Namdhari
Vishav Namdhari Sangat | |
Nickname | Kuka |
---|---|
Formation | April 1812 |
Founder | Balak Singh |
Founded at | Bank of the Haron river |
Type | Sect of Sikhism |
Headquarters | Bhaini Sahib, Ludhiana, Punjab, India |
Membership | Claim to number between 5 and 10 lakhs (500,000-1 million), consisting primarily of Jat, Ramgarhia, Arora, and Mazhabi castes.[1] |
Official language | Punjabi |
Current Guru | Uday Singh |
Key people | H.S. Hanspal (president of Namdhari Darbar) |
Main organ | Sri Bhaini Sahib |
Secessions | International Namdhari Sangat |
Website | https://sribhainisahib.com/ |
Part of a series on |
Sikhism |
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The Namdharis (
Names
The most common names for the sect are Namdhari or Kuka.[2][3] Some texts refer to them as Jagiasi or Abhiasi.[6]
Ideology
Namdhari Sikhs believes that the lineage of
The Namdhari's are advocates for Guru Nanak Dev 's message and philosophy of sharing your wealth and food with the needy, earn an honest living and to unifying with the creator by appreciating and reciting the lords Naam.[citation needed]
They did not believe in any religious ritual other than the repetition of their god's name (or nam, for which reason members of the sect are called Namdharis),[12] rejecting the worship of idols, graves, tombs, gods, or goddesses.[13] The Namdharis had more of a social impact than the Nirankaris at the time of its founding due to the fact that they emphasized Khalsa identity, seeking to reestablish it, and the authority of the Guru Granth Sahib,[14] as well as their clashes with the British colonial authority. They call their houses of worship dharamsalas, though they freely attend other gurdwaras, maintaining family and friendship ties across sect lines.[15]
They consider Guru Granth Sahib and
Namdhari Rehatnama
Issued by Guru Ram Singh during their time of exile, it has become the foundation of the Namdhari Sikh belief system.[17] It was specifically addressed to the community of Sikhs living in Bhaini. In promotes waking up early before sunrise, hygiene and cleanliness as well as brushing teeth and showering from head to toe daily.
Guru Ram Singh encouraged memorising Gurbani and to contemplate on the almighty 24 hours a day.[18][unreliable source] He promoted peace and non violence against oppression, forgiveness, humility and tolerance. The Namdhari Rehatnama promotes singing of hymns daily and also sets out a conduct which should be followed if a Havan is to be performed, listing out which texts should be read and how the area should be prepared. The rehatnama outlines how a Sikh should change his or her kacherra (one leg should remain in the kacherra whilst the other has been taken out). It banned child weddings and banned taking money from sisters or daughters along with outlaw of gambling (page 129).[19][20]
Practices
The Namdharis wear homespun white turbans, which they wrap around their heads (sidhi pagri).[21][16] Around their necks they wear a white woolen cord (mala), woven as a series of 108 knots and serving as a rosary.[22]
They are called Kuka, which means "crier, shouter", for their ecstatic religious practices during devotional singing. They also meditate, using mala (rosary).[16]
Namdharis follow a strict lacto-vegetarian diet and also advocate for cow protection.[23] They abstain from the use of alcohol, caffeine and tobacco.[24][25]
The Namdhari community also perform Hom (Havan) in which a team of 7 people who are observing Sodh maryada recite Gurbani from the Guru Granth Sahib and Dasam Granth for the wellbeing of humanity. According to Namdharis, the modern form of performing Havan's within the Sikh community originates back to Guru Ram Singh and Guru Gobind Singh (page 2).[26] During the wedding ceremony (Anand Karaj) a Namdhari couple will circumvent the Hom once the Hom ceremony has finished.[27]
Interfaith harmony
Purna Swaraj
Attended by Guru Partap Singh on 31 December 1929. Thousands of Namdhari Sikhs participated in the procession. A 100 horses were sent for the procession, free langar was organised by the Namdhari Sikhs and Mata Jeewan Kaur played a vital role.[28]
Guru Nanak Sarv Sampradaya
The “Guru Nanak Sarv Sampradaya” conference was organised by Guru Partap Singh in 1934 with the sole intention to unite anyone who believed in or followed the teachings of Guru Nanak. In doing so they were able to strengthen the bond between Sikh factions by eradicating the ideological differences between different communities.[29][unreliable source]
Hindu-Muslim-Sikh unity conference
In 1943, Guru Partap Singh organised a Hindu-Muslim-Sikh unity conference[30][unreliable source] in Bhaini Sahib, stressing the importance of unity amongst not only Indians but amongst humanity also.
