141-565: The Chief Khalsa Diwan ( abbr. C.K.D. ) or Chief Khalsa Diwan Charitable Society ( abbr. C.K.D.C.S. ) is a Sikh organisation that is the central organization of various Singh Sabhas spread across Punjab , India. Unlike the Shiromani Gurudwara Prabandhak Committee , the C.K.D. is an apolitical body and only concerns itself with religious, educational and cultural issues. The organization originally controlled Sikh religious and educational concerns and
282-708: A Muhammadan Educational Conference session occurring in Karachi. Both of them left thinking that a similar undertaking should be founded for Sikhs. The following year in 1908, the C.K.D. set something in motion the Sikh Educational Conference for the purpose of developing the Punjabi-language and encouraging the adoption of Western-style education amongst the Sikhs. The Sikh Educational Conference would hold annual sessions that were popular with
423-624: A pracharak-dharma , or conversion religion, able to compete for converts. Hindu-Sikh relations first began to decline with the publication of Saraswati's polemical and ideological Satyarth Prakash , published in 1875, the year of the sect's first establishment in Bombay , which portrayed the Sikh gurus as "misguided and ill-educated simpletons" who had diverted people from the Vedas. Two years later in 1877, Dayanand would visit Punjab, establishing
564-523: A "broadly defined" Hinduism, and was set up and backed by a faction of Khatri Sikhs, Gianis, and granthis, many of whom where direct descendants of the early Sikh Gurus. They had rejected the Khalsa initiation practices like the Khande di Pahul ceremony on the grounds that it threatened their caste and polluted their ritual boundaries which they considered as primary. They had gained social prominence in
705-487: A "pujari" priestly class under the patronage of the Sikh elites and aristocracy. This new Jatt Sikh nobility would begin to imitate Rajput kings, the customary embodiment of royal prestige of the region, following them in the process of Sanskritization , and taking on their customs and religious beliefs, including astrology, Brahmin patronage, cow veneration, and sati , alongside their own. The religious functionaries allied with such groups would write exegeses , while
846-502: A "purified," rationalistic, codified Hinduism, based on the sole infallibility of the Vedas and dismissing most post-Vedic literature and tradition, and a "Vedic Golden Age" upon which to model Hindu society, conceived by selectively and arbitrarily reinterpreting cultural traditions while retaining some post-Vedic thought. It rejected contemporary Hindu practices like polytheism, idol and avatar worship, temple offerings, pilgrimages,
987-835: A fifteen-member executive committee, with six positions reserved for sahajdhari Sikhs. The Ferozpur and Tarn Taran Sabhas had female members playing an active role alongside the men, with the Tarn Taran Sabha having a special female branch, the Istri Sat Sang Sabha. Bhai Takht Singh of the Singh Sabha Ferozepur also advocated for women's education. The Gurmat Granth Pracharak Sabha in Amritsar, established on 8 April 1885, researched and published books on ideological and historical topics. The Shuddhi Sabha, for conversions and reconversions into Sikhism,
1128-600: A mother tongue, and influenced by colonial rationality and science, the movement attracted newly educated sections of the colonial Hindu populace in particular, finding it more relevant to the religiously competitive northwest. This first Singh Sabha, the Sri Guru Singh Sabha Amritsar, led by Khem Singh Bedi , convened a founding meeting in Guru Bagh, Amritsar, on 30 July 1873, with its first formal meeting, or jor-mel , taking place in front of
1269-515: A much earlier date were noted in their relatively different cultural habits. "The high road, along which the Mohammedan conquerors and rulers of India passed and repassed lay through the north (the Khyber , Kurram and other routes); and it is probable that Islam never took so firm a hold of the inhabitants of the southern district as of the people to the north of them. In this connection it
1410-610: A much more equal footing between members, in line with its principles. The Amritsar faction was largely defunct thereafter, with eventually three chapters remaining at Amritsar, Faridkot , and Rawalpindi, as it failed to gain popular support; decisions from the Saman Khand commoner house were subject to the supervision and approval of the Mahan Khand elite house, and the majority of the Singh Sabha would shift allegiance to
1551-422: A panel and implementing steps to achieve any judgements reached as a result of the discussions. Up until today, 67 educational conferences have been held by the educational committee. Many famous personalities and leading Sikh educationalists and business magnates have attended these conferences over the years. The educational committee also sets up scholarships and allowances for meritorious Sikh students studying at
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#17327873035801692-506: A political element alongside what had been an exclusive focus on social reform. The sect's anti-British stand brought them into conflict with the British army and police. They would destroy idols, tombs, and graves, drawing local ire and resulting in their gatherings being banned in 1863, and the arrest and execution of 65 Namdharis in July 1872 along with the exile of its leader to Burma, and
1833-559: A position to challenge them, forming the Tat Khalsa faction, or "true Khalsa," in 1879, headed by Gurmukh Singh, Harsha Singh Arora, Diwan Buta Singh, Mehar Singh Chawla, Ram Singh and Karam Singh, later joined by Jawahir Singh and Giani Ditt Singh , and the Lahore Singh Sabha. The Tat Khalsa's monotheism, iconoclastic sentiments, egalitarian social values and notion of a standardized Sikh identity did not blend well with
1974-463: A separate administrative division where religious composition was not enumerated, except at small Trans-Frontier Posts in the region. Adherents of Islam who were indigenous to frontier regions that continued to have relatively large Hindu populations, and who were also relatively recent converts , were influenced by some traditions of Hinduism; in contrast, Muslims in frontier regions that had been further influenced by orthodox Islam and converted at
2115-485: A split into two Khalsa Diwans, which would differ greatly in nature and composition. The Khalsa Diwan Amritsar, remaining with about 7 chapters, re-organized itself as a bicameral body consisting of the Mahan Khand (the aristocracy) and Saman Khand (the priestly class and body of believers), while the breakaway Khalsa Diwan Lahore, with about 30 chapters, set up on 10-11 April 1886, with Sardar Attar Singh Bhadaur as President and Professor Gurmukh Singh as secretary, retained
2256-463: A vigorous struggle for life, but its ultimate destruction is, it is apprehended, inevitable without State support. Notwithstanding the Sikh Guru's powerful denunciation of Brahmans , secular Sikhs now rarely do anything without their assistance. Brahmans help them to be born, help them to wed , help them to die and help their souls after death to obtain a state of bliss. And Brahmans, with all
2397-438: A working well . They habitually ride on donkeys and do a multitude of other things which an orthodox Hindu would shrink from. All idolatrous observances are kept very much in the background. Except a few small images (thakurs) kept in their mandirs they have no idols at all. Nor is it their habit to take their gods about in procession . No one, in fact, sees anything of their worship . They burn their dead , and throw
2538-579: A worshipful following (including Munshi Ram), who treated him as a spiritual guide, and he would attack Sikh leaders and ideology. Later, Lekh Ram, unlike Dayanand or Guru Datt, was not educated in the Western style and would not focus on orthodox Hinduism or Christianity, but on Islam. By 1893 their " Mahatma " faction would overpower and eventually split from the more conservative faction led by Lala Sain Das, Lala Hans Raj , Lala Lajpat Rai , and Lal Chand, which
