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Adherents of the Nirankari movement have always maintained that
the purpose of their founder Baba Dayal was to recall Sikhs to
their original loyalty. Military triumph under Maharaja Ranjit
Singh had deflected many from Guru Nanak's stress on the divine
Name and Baba Dayal's preaching was directed to the recovering
of that message
(1.8[1]). Because the Nirankaris acknowledge a line of Gurus
descending from Baba Dayal their orthodoxy has been questioned.
The Nirankaris themselves respond by insisting that they are the
truly orthodox, repeatedly emphasising their claim that the
present observance of the Anand marriage rite derives from
Nirankari example.
[1
The movement includes both
amrit-dhari and sahaj-dhari Sikhs, and to outward
appearances they are indistinguishable from most other Sikhs.
The one substantial point of difference remains the Nirankari
recognition of a continuing line of personal Gurus. Nirankaris
do not dispute the traditional belief in the line of ten Gurus
beginning with Nanak and concluding with Gobind Singh, nor do
they reject the doctrine of the Guru eternally present in the
sacred scripture. Their belief is that Baba Dayal represents
renewal. The Panth had strayed from its duty and Baba Dayal was
dispatched by God to recall it to obedience.
[2
A summary account of Nirankari history
The reform brought about in the Sikh religion by the Nirankari
Satguru Baba Dayal and [his successor] Satguru Darbara Singh
beggars description. Yet what trials these supremely devoted men
had to face from their own caste and family as a result of their
desire to reveal the truth and establish the authentic Sikh code
of conduct (gur-maryada). They suffered agonising
exclusion
from their own caste brotherhood and from normal intercourse
with others; they were banned from the use of wells and
cremation grounds; they were deprived of traditional ceremonies,
and much more. Repeated efforts were made, in all ways and by
all means, to persecute these loyal teachers of the Nirankari
faith.
[1
Satguru Baba Dayal [1783-1855] was a contemporary of Maharaja
Ranjit Singh, the Lion of the Punjab. He was born three years
later than Ranjit Singh and continued to preach for fifteen more
years after the Maharaja's death. Although it is claimed that
Sikh rule had been established in the Punjab, traditional
[Hindu] practices were being observed at Sikh shrines. Idols
were being worshipped, gods and goddesses were being venerated.
Within the precincts of such sacred places as Darbar Sahib
Amritsar and Darbar Sahib Tarn Taran images of the eight-armed
Durga and Bhagauti had been installed. [Because of his
opposition to such practices] Satguru Dayal had to suffer much
hardship and distress from his contemporaries, both Sikhs and
Hindus.
[2
Satguru Dayal perceived that the people were reading Gurbani
without paying heed to its meaning and that the Sikhs had begun
to treat their sacred scripture as if it were a collection of
Sanskrit mantras, believing that they would acquire merit merely
by chanting its words. When he realised that this was happening
he immediately began a campaign to banish the darkness of
superstition and let the light of Gurbani shine once again in
its full glory. Like a trusty hero he declared for the truth and
contested all that denied it. He was afraid neither of those who
served at the Sikh shrines nor of the families descended from
the Gurus, and he was intimidated by neither Brahman nor Muslim.
Fearlessly he stood forth as the champion of Gurmat. [3
As he read verses of Gurbani to Sikhs and other people Satguru
Baba Dayal told them of the great gulf which separated their way
of life from the sacred scripture, and he explained to them what
this ment. He thus began a powerful movement and his successor,
Satguru Darbara Singh, raised the Red Flag (the Nirankari
nishan sahib) as a symbol of the revolution which was to
free the Sikhs from Brahman clutches. Satguru Darbara Singh
[1855-70] was a spirited man of great courage, one whose words
carried enormous influence. He set about the task of preaching,
carrying his message to hundreds of Sikhs as he traveled from
village to village. For transport he took with him several
camels and horses, together with palanquins flying the nishan
sahib.1 Wherever he went, wherever he pitched his
marquee and preached, his presence was proclaimed afar by the
red Nirankari flag waving over his camp.
[4
Satguru Darbara Singh could see that the Sikhs had been ensnared
by false beliefs. Throughout his entire life he laboured to have
all rituals celebrated in accordance with the principles of
Gurmat. In the rich district of Pothohar and the Chhachh area2
he established religious centres (bire), each under a
supervisor called a biredar. Each centre received a
manual of conduct3 and a red Nirankari flag dedicated
to Satguru Dayal, and an annual gathering was held to mark the
anniversary of the Satguru's death. At the Nirankari Darbar in
Rawalpindi this great festival was celebrated by groups of Sikhs
from all over the district, each led by its biredar. On
that day, 19 Magh, hundreds of red Nirankari pennants were to be
seen. At Dayalsar,4 amidst the beating of drums and the clash of
cymbals, Satguru Dayal was commemorated by the reading and
singing of passages from the scriptures. Ninety-two of these
annual assemblies were held in Rawalpindi prior to Partition,
and they continue to be held each year in India.5 [5
For fifteen years Satguru Darbara Singh fearlessly preached his
message, and gradually the earlier hostility abated. He died at
the age of fifty-six, having entrusted the reins of
responsibility to his younger brother, Sahib Rattaji
[1870-1909].
[6
During the time of Satguru Sahib Rattaji several more Nirankari
centres were established and Nirankari teachings began to spread
far and wide. Sikh preachers from further east began to visit
the Nirankari Darbar, there to learn about Nirankari rituals
from Sahib Rattaji and his followers. Over a period of some
years Giani Dit Singh and Giani Thakur Singh went up to
Rawalpindi from Amritsar several times and shared in worship
with Satguru Sahib Rattaji's sangat. In response to the
encouragement which they received from Bhai Manna Singh they
founded the Singh Sabha in Amritsar and Lahore; and with the
assistance of Nirankari preachers whom they repeatedly invited
they introduced the Anand marriage ceremony into their own
districts. The first marriage to be celebrated in Lahore
according to the Anand rite was that of the daughter of Sardar
Jawahar Singh Kapur, Chief Secretary of Khalsa College. This
marriage was conducted by the Nirankari preacher Bhai Manna
Singh, who came down from Rawalpindi for the purpuse… Maharaja
Hira Singh of Nabha visited the Nirankari Darbar in order to pay
homage to Satguru Sahib Rattaji and acting on his encouragement
suceeded, against massive opposition, in having the Anand
Marriage Act passed by the government of India in 1909. Baba Ram
Singh [the Namdhari leader] (6.2.1[8-10]) had earlier visited
Satguru Darbara Singh at the Nirankari Darbar and he too had
been urged to promulgate the Guru's version of the marriage
ceremony among his followers...
[7
In S. 1964 [1907 A.C.] Satguru Sahib Rattaji summoned a large
assembly and announced that Satguru Gurdit Singh would succeed
him. Fourteen months later he died [early in 1909]. It was Sahib
Gurdit Singh [1909-47] who refaced the exterior of the Nirankari
Darbar in Rawalpindi with beautiful marble. His present
successor is the noble Sahib Hara Singh,6 to whom has
fallen the task of establishing new centres in various places
and reuniting his followings after the shattering experience of
Partition.7
...
[8
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Page:
The Nirankari Hukam-nama
Return to Sikh Faith Page
Acknowledgements:
McLeod, W. Hew. Textual Sources For the Study of Sikhism.
Page 121-124,
Manchester University Press, 1984.
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