Sarab Dharam Samelan
Under the guidance of Guru Uday Singh, Bhaini Sahib became host of a religious unity convention dedicated to world peace and communal harmony on the 9th of March 2023 in which guests from various religious and cultural backgrounds came and gave sermons on topics including religious harmony, love and unity.[31][unreliable source]
Interfaith Harmony for World Peace
On 23 April 2023 the Namdhari Sikh community hosted an interfaith harmony for world peace conference in
History
Origin
Namdharis, also known as Kuka Sikhs, believe that the line of
Their 12th Guru was
Role in Indian freedom movement
Some Namdharis are recognized as
A group of 66 Namdhari Sikhs were executed by cannons on 17–18 January 1872 after a group of 125 attacked a slaughterhouse in Malerkotla.
Ram Singh died in 1885 according to British records, though many Namdharis maintain a belief that he is alive and will reappear.[15]
Succession crisis
In 2012, after the death of the fifth guru of the Namdharis, Guru Jagjit Singh, there was controversy surrounding who would succeed him as the next Guru. This was further complicated by the fact that Jagjit had not made it clear who would succeed him. Eventually, Uday Singh (nephew of Guru Jagjit Singh) was announced as the successor but this attracted criticism and controversy within the sectoral community, with other factions vying for Dalip Singh (excommunicated elder brother of Uday Singh) or Chand Kaur (widow of late Guru Jagjit Singh) as the next Guru, others are awaiting for Guru Ram Singh's prophesied return. Chand Kaur, one of the supported claimants to the Guruship, was assassinated in April 2016. There have been violent clashes relating to the crisis between different cliques.[50][51][52][53]
Gurus recognized by Namdharis
A Guru is Sanskrit term for "mentor, guide, expert or master" in a certain field or of certain knowledge.[54] The Namdhari's recognize the following as spiritual teachers (Guru). Below are the names of the Gurus followed by Namdhari Sikhs succeeding the mainstream Sikh Gurus:[55][56]
No. | Name
(Birth–Death) |
Portrait | Guruship Term | Reference(s) |
---|---|---|---|---|
Succeeding Guru Gobind Singh:[note 1] | ||||
1. | Guru Balak Singh (1784/1785/1797–1862) |
1812–1841 | [57][58] | |
2. | Guru Ram Singh (1816–1885, he is still alive according to Namdhari belief) |
1841–1872 | [59][60][61][62] | |
3. | Guru Hari Singh
(1819–1906) |
1872–1906 | [63][64] | |
4. | Guru Partap Singh
(1889/1890–1959) |
1906–1959 | [65][66] | |
5. | Guru Jagjit Singh
(1920–2012) |
1959–2012 | [67][68][69] | |
6. | Guru Uday Singh | 2012–present | [70] |
Notes
- ^ The Namdharis believe in the same lineage of gurus that mainstream Sikhs do, differing in that they believe Balak Singh succeeded Guru Gobind Singh as an 11th guru, a belief which is not shared by mainstream Sikhs. The Namdhari guruship lineage continues til the present-day.
References
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- ^ )
- ^ a b "Ram Singh | Indian philosopher | Britannica". www.britannica.com. Retrieved 2022-09-05.
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- ^ W H Mcleod (1984). Sikhism Textual Sources. p. 129.
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- ^ Singh, Harkirat (2020-02-06). "ਨਾਮਧਾਰੀ ਨਿਤਨੇਮ Namdhari Nitnem". Sri Bhaini Sahib. Retrieved 2023-06-19.
- ^ W H Mcleod (1984). Sikhism Textual Sources.
- ^ a b Sects in Sikhism, Encyclopedia Britannica
- ^ W H Mcleod (1984). Sikhism Textual Sources. p. 127.
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- ^ Atma Singh Sankhatrivi (1965). Havan Jag Di Mahanta.
- ^ W H Mcleod (1984). Sikhism Textual Sources. p. 127.
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- ^ "Sri Satguru Partap Singh Ji". KUKASIKHS.COM. 2013-05-04. Retrieved 2023-06-19.
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{{cite book}}
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