2679-531: Is enough to notice that they had long been Mohammadan when they settled in their present homes, and that their fanaticism and intolerance, especially in the districts where they are strongest, rendered the Province no very inviting place of residence for settlers of a different creed. If no fanaticism in its inhabitants acted as a bar to the settlement of Hindus in Hazara , the absence of any large trade centres
2820-675: Is interesting to notice that the Mussalman of the Derajat is less strict in his observance of the duties of his religion, such as fasts, prayers and the like, than his northern neighbours. Through Hazara lay the road by which the Emperors of Delhi went to and fro between the capital and their summer retreat in Kashmir , and it was natural that Islam should thoroughly permeate the district. Similarly Kohat , from its situation with regard to
2961-737: The Central Khalsa Orphanage was one of its first tasks, which opened on 11 April 1904. On 9 July 1904, the organization was registered under the Societies Registration Act, 1860 . Up until the formation of the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee in 1920, the C.K.D. had been the sole major Sikh organization campaigning for the expungement of non-Sikh practices occurring at nominally Sikh places of worship. It successfully campaigned to have murtis (idols) removed from
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#17327873035803102-539: The Khalsa Tract Society created by Vir Singh in 1894. Kahn Singh Nabha would also serve the movement in various capacities under Hira Singh's patronage, as would Pandit Varyam Singh, whose services would also be sought and sponsored by other aristocratic families including the Sodhis of Kartarpur. All the Sikh princes donated heavily to the establishment of Khalsa College, Amritsar , receiving seats on
3243-574: The Kurram Valley , which at no very distant period was, nominally at least, a portion of the Afghan kingdom , has been more influenced in the past by its Mohammedan neighbours to the west than have the districts to the south of it. There is no need to consider here the probable date at which the bulk of the Pathans living in the Province, or rather their ancestors, were converted to Islam . It
3384-623: The Mughals and the hill-rajas of the Sivalik Hills allied to them; having vacated the Punjab plains, they launched attacks from the refuges of the northern hilly areas adjoining Punjab, and the desert areas to the south. They later fought the Afghans and established themselves as local leaders. Meanwhile, mahant control of Gurdwaras continued into the nineteenth century, particularly
3525-592: The Second Sikh War (1848–49). The territories thenceforth formed a part of Punjab until the province, then known as North West Frontier Province, was created in 1901 from the north-western districts of the Punjab Province. This region, along with the 'Frontier Tribal Areas', acted as a buffer zone with Afghanistan. Before the Partition of India , the 1947 North-West Frontier Province referendum
3666-591: The janamsakhis , and Gurbilas literature and the Rahitnamas, later codified by the SGPC as the Sikh Rehat Maryada . Non-Sikh practices accumulated during the period of institutional neglect by the British and mahant control, including idol worship, the primacy of non-Sikh Brahmins , caste discrimination, superstitious cults of folk heroes and Hindu deities, and Vedic rites officiated by Brahmins during
3807-549: The services and both the Imperial and Provincial councils) set forth by the C.K.D. whilst travelling in the Punjab. Under the name of the late Harbans Singh Attari, the C.K.D. established a fervid dharam parchar campaign. Between the years 1912–13, the C.K.D. agitated for the removal of the ban against kirpans (a fundamental item of the Sikh religion) under the British-enacted Arms Act, 1878 . After
3948-611: The 1870s and 1890s, the efforts of Tat Khalsa reformers had focused on reinforcing the distinct Sikh identity separate from Muslim and Hindu practices, the primacy of the Khalsa initiation and codes of conduct, and setting up schools and colleges in town and villages, initiatives that continued through the following CKD period. Through print media newspapers and publications, like the Khalsa Akhbar (in Gurmukhi Punjabi,
4089-517: The Akal Takht on 1 October 1873. Sardar Thakur Singh Sandhawalia was appointed its chairman, Giani Gian Singh as secretary, Sardar Amar Singh as assistant secretary, and Bhai Dharam Singh of Bunga Majithia as treasurer. The initial membership numbered 95, with most of its members being elites, making it one of the richest Singh Sabhas. Though largely concerned with defending Sikhism against Hindu and Christian criticism, it saw Sikhism as part of
4230-531: The Arya Samaj habit of constantly attacking the leaders and doctrines of other faiths, and Jawahir Singh wrote of his disillusionment with the Arya Samaj in his tract Amal-i-Arya ("Acts of the Aryas") and released a critical biography of Swami Dayanand in 1889. North-West Frontier Province The North-West Frontier Province ( NWFP ; Pashto : شمال لویدیځ سرحدي ولایت , Urdu : شمال مغربی سرحدی صوبہ )
4371-575: The Arya Samaj's Paropkarini Sabha from 1878 to 1883, as Secretary of the Lahore Arya Samaj since its inception, and Secretary of the Dayanand Anglo-Vedic Fund College Committee. Thereafter only a few Sikhs would remain with the Arya Samaj, fully accepting its platform. The Sikhs held a protest meeting denouncing the Arya Samaj, specifically Guru Datt. Both Sikh and non-Sikh newspapers denounced
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4512-645: The Assembly of India, and four seats in the Council of States, to be reserved for Sikhs but this was not satisfied. The C.K.D. helped gain control of the Sikh religious sites of the Golden Temple and Akal Takht. It further helped establish the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee on 15 November 1920. After the formation of the S.G.P.C. and Shiromani Akali Dal in 1920, the two newcomers gradually won over religious and political roles and responsibilities that
4653-719: The Brahminical social order, within two decades British colonial rule effected several changes in Punjabi society and culture: the decline of Sikh aristocracy, the gradual emergence of an urban middle class, the dissipation of the "national intellectual life" of the Punjab owing to the neglect and decay of indigenous education, and a new bureaucratic system with Western-style executive and judicial branches, necessitating emphasis on western education and attainment of skills required for new occupations such as law, administration and education. Western science and Christian ethics also spurred
4794-479: The Brahmo Samaj in the 1870s and 1880s led to the region's Hindus turning to the more aggressive, less syncretic Arya Samaj movement, founded by Swami Dayanand Saraswati , a Brahmin from Gujarat , who arrived in Punjab in 1877, at the invitation of Anglicized Hindu Punjabis, Bengalis, and Sardar Vikram Singh Ahluwalia. Promoting the use of Hindi , the " ārya bhāṣā ," as the medium of education and as
4935-515: The British administration in Punjab. The Bengali middle-elite began to introduce values and ideologies from British-ruled Bengal, and introducing the Brahmo Samaj , a Hindu reform movement composed of English-speaking Bengalis had set up branches in several Punjabi cities in the 1860s. The newly English-educated in Punjab, overwhelmingly Hindu, initially accepted Bengali modernity, before tensions between this English-educated class in Punjab and
5076-419: The British as they looked upon his movement with suspicion. The movement would survive by relocating out of town to continue propagating its teachings, and would remain potent and active campaigners in the late 19th century and early 20th century for the removal of all idols and images from the Golden Temple and other Gurdwaras. < The Namdhari sect was founded as one of the Sikh revivalist movements during
