ,Section Six, it states: The undermentioned four transgressions (tabooed practices) must be avoided:

1. Dishonouring the hair;
2. Eating the meat of an animal slaughtered the Kutha way;
3. Cohabiting with a person other than one's spouse;
4. Using tobacco.

The reason for Sikhs avoiding Kutha "does not lie in religious tenet but in the view that killing an animal with a prayer is not going to enoble the flesh." There is another view that Guru Gobind Singh (the tenth Sikh Guru), instructed his Sikhs not to eat Kutha meat, in order to boycott the Moghul Empire.

Kutha and Hinduism

During Mughal times Hindus viewed Kutha as creating "spiritual weakness among Hindus" . Also according to Mughal Law of the time, "Hindus were neither permitted to keep weapons at home nor allowed to cook and eat any form of meat". As a result of this many Hindus too will not eat "Kutha". In addition to this according "to the ancient Aryan Hindu tradition, only such meat as is obtained from an animal which is killed with one stroke of the weapon causing instantaneous death is fit for human consumption".

Jhatka

The prescribed method of slaughter for animals for Sikhs and Hindus is Jhatka, which is seen as the opposite to Kutha.

See also

• Jhatka
• Vegetarianism and Sikhism