The Multifarious Faces of Sikhism
throughout Sikh History
Page 2 of 9
Tat
Khalsa Singh Sabhias cont'd
Even when the past Khalsa spoke of itself as
a ‘Teeja Panth’
(3rd path), it was stated as being the third
way of ‘Naam’ (contemplation
of God) that transcended the bickering dogma
of the Muslim and Hindu religions, not as a
sectarian ideology. According to Rattan Singh
Bhangu’s ‘Pracheen Panth
Prakash’, when the Akali Nihangs
and the Bandai Khalsa floated their respective
letters on the ‘Sarovar’
(reservoir of water), they both sank to the
bottom initially.
Sarovar
Lithograph of Durbar Sahib, Amritsar, circa
mid 19th century
Upon seeing this, the Akali Nihangs were not
concerned that this signified the end of Sikhism,
but were more concerned with the end of the
Hindu faith:
‘One time both sank.
Both sides worried. May it not so happen
that both sink. Then the Hindus will not
be found, if looked for.’ ‘Pracheen
Panth Prakash’, by Rattan Singh Bhangu,
1832, Expurgated by Vir Singh Pa. 168
Giani Gian Singh Nirmala also spoke of the
Akali Nihang Singh Khalsa as being the defenders
of Hinduism, not Sikhism:
‘They have protected
within the borders of Hind (India) the religion
of the Hindus well by destroying the enemies
race and over turning it’s rule.’
‘Naveen Panth Prakash’, Giani
Gian Singh Nirmala, 1877, edited by Giani
Kirpal Singh, Pa. 2810-2813
Hindus
A postcard depicting Hindus in Punjab engaged
in an elephant fight, circa mid to late 19th
century
In one breath, both ‘Sehajdhari’
(non-Khalsa) and ‘Khalsa’
Sanatan Sikhs spoke of themselves as being both
Sikh and Hindu. As stated earlier, it was the
British writers who first sowed the seeds of
segregation, which would germinate amongst the
Tat Khalsa Singh Sabhia Sikhs.
Nanak Shahi
A non-Khalsa follower of Akali Guru Nanak Dev
Ji, circa 1825
The Tat Khalsa Singh Sabhia Sikhs were goaded
into action by the irresponsible action of the
fool, Dayanand Saraswati, who declared Sikhism
as being distinct from Hinduism. On 27th August
1892, ‘The Tribune’,
a Punjabi and English daily, reported on Page
4 as follows:
‘English writers,
even Anglo-Indian editors, who might know
better, always make a grave mistake when
speaking of the Sikhs. They seem
to think that Sikhs are a people totally
different from the Hindus, with whom they
have very little in common. While
the fact is that practically what differentiates
a Sikh from a Hindu is his long hair and
unclipped beard. In many families
one brother may be a Hindu and the other
a Sikh. As to religious belief, there is
very little difference between the average
Hindu and the Sikh in the Punjab, the GURU
and the GRANTH being held in equal reverence
by both. The lion-riding goddess
of the Hindus is the presiding deity at
Maharaja Ranjit Singh’s tomb, and
the majority of the worshippers at the Golden
Temple are Hindus. Among respectable
Sikhs caste is observed and such as have
the privilege wear the sacred thread. The
Brahman priest plays as important a part
among Sikhs as Hindus. In short
Sikhs are not distinct from the Hindus and
have adopted this name merely to show that
they give a particular Guru a place above
all others.’
‘Ham Hindu Nahin: Arya Samaj Relations’,
1877-1905, by Kenneth W. Jones, Pa. 466
Dayanand Saraswati
The Hindu reformist of the late 19th century,
and founder of the Arya Samaj movement, circa
1874