5217-449: The British, like the Sikh aristocracy and Sikhs with noted family lineages, who were given patronage and pensions, and Udasis, who had gained control of historical gurdwaras in the eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries, were allowed to retain proprietary control over lands and gurdwara buildings. The British administration went to considerable lengths to insert such loyalists into the Golden Temple in order to exert as much control over
5358-411: The British, the Khalsa had lost its prestige, and mainstream Sikhs were rapidly converting to other religions. The movement's aims were to "propagate the true Sikh religion and restore Sikhism to its pristine glory; to write and distribute historical and religious books of Sikhs; and to propagate Gurmukhi Punjabi through magazines and media." The movement sought to reform Sikhism and bring back into
5499-494: The C.K.D. after its establishment, with the total number of affiliated Singh Sabhas swelling to fifty-three within a year. The society was dedicated to espousing Sikh cultural, educational, spiritual, and intellectual life, promoting the Guru Granth Sahib's message and teachings, disseminating Sikh history , and safeguarding of Sikh rights through diplomacy with the government . Concerted efforts were delegated to
5640-508: The C.K.D. formerly took care of. In the eyes of the Sikh public, the C.K.D. was viewed as "moderate, pro-government and elitist" whilst the S.G.P.C. and Akali Dal was seen as "dynamic, anti-government and mass-based", which led to the decline of the C.K.D.'s influence in wider Sikh society at the time to the benefit of the S.G.P.C. and Akali Dal. Two events highlight the decline of the Chief Khalsa Diwan's pursuits and impact: After
5781-511: The C.K.D. published the Gurmat Parkāsh: Bhāg Sanskār , which was a comprehensive code for Sikh orthopraxy (ceremonies and rites) based on historical Sikh literature. The code of conduct espoused what was essentially a halfway point of the more traditional rahitnamas and the later Sikh Rehat Maryada published by the S.G.P.C. in 1950. On 31 March 1911, the viceroy Charles Hardinge was met with Sikh demands of representation (in
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5922-534: The C.K.D. stopped making requests to the British authorities but rather began to make calls in their resolutions and public appearances that were akin to demands. In light of this, the organization sent out a series of documents regarding the Punjabi language, employment, and army commissions. On 16 December 1916, Sundar Singh Majithia (secretary of the C.K.D.) wrote a letter to the Punjab government rehashing Sikh assertions for representation in government employment and
6063-662: The Chief Khalsa Diwan Charitable Society runs The organization is currently headquarted off of the Grand Trunk Road in Amritsar, approximately 1 kilometre away from the Amritsar Railway Station. The present committee of the Chief Khalsa Diwan is composed of the following individuals: The present-day Chief Khalsa Diwan is split into three branches: The Sikh Educational Conference still operates to this day under
6204-518: The Hindu deity Vishnu , and saw Sikhism as a tradition aligned with Vaishnavism; and these included the Nirmala, Udasi, and Giani schools of Brahminical thought. As such, they aligned Sikh tradition with the Brahminical social structure and caste ideology; their predominant concern was to protect the social framework in which they held status. For these groups the principle of authority of Sikh tradition
6345-714: The Khalsa Diwan Majha pushed for reform in Sikh shrines in Tarn Taran and Amritsar. Among the local Singh Sabhas, the Singh Sabha Bhasaur, later the Panch Khalsa Diwan Bhasaur, established in 1893 under Teja Singh was the most active. Particularly strict, egalitarian, and unwavering on Khalsa ethos, identity, and practice, it drew heavily from the middle and lower strata of society. Its fundamentalism would draw it away from
6486-444: The Khalsa army was disbanded and the Punjab demilitarized, and Sikh armies were required to publicly surrender their arms and return to agriculture or other pursuits. Certain groups, however, like those who held revenue-free lands (jagirdars) were allowed to decline, particularly if they were seen as “rebels,” The British were wary of giving the Sikhs unmitigated control of their own gurdwaras, and drew from Sikh factions seen as loyal to
6627-561: The Khalsa focused on political power at the time, as Sikh jatthās solidified into the Sikh misls of the Dal Khalsa . The Dal Khalsa would establish the Sikh Empire , which, in the midst of reaching new levels of political power in the face of Mughal and Afghan attacks, came at the expense of reestablishing direct control over Sikh institutions and the eroding of Sikh mores, a development that Khalsa would have to contend with when
6768-418: The Lahore Singh Sabha movement, where they were welcomed by Gurmukh Singh; Jawahir Singh and Giani Ditt Singh would go on to become leading figures in the Sikh resurgence. Jawahir Singh and Ditt Singh had sought Arya Samaj partnership based on common ground, having ignored Dayanand's insults of Guru Nanak to do so. Jawahir Singh has accompanied Dayanand during his tour of Punjab, serving as vice-president of
6909-583: The Punjab University College and graduate of Oriental College, where Harsha Singh, a Darbar Sahib granthi from Tarn Taran, had been the first teacher of Punjabi, would interest prominent Sikh citizens of Lahore, such as Diwan Buta Singh and Sardar Mehar Singh Chawla, along with Harsha Singh, in Singh Sabha goals. Gurmukh Singh believed Sikhism to be a sovereign religion having equality of all believers without distinction of caste or status as its basic social creed. The Sri Guru Singh Sabha Lahore
7050-509: The Sikh Panth , Though not an initiated Khalsa, he urged Sikhs to return to their focus to a formless divine ( niraṅkār ) and described himself as a niraṅkārī , favoring the revival of the traditional simplicity, austerity, and purity of Sikh rites and ceremonies. He was particularly opposed to all idol worship, including the practice of keeping idols and pictures of the ten Sikh Gurus and praying before them, which had begun during
7191-533: The Sikh Empire was lost to the British. The British East India Company annexed the Sikh Empire in 1849 after the Second Anglo-Sikh War , ending the central Sikh government founded by Ranjit Singh in 1799 and replacing the existing ruling class. Thereafter, Christian missionaries increased proselytising activities in central Punjab . In 1853, Maharajah Dalip Singh , the last Sikh ruler,
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#17327873035807332-517: The Sikh body-politic as possible. One reason for this was the growth of Sikh revivalist groups, like the Nirankaris and the Namdharis, shortly after annexation; this revivalism was spurred by a growing disaffection within the ranks of ordinary Sikhs about the perceived decline of proper Sikh practices. Parallel to the end of Sikh sovereignty in Punjab and the gradual appropriation of Sikhism by
7473-597: The Sikh fold the apostates who had converted to other religions; as well as to interest the influential British officials in furthering the Sikh community. At the time of its founding, the Singh Sabha policy was to avoid criticism of other religions and political matters. Singh Sabha was successful in almost doubling the Sikh population by bringing new converts into Sikh fold. Sikhs were traditionally proselytising. Between 1901 and 1941, many Jats, OBC's, and Dalits converted to Sikhism due to outreach and preaching efforts of Singh Sabha movement. Increased Mughal persecution of
