The Udasis In The Colonial Punjab 1849 - 1947

[Sunshine Kuri]

Book: https://archive.org/details/TheUdasi...ge/n3/mode/2up

Sikhism had never been monolithic in its history of over five hundred years. It witnessed the emergence of various sectarian developments, whose roots may be traced as far back as the 16 th and the 17 th centuries. The most notable dissidents, who staked their claims for the gaddi of Guru Nanak at different times, were significantly the direct descendants of the Sikh Gurus. They included Baba Sri Chand, eldest of the two sons of Guru Nanak, whose followers were called the Udasis', Datu and Dasu, the sons of Guru Angad Dev; Mohan and Mohri, the sons of Guru Amar Das; Prithi Chand, eldest son of Guru Ram Das, whose followers were called the Minas', Dhir Mai, eldest son of Baba Gurditta (eldest son of Guru Hargobind), whose followers were called the Dhirmalias; and Ram Rai, eldest son of Guru Har Rai, whose followers were called the Ram Rayias. Significantly, among all the dissenting individuals and religious Orders, the Udasis alone survived as an important religious force to be reckoned with in Sikh history and religion. The Minas, the Dhirmalias and the Ram Rayias were excommunicated by Guru Gobind Singh, who ordered the Khalsa Sikhs not to have any kind of social relations with them.

As is the case of the Udasis, their pro-establishment stance as well as their being non-baptized not only perhaps enabled them to continue their missionary work as custodians of the historic Sikh shrines but also helped them escape the state persecution during the 18 th century . This probably fetched them more extensive revenue-free land grants (dharmarths) from the Sikh ruling classes, Maharaja Ranjit Singh and his successors, which partially continued to the British times. Moreover, the Udasi attempts to affiliate themselves with the early Sikh tradition also made them more popular and tolerable to the Sikhs. But during the Singh Sabha days, the Udasis were targeted by the Tat Khalsa, as they were very close to Hinduism. The Akali reformers launched their struggle against the Udasi Mahants for refonns in the Sikh Shrines. In the early 20 th century, the Akali -Udasi conflict, the Gurdwara litigation and legislation, the Udasis ’s attempts to stake their non-Sikh identity, and lastly, the continuous resumption of their dharmarth lands by the new rulers, gradually led to their weakening position. In all respects, thus, the Udasis were virtually on the verge of decline.