7614-407: The Sikh marriage rites did not have legal basis behind them and that Hindu influences remained in the marriage customs of many Sikhs. The organizations opposition to "Hindu" rituals in the marriage practices of Sikhs led to them being condemned and boycott by some traditionalist factions within the Sikh community. Sundar Singh Majithia of the C.K.D. and Ripudaman Singh of Nabha State (who introduced
7755-600: The Sikhs by expressing its viewpoint through its own resolutions and memoranda. As with other Sikh organisations, the Chief Khalsa Dewan strongly opposed the partition of India , which many Sikhs thought would create an environment of possible persecution. On 26 May 1955, the organization passed a resolution that allowed the formation of local committees for the purpose of improving its jurisdiction and recruiting more social workers. The local committees established after this resolution are as follows: At present,
7896-495: The Sikhs in its existence: Singh Sabha The Singh Sabhā Movement , also known as the Singh Sabhā Lehar , was a Sikh movement that began in Punjab in the 1870s in reaction to the proselytising activities of Christians , Hindu reform movements ( Brahmo Samaj , Arya Samaj ) and Muslims ( Aligarh movement and Ahmadiyah ). The movement was founded in an era when the Sikh Empire had been dissolved and annexed by
8037-421: The Sikhs in the eighteenth century forced the Khalsa, which had raised arms against the state, to yield Gurdwara control to mahants , or custodians, who often belonged to Udasi , Nirmala , or other Brahmanical-influenced ascetic heterodox sects, or were non-Sikh altogether due to their lack of external identification, as opposed to initiated Sikhs. The Khalsa at this time engaged in guerilla campaigns against
8178-472: The Sikhs, and culminated in an article written in 1888 titled Sikhism Past and Present , which ridiculed Guru Nanak and denigrated the state of contemporary Sikhism as even worse than that of the Hindus: "While the prejudices of the Hindu community are gradually fading away before the progress of western civilization, those of the Sikh community are acquiring fresh strength by their reluctance to keep pace with
8319-604: The Sikhs. Three Samajis in particular, socially radical and religiously militant, would determine the course of the Arya Samaj: Pandit Lala Guru Datt, Pandit Lekh Ram , and Lala Mahatma Munshi Ram, later known as " Swami Shraddhanand ". Guru Datt, Dayanand's successor, would come to increasingly reinterpret Dayanand as a rishi , or sage, and the Satyarth Prakash as a sacred text to be followed unquestioningly. Guru Datt would accrue
8460-479: The Sikhs. Lahore judge Lala Amolak Ram Munsif, who in an 1887 public letter deemed Dayanand's word as neither infallible or binding upon its members, and his opinion as "wrong," decried the "jealous effort" of "instigating our respected and glorious Sikh brethren against the Arya dharma." This would help to reconcile earlier Sikh allies to some extent, but would not last as subsequent Samaj leaders would increase attacks on
8601-536: The Singh Sabha ("revivalism and renaissance") and the Panch Khalsa Diwan ("aggressive fundamentalism"). Growing sentiments against these creeping practices would give rise to the first reformist movement, the Nirankari movement, started by Baba Dyal Das (1783–1855). The Nirankaris condemned the growing idol worship, obeisance to living gurus, and influence of Brahminical ritual that had crept into
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#17327873035808742-484: The Singh Sabha mainstream. Sikh princes allied themselves with various political and social factions within the Singh Sabha. The first to be involved prominently was Raja Bikrama Singh of Faridkot , with the Amritsar Singh Sabha and various Sikh educational projects. Meanwhile, Maharaja Hira Singh Nabha and Maharaja Rajinder Singh of Patiala sustained Sikh newspapers of the Lahore Singh Sabha, with
8883-469: The activities of the Chief Khalsa Diwan to all irrespective of their caste, creed, or community. 5. To promote Punjabi language and literature. 6. To open new schools and colleges for spreading quality and modern education. Membership of the C.K.D. was limited to amritdhari Sikhs, which to the organization meant those who had undergone the Amrit Sanchar ceremony. Membership was also further limited to those who were literate in Gurmukhi . Members of
9024-464: The administration of the mahants, supported by the British, who in addition to being considered as ignoring the needs of the Sikh community of the time, allowed the gurdwaras to turn into spaces for societal undesirables like petty thieves, drunks, pimps, and peddlers of unsavory and licentious music and literature, with which they themselves took part in such activities. In addition, they also allowed non-Sikh, Brahmanical practices to take root in
9165-438: The aegis of the C.K.D. The Chief Khalsa Diwan Charitable Society has numerous branches, each autonomous but directly responsible to the Diwan Headquarters at Amritsar. A list of non-educational institutions ran by the Chief Khalsa Diwan is as follows: A list of educational institutions ran by the Chief Khalsa Diwan is as follows: According to Dharam Singh, the Chief Khalsa Diwan has accomplished three important milestones for
9306-425: The anti-Sikh remarks of the Satyarth Prakash in his speech. Guru Datt denigrated Guru Gobind Singh as "not even a hundredth part like our Maharishi Swami Dayanand Saraswati," Sikhs as ignorant and hardly having religion, and stated, "if Swami Dayanand Saraswati Maharaj called Guru Nanak a great fraud, what did it matter? He held the sum of the Vedas in his hands, so if he wanted to compare this light with anything, what
9447-412: The arrest of some of the agitators and the influence of Sundar Singh Majithia, the kirpan was made exempt from the Arms Act in Punjab in June 1914 and the remainder of India in 1917. In 1913, Sundar Singh Majithia, whom had replaced Ripudaman Singh of Nabha in the Imperial Council after the Nabha royal left it in 1909, set forth Sikh requests and claims to the Royal Commission. Between the years 1916–17,
9588-478: The arrival of the Duke of Connaught in India to attend the Delhi Durbar of 1903 , the C.K.D. launched an educational campaign in the city of Delhi, consisting of religious congregations ( diwans ), to inform visitors on the Sikh religion. It prepared an English translation of the Japji Sahib of Guru Nanak to be given-out. In 1903, the C.K.D. started publishing a monthly newspaper called The Khalsa Advocate to act as its official mouthpiece. The setting up of
9729-426: The ashes into the Indus . They always keep a few of the bones, and take them, when the opportunity offers, to the Ganges ... There are a good many dharamsalas , mandirs , and dawaras at Dera Ismail Khan and in the cis- Indus tehsils ." Lastly, decadal census reports throughout the colonial era frequently detailed the difficulty of differentiating adherents of Hinduism with adherents of Sikhism , owing to
9870-410: The attention of colonial authorities. It grew significantly in the 17 subahs of the colonial state, particularly in the Amritsar, Sialkot, Jalandhar, Ferozepur, Ludhiana, Ambala, Karnal, Malerkotla, Nabha and Patiala subahs . In 1862, upon his assuming leadership, Ram Singh had prophesied the rebirth of Guru Gobind Singh and the establishment of a new Sikh dynasty to displace the British, introducing
10011-501: The bill in 1908) pushed the Sikh marriage bill through the Imperial Legislative Council despite heavy opposition, with the former piloting it and the latter intervening, where it was successfully passed on 22 October 1909. The passing of the bill helped with the keeping of a separate Sikh identity apart from the Hindus. On 20 October 1910, the C.K.D. set-up a committee, composed of Teja Singh of Bhasaur, Gurbakhsh Singh of Patiala, Vir Singh, and Jodh Singh, Takht Singh, Trilochan Singh, and
10152-449: The centrality of religion among the Sikhs, the British particularly took care to control central Sikh institutions, notably those at Amritsar and Tarn Taran , where British officers headed management committees, appointed key officials, and provided grants and facilities. They sought to cosset and control the Sikhs through the management of the Golden Temple and its functionaries, even ignoring its own dictates of statutory law which required
10293-474: The college board. Its 1892 establishment had been spurred by the 1886 founding of the D.A.V. College Lahore. The rivalry of the Lahore and the Amritsar factions was often intense, as the Amritsar faction was dominated by elites and aristocrats who wanted more total say, and the Lahore faction who drew from all castes, including traditionally non-elite castes, and was more democratic in nature. Despite this, under
10434-594: The common goal of reform, Sikh public leaders formed a central committee and a Singh Sabha General in 1880. On April 11, 1883, this General Sabha evolved into Khalsa Diwan Amritsar, with about 37 affiliated local Singh Sabha chapters. Other Singh Sabhas, however, opposed it and there were also internal dissensions, as Khem Singh and Raja Bikram Singh opposed measures to democratize, wanting more absolute power and not wanting Lahore leaders to be more than ordinary members. The Singh Sabha chapters could not agree on its constitution or its leadership structure, ultimately leading to
10575-480: The common-folk on issues, seeking the popular feedback by passing documents through intermediary, affiliated Singh Sabhas or by publishing them in periodicals, requesting feedback. An example is that the C.K.D. once sent out a questionnaire on the correct way to open the Guru Granth Sahib in public gatherings, eventually coming to the conclusion after over 1,600 responses to the query that the correct manner
10716-421: The composition of a proposed Indian legislature) that came after consisted of three Indians, none of which were Sikh. After Sikh objections, Sundar Singh Majithia was recruited as a co-opted member to represent Punjab but the Sikhs failed to have their demands met despite this. The C.K.D. wanted one-third of the total number of non-official Indian-held seats in the Punjab, six out of sixty-seven non-official seats in
10857-506: The current Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province but excluding the Federally Administered Tribal Areas and the former princely states of Amb , Chitral , Dir , Phulra and Swat . Its capital was the city of Peshawar , and the province was composed of six divisions ( Bannu , Dera Ismail Khan , Hazara , Kohat , Mardan , and Peshawar Division ; Malakand was later added as the seventh division). Until 1947,
10998-640: The deftness of Roman Catholic missionaries in Protestant countries have partially succeeded in persuading the Sikhs to restore to their niches the images of Devi , the Queen of Heaven, and the Saints and gods of the ancient faith." Religion in North–West Frontier Province (1941) With rapid population growth occurring across all districts in the province, Mardan District was added to
11139-660: The educational institutions under its purview. The educational committee works toward the promotion of Punjabi language and literature. It publishes educational reports and graded divinity books for the purpose of being used by students at its schools. For the purpose of promoting the Punjabi language in Gurmukhi and its produced literature, the C.K.D. founded a Punjabi Pracharak sub-committee. This organ desired and campaigned for Punjabi (in Gurmukhi) to receive official recognition and adoption by government departments (with emphasis on
11280-543: The egalitarian, decentralized Lahore Sabha. In its first of several defeats, the Amritsar faction proposed renaming the Singh Sabha to the Sikh Singh Sabha in 1883, as he perceived that the Singh Sabha had already become synonymous with the Khalsa Sikhs, and wanted to attract unbaptized and other minor Sikh sects to the organization. The opposition to this initiative was so overwhelming that Khem Singh Bedi
11421-549: The enactment of the Sikh Gurdwaras Act, 1925 , the S.G.P.C. won hegemonic control over the managing of historical Sikh gurdwaras and other shrines. Meanwhile, the Shiromani Akali Dal had become the paramount political party representing Sikh interests, continuing until the present-day in the Punjabi political environment. Thereafter, the C.K.D. limited itself to mostly religious and political problems of
11562-491: The end of the 19th century with many affiliated to the Lahore Sabha, or remaining unaligned. Each chapter, while similar in composition, differed greatly in stability and constitution, with memberships ranging from five to hundreds. As the movement gained momentum, Singh Sabhas not only throughout Punjab, but in several other parts of India and abroad, from London, England to Shanghai, China. The Karachi Singh Sabha had
11703-457: The entire community, striving with considerable success to restore the old purity of religious thought and practice. The first Singh Sabha was founded in 1873 in Amritsar as a response to what were identified as three main threats: The objectives of the Singh Sabha were as follows: Along with the British had come English-educated Bengalis and Kayasthas that served as the lower rung of
11844-555: The execution of 61 more in 1878 by cannon for going on weapons raids and attacking cow butchers in Malerkotla , an idiosyncrasy of the sect. The impact of the two revivalist movements, created a feeling among Sikh masses for reform and a return to Sikh fundamentals, would set the stage for the Singh Sabha movement. Unlike these movements, however, the changes sought by the Singh Sabha would not be simply religious in nature or lead to new sectarianisms, but had mass appeal influencing
11985-537: The expense of their Punjabi linguistic identity and traditional modes of Punjabi saint-worship, in favor of a wider Hindu ethnoreligious identity and the traditional Hindu pantheon. The confrontational, chauvinistic character of the Arya Samaj would lead to the decline of the more Western-oriented, syncretic Brahmo Samaj in Punjab after 1877. The Arya Samaj would nevertheless build on Brahmo Samaj techniques, as well as those of Christian missionaries and both modern and traditional native ones, thus reinterpreting Hinduism into
12126-430: The fact that they emphasized Khalsa identity and the authority of the Guru Granth Sahib, particularly from the middle of nineteenth century onward. In addition to the religious aspect of his teachings opposing idolatry and Brahminical ritual at Sikh sites, the sect also introduced a political aspect, rejecting anything British, including the boycott of British courts, postal system, foreign cloth, and cooperation, drawing
12267-528: The first Punjabi newspaper ) and The Khalsa (in English), the Singh Sabha solidified a general consensus of the nature of Sikh identity, and that the source of authentic Sikhi was the early Sikh tradition, specifically the period of the Sikh Gurus and immediately after. The Adi Granth was held to be the authoritative Sikh literature, along with compositions by Guru Gobind Singh , the works of Bhai Gurdas ,
12408-804: The growing influence of the Christian missionaries, including Jawahir Singh Kapur, Giani Ditt Singh , Maya Singh, and Bhagat Lakshman Singh, with the understanding that the purging of error among the Hindus would bring them closer to the purer Sikhism of yesteryear. Dayanand initially seldom criticized Sikhs, focusing mainly on Christian missionaries, "orthodox" Hindus in particular, and increasingly Muslims; any strong or violent opposition to him came solely from those orthodox Hindu forces, "most condemned" by him, who would vilify him and write counterattacks. Primarily focused on proselytization, and noting Christian missionary success in proselytizing to lower castes,
12549-434: The gurdwaras, including idol worship , caste discrimination, and allowing non-Sikh pandits and astrologers to frequent them, and began to simply ignore the needs of the general Sikh community, as they used gurdwara offerings and other donations as their personal revenue, and their positions became increasingly corrupt and hereditary. Hindu priesthood, which had begun to make way into Sikh places of worship under
12690-520: The infallibility of the Vedas was as uncompromising as that of the Muslims in the Koran.... Dayanand set the tone; his zealous admirers followed suit." He regarded the Guru Granth Sahib as a book of secondary importance, the Sikh gurus and theologians as unlearned particularly due to their ignorance of Sanskrit (to be thus deemed as maha murkh or "great fool"), and denounced Guru Nanak. His followers deemed
12831-464: The infallibility of the uneducated Guru Nanak among Sikhs to be a threat to the infallibility of the educated Dayanand, and the points of convergence between the two regarding renewal to instead lead to competition. In correspondence after having left Punjab, he would write that his opinion of Sikhism had changed after his stay, and the objectionable content would be removed in the next edition. This would not be done before his death in 1883, however, and
12972-537: The late rule of Ranjit Singh by Balak Singh , then carried forth by Ram Singh after he left Nau Nihal Singh 's regiment of the Sikh Khalsa Army at the end of the First Anglo-Sikh war in 1845. They did not believe in any religious ritual other than the repetition of God's name, including the worship of idols, graves, tombs, gods, or goddesses. The Namdharis had more of a social impact due to
13113-547: The legislative assembly, stating that it should be "adequate and effective and consistent with their position and importance". On 18 September 1918, the C.K.D. convened a representative private meeting which suggested the Montagu-Chelmsford method of reformation. The Sikhs were vexed that after the publication of the Montagu-Chelmsford report, the appointed Franchise Committee (to work on the matter of
13254-488: The mahant period, were banished, and Sikh rites and symbols including the Khalsa initiation , the names “Singh and “Kaur,” the 5 Ks , Sikh birth, death, and marriage rites, and the compulsory learning of Gurmukhi and Punjabi in Khalsa schools, an institution found in modern Gurdwaras worldwide, were formalized. After the Lahore Singh Sabha, many other Singh Sabhas modeled after it were formed in every town and many villages throughout Punjab, exceeding over 100 in number by
13395-475: The mahants during the Empire, had come to guide Sikh rites and ceremonies after annexation. Some local congregations marshalled popular pressure against them and to relinquish control, but the large revenue derived from gurdwara estates empowered them to resist such pressure. In response to these developments arose several Sikh movements: Nirankari (analogized as "puritanism"), Namdhari ("militant Protestantism"),
13536-547: The march of times.... The intellectual forces brought into play by the spread of English education are slowly and imperceptibly infusing a spirit of liberalism into the Hindu mind, but it is our individual opinion, and we think we have good grounds to come to such a conclusion, that the Sikh is as much a bigoted and narrow-minded being now as he was thirty years back...," thus backsliding into superstition and ignorance, having been left backwards by their loss of political dominance. The increasingly shrill anti-Sikh tone continued into
13677-433: The militant Samajis developed their own conversion ritual, a novelty in Hindu tradition, called shuddhi , to convert Muslims or Christians and to "purify" the untouchable castes into Hinduism, who traditionally had been denied access to Hindu texts by the priestly class. Orthodox Brahminism did not permit admission of outcastes or readmission of lapsed adherents, and not until the rise of the Arya Samaj that such reconversion
13818-533: The need for self-examination and evolution, and modernization aroused among the Sikhs concern for survival and self-definition. Further challenges included the proselytization of the agnostic Brahmo Samaji and neo-Hindu Arya Samaji reform movements of Hinduism, the Muslim Ahmadiyah of Qadian and Anjuman-i-Himayat-i-Islam movements in Lahore, and British-backed Christian movements of proselytization. Sikh institutions deteriorated further under
13959-543: The next few years, and the Arya Samaj would condemn the descendants of the Gurus forming a religious aristocracy in the 1887 Arya Patrika , as the Amritsar Singh Sabha was characterized by. Continued public antagonism continued towards Sikhism by the Arya Samaj leading up to its 11th anniversary celebration at Lahore in November 1888, when the anti-modernist leader Pandit Guru Datt chose to publicly attack Sikhism, repeating
14100-662: The organization was held at the Malwai Bunga within the Golden Temple complex of Amritsar on the same day as the organization's establishment. The opening session had a performance of the Sikh ardas , which was carried-out by Teja Singh of Bhasur. In the first session, the following persons were elected to high positions within the organization: A sum of twenty-five Singh Sabha chapters (representing congregations in Amritsar, Rawalpindi , Agra , Bhasaur , Badbar, Multan , Dakha , and Kairon ) affiliated themselves with
14241-506: The polytheism, idol worship, caste distinctions, and diversity of rites espoused by the Amritsar faction. The Tat Khalsa met with immediately successful organizational and ideological challenging of the Amritsar faction as early as the early 1880s, emerging successful, representing the Tat Khalsa faction. Ditt Singh, as a Mazhabi Sikh, was critical of Khem Singh Bedi's views on pollution, ritual, and lack of distinct identity. Between
14382-565: The population, language, and religious tables above and below. Separate population counts were taken in the Agencies and Tribal Areas , as detailed on the respective article page. At independence, there was a clear Muslim Pashtun , Hindkowan , and Punjabi majority in the North-West Frontier Province, although there were also significant Hindu and Sikh Pashtun , Hindkowan , and Punjabi minorities scattered across
14523-570: The postal and railway branches) for particular, initial work. The C.K.D. launched Gurmukhi schools and libraries, also starting night-classes for adult learners. In 1908, the C.K.D. launched the Khalsa Handbill Society for the purpose of creating lithographed posters for free-of-cost dispensation. The Chief Khalsa Diwan's members were instrumental in the passing of the Anand Marriage Act, 1909 . The members felt that
14664-551: The pre-British 18th- and colonial-era 19th-century Punjab by taking over Gurdwaras and Sikh institutions, while Khalsa warriors confronted the Mughal state and Afghan forces for the survival of the Sikh community. While the Amritsar faction resented the democratic tendency within the Khalsa groups, they continued to co-exist within the broader Sikh panth, even as they remained aloof from the mainstream Khalsa practices. They considered Guru Nanak to be an avatar , or incarnation, of
14805-509: The precincts (specifically the outer walkway or parikarma around the temple-tank or sarovar ) of the Golden Temple shrine in Amritsar in 1905. In 1906, the C.K.D. established the Khalsa Pracharak Vidyalaya in Tarn Taran to coach aspiring ragis , granthis , and prachariks (preachers). In December 1907, Sundar Singh Majithia and Harbans Singh Atari, whilst visiting Sindh carrying-out missionary work, attended
14946-644: The province was bordered by five princely states to the north, the minor states of the Gilgit Agency to the northeast, the province of Punjab to the east and the province of Balochistan to the south. The Kingdom of Afghanistan lay to the northwest, with the Federally Administered Tribal Areas forming a buffer zone between the two. The northwestern frontier areas were annexed by the East India Company after
15087-514: The province. The languages of the North-West Frontier Province included Pashto, Hindko, Kohistani and others, although most of the population spoke either Pashto or Lahnda/Western Punjabi (primarily Hindko and Saraiki ). Prior to the arrival of the British, the official language , for governmental uses and such, was Persian . Religious counts below is for the entirety of NWFP ( Hazara , Mardan , Peshawar , Kohat , Bannu , and Dera Ismail Khan ). The Agencies and Tribal Areas constituted
15228-615: The public, drawing high amounts of attendees, with the host location rotating each year. The matter of the sessions dealt with contemporary issues affect Sikh education, religious topics, and poetry plus kirtan contests occurred. In 1908, the Chief Khalsa Diwan initiated an educational committee after the establishment of the All India Sikh Educational Conference. The educational committee records, organizes, and discusses Sikh viewpoints on educational, religious, and social matters, deliberating them in
15369-545: The recitation of the Gayatri Mantra , showing a new confidence in the practice by then. In addition to Dayanand's new Western-influenced ideas about a "highly specific scriptural canon," along with a long list of traditional Hindu writings to be condemned and repudiated, another religious innovation of the Arya Samaj was the nationalistic idea of a nationwide Hinduism, as opposed to a myriad of different dharmas previously always qualified by subregion or type, which
15510-555: The second edition would attack Sikhs, Sikhism, and its scriptures even more directly, as would other Samaji publications; beginning in the Arya Patrika newspaper in 1885, which described a Sikhism that was begun with noble aims as having degenerated. Along with the increased hostility of its followers, this would disillusion some Sikh followers and sympathizers of the movement. Some notable Arya Samaj members expressed disagreement with Samaji conduct and attempted to reconcile with
15651-454: The sect in Lahore. It was not until he reached Amritsar did he begin to belittle Sikhism, its founders, and current practices, provoking Nihang hostility and threats. Addressing Sikhism briefly in his book, he wrote that "Nanakji [the founder of Sikhism], had noble aims, but he had no learning. He knew the language of the villages of his country. He had no knowledge of Vedic scriptures or of Sanskrta ," without which he lacked Vedic knowledge and
15792-430: The separation of secular and religious matters, neutrality in the treatment of religious communities. and the withdrawal from involvement in religious institutions. The need to control the Golden Temple was held to be more paramount, and along with control of Sikh institutions, measures included the legal ban of carrying weapons, meant to disarm the Khalsa who had fought against them in the two Anglo Sikh Wars. In this way
15933-408: The society were also required to donate the customary Sikh tithing (known as dasvandh ) out of their annual earnings toward the benefit of the community. The requirement for affiliation with C.K.D. by other Sikh organizations, such as Singh Sabhas, was that they shared a common dogma. The historical C.K.D. was composed of five committees in-theory: The C.K.D. generally sought the public opinion of
16074-434: The society's secretary, for the purpose of Sikh religious reform and to create a codification of Sikh praxis (rituals, rites, and conduct). This committee formulated a draft which was then passed out to the various affiliation Singh Sabha chapters, Sikh societies, and important Sikh individuals. This procedure happened two times due to lengthy discussions before the code of conduct could be finished and released. In March 1915,
16215-794: The system which flourishes in the United Provinces and other areas to the east. Even of the Derajat , where, as we have seen, the Hindu population is proportionately most numerous, the writer of the Dera Ismail Khan Gazetteer notes, "the Hindus of this district are less particular in the matter of caste prejudices and observances than down country Hindus. Most of them will drink water that has been carried in Mussaks (skins for carrying water) or out of lotas detached from
16356-485: The time of the Sikh Empire. Maharaja Ranjit Singh of the Sikh Empire was said to have appreciated his teachings, but the death rites of Ranjit Singh, including the sati of his queens and maidservants, would provide further impetus to Dyal Das to return to Sikh fundamentals. Gurdwara Peshawarian in Rawalpindi , Dyal Das' headquarters, which had been granted a jagīr by Ranjit Singh, would come to be occupied by
16497-647: The traditional ability of the former in assimilating and integrating followers of varied thought into Hinduism. "The Sikh religion was born out of Hinduism , and fears have been expressed of its being reabsorbed into it. Truly wonderful is the strength and vitality of Hinduism. It is like the boa constrictor of the Indian forests; when a petty enemy appears to worry it, it winds round its opponent, crushes it in its folds, and finally causes it to disappear in its capacious interior. In this way, many centuries ago, Hinduism on its own ground disposed of Buddhism which
16638-451: The upliftment of both Sikh women and men through the establishment of educational institutions. The C.K.D. was responsible for the publishing many works dealing with Sikh history-related subject matters and also topics related to Sikh scriptures and creed. Additionally, the organization carried out translation work, many titles written in different languages were rendered in Punjabi. Furthermore, numerous charitable establishments working towards
16779-406: The various castes and tribes who were indigenous to the frontier regions had considerable Islamic influence, owing to their status as a religious minority in the region for centuries, and thus formed religious syncretism that incorporated aspects from both faiths into their cultures and traditions. " Hinduism , as it exists in the North-West Frontier Province, is but a pale reflection of
16920-499: The welfare of the wider community was founded by the C.K.D. Aims and Objectives of Chief Khalsa Diwan: 1. To promote the spiritual, intellectual, moral, social, educational, and economic welfare of the Khalsa Panth. 2. To propagate the teachings of the Sikh gurus as embodied in the Guru Granth Sahib. 3. To safeguard the rights of all those believing in the teachings of the Sikh gurus. 4. To extend facilities and benefits of
17061-414: The widow remarriage prohibition, child marriage, and sati as degenerate accretions, as well as the priestcraft of Brahmins, considered to have misled the masses through introducing such deviations. These repudiations were in accord with Sikh tradition, which the Arya Samaj first saw as a reforming movement akin to their own, and many young Sikh reformists had initially coordinated with them to counteract
17202-479: Was controversially converted to Christianity . The British colonial rulers, after annexing the Sikh empire in mid-19th-century, continued to patronize and gift land grants to these mahants, thereby increasing their strength and helped sustain the idolatry in Sikh shrines. The annexation of the Punjab to the British Empire in the mid-19th century saw severe deterioration of Gurdwara management. Recognizing
17343-704: Was a province of British India from 1901 to 1947, of the Dominion of Pakistan from 1947 to 1955, and of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan from 1970 to 2010. It was established on 9 November 1901 from the north-western districts of the British Punjab , during the British Raj . Following the referendum in 1947 to join either Pakistan or India , the province voted hugely in favour of joining Pakistan and it acceded accordingly on 14 August 1947. It
17484-683: Was an advocate of Sikh political rights, though it presently is mostly limited to educational spheres. It was the main council of Sikhs until the birth of more radical organizations, such as the Central Sikh League (est. 1919), the S.G.P.C. (est. 1920), and the Akali Dal (est. 1920). The organization was originally planned as the replacement and amalgamation of the Khalsa Diwan Amritsar and Khalsa Diwan Lahore, as both these institutions had been embroiled in conflict that
17625-441: Was at least equally efficacious. The only other district in which there is a non-Pathan element in the population in any way commensurate to that of Hazara is Dera Ismail Khan . The population here is mainly composed of tribes of Indian origin. Its conversion to Islam is of much later data; fanaticism does not exist, and no particular dislike to the Hindu seems to have existed." Similarly, adherents of Hinduism who belonged to
17766-531: Was besieged by, and opposed to, both foreign interference and "unreformed Brahmanical hierarchies." This established the organization as an important factor in the development of Hindu religious nationalism. In addition to boosting the collective morale of the Hindus in Punjab, by enabling a shift in self-identification from a regional minority with no political heritage to part of a national majority, Samaji identity would also provide an answer to criticisms of superstition and casteism from other communities, though at
17907-612: Was dissolved to form a unified province of West Pakistan in 1955 upon promulgation of One Unit Scheme and was reestablished in 1970 . It was known by this name until 19 April 2010, when it was dissolved and redesignated as the province of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa following the passing of the Eighteenth Amendment to the Constitution of Pakistan , by President Asif Ali Zardari . The province covered an area of 70,709 km (27,301 sq mi), including much of
18048-415: Was encouraged, which elicited continued "Sanatanist" opposition. Shuddhi was reinterpreted under the influence of Christian conversion from a caste purification ritual to a conversion ritual, to convert non-Hindus and outcastes into dvija or pure-caste Hindus, between 1889 and 1891. This was followed slowly and reluctantly by other Samajis, and was disapproved by traditionalists. Though at first there
18189-665: Was forced to drop it in the next meeting of the Diwan in April 1884. Despite this, both Diwans, even despite disagreements and even litigation, worked for common goals with the same programs, even as the Khalsa Diwan Lahore overtook its rival in popularity. Though the two terms would begin to become synonymous, Singh Sabhas tended to form in small towns, while Khalsa Diwans formed in larger towns and cities. Khalsa Diwan meetings were held biannually. The Arya Samaj espoused
18330-459: Was founded in April 1893 by Dr. Jai Singh. The Sri Guru Hitkarni Singh Sabha, which would break with the Lahore Sabha in 1886 over its advocacy of the restoration of Duleep Singh to the throne, hence entailing involvement in politics, would reconcile with the Singh Sabha in 1895. The Sri Guru Upkar Pracharni Sabha, in addition to propagating Sikhism, would counterattack on Sikhism from the Arya Samaj's Arya Kumar Sabha. The Singh Sabha Tarn Taran and
18471-509: Was founded on 2 November 1879, holding weekly meetings with Diwan Buta Singh as president, Gurmukh Singh as secretary and Harsha Singh, Ram Singh and Karam Singh as members formed its working committee. Shortly thereafter, Nihang Sikhs began influencing the movement, followed by a sustained campaign by the Tat Khalsa . The Amritsar faction was opposed by these predominant groups of the Sikhs, particularly those who held Khalsa beliefs, who through access to education and employment, had reached
18612-532: Was held in July 1947 to decide the future of NWFP, in which the people of the province decided in favor of joining Pakistan. Chief Minister Dr Khan Sahib , along with his brother Bacha Khan and the Khudai Khidmatgars , boycotted the referendum, citing that it did not have the options of the NWFP becoming independent or joining Afghanistan. As a separate province, the NWFP lasted until 1955 when it
18753-514: Was hindering the progress of the on-going Singh Sabha movement . On Vaisakhi day in 1901, a public meeting was convened at the Malwai Bunga in Amritsar that established a committee to work towards setting up a unitary fellowship. A draft of the planned body was adopted on 21 September 1902. The Chief Khalsa Diwan was established on 30 October 1902. The organisation was founded by Bhai Vir Singh , Arjan Singh Bagrian, Sundar Singh Majithia, Tarlochan Singh, and Harbans Singh Attari. The opening session of
18894-474: Was invested in living gurus (as Khem Singh Bedi, leader of the Amritsar faction, liked to be regarded) rather than the principle of shabad-guru, or the Guru Granth Sahib as the Guru, which was upheld by the dominant Khalsa tradition. In addition to himself, Khem Singh claimed special reverence for all members of clans to which the Gurus had belonged. Professor Gurmukh Singh, a teacher of Punjabi and mathematics at
19035-514: Was largely a Hindu reformation in this way in a prehistoric period it absorbed the religion of the Scythian invaders of Northern India ; in this way it has converted educated Islam in India into a semi- paganism ; and in this way it is disposing of the reformed and once hopeful religion of Baba Nanak . Hinduism has embraced Sikhism in its folds; the still comparatively young religion is making
19176-415: Was less religiously militant and more concerned with educational institutes ; the more moderate faction was called the "College Party." With increasingly radicalized dogmatism, along with its kernani (Christian), kurani (Muslim), and purani (orthodox Hindu) opponents, propaganda targeting Sikhism continued to be published in the Arya Samaj press through the 1880s, further aggravating relations with
19317-811: Was merged into the new province of West Pakistan , under the One Unit policy announced by Prime Minister Chaudhry Mohammad Ali . It was recreated after the dissolution of the One Unit system and lasted under its old nomenclature until April 2010, when it was renamed the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province. The offices of Governor and Chief Minister of the North-West Frontier Province lasted until 14 October 1955. Historical population, language, and religious counts in North-West Frontier Province were enumerated in all districts ( Hazara , Mardan , Peshawar , Kohat , Bannu , and Dera Ismail Khan ), detailed in
19458-469: Was no standard procedure for the new practice, and more conservative Samaji leaders were reluctant to sponsor them, shuddhi for caste readmission was originally the full orthodox prāyaścitta , involving bathing in the Ganges, feeding Brahmins, and the consumption of the panchagavya , or cow products: milk, butter, curd, urine and dung; it would be simplified by 1893 to tonsure , hom , janeu , and
19599-493: Was that?" Other Samaj leaders like Swami Swatmananda, Lala Murlidhar, and Lekh Ram seconded the comments, the latter two rising to do so. This was followed by Lekh Ram's speech, attacking Sikhs further and physically insulting the Guru Granth Sahib placed before him. While approved by the majority of Samajis present, Sikhs also present in the meeting, including Lahore Samaj Vice President Jawahir Singh, Giani Ditt Singh, and Maya Singh would resign their Samaj membership and join
19740-446: Was thus incapable of permanent accomplishment, teaching little of value. He considered the state of Sikhs to be as ignorant and degenerate as Puranic Hindus, and as worthy to be noted, refuted, and forgotten, stating that while "[t]hey do not worship idols," their treatment of the Guru Granth Sahib was essentially bibliolatrous . According to Khushwant Singh, "It did not take the orthodox Sikhs long to appreciate that Dayanand's belief in
19881-525: Was to open the scripture in a room adjoining an assembly rather than the public meeting hall. It dedicated resources toward the discussion of letters and opposing viewpoints. The C.K.D. established a body of missionaries to spread the message of the Sikh gurus who travelled and preached in various localities within the Punjab but also were active in neighbouring areas, especially the Northwest Frontier Province and Sindh . Anticipating
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