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This is an old revision of this page, as edited by MaplesyrupSushi (talk | contribs) at 05:10, 19 January 2025 (Created article on Sikhism in Sindh, portions were taken from content I had authored on Udasis and Nanakpanthis, some content was taken from Sikhism in Pakistan, check all those pages' history for attribution to be sure.). The present address (URL) is a permanent link to this revision, which may differ significantly from the current revision.

Sikhism has a long history in Sindh, with the Udasi and Nanakpanthi sects playing a prominent role. In recent years, mainstream Khalsa Sikhism has made inroads. Local Sindhi beliefs and practices often blur the line between Hinduism and Sikhism, an example of religious syncretism. Sikhism was popularized in Sindh by the missionary work of Nanakpanthi traders and Udasi saints. Nanakpanthi and Udasi are both Sikh sects; a major difference is that Udasis adopt life-long celibacy, whilst Nanakpanthis marry and have children.

In the Sindh province of Pakistan, the Sikh marriages are registered under the Sindh Hindu Marriage Act of 2016. Per community estimates, there are approximately 10,000 Sikhs in Sindh. Sindhis (mostly those settled in Gujarata) are one of the largest groups to visit Kartarpur Sahib. Sindhi Hindus tend to hold Guru Nanak's teachings in special regard. Since 1947, a sizeable portation of Sindhi Sikhs migrated to the Republic of India, whilst some remained behind in Pakistan.

History

Sikhism arrived in Sindh during the early 17th century. The advent of Sikhism in the region was facilitated by a trade-network linking southwestern Punjab and Sindh. The first arrivals were Nanakpanthi traders, who mostly drew from the Arora caste, with others being Khatris. These early Sindhi Sikh pioneers were differentiated from Khalsa Sikhs, as they did not place importance on maintaining uncut hair, donning the five Ks, nor did they adhere to the rehatnamas (codes of conduct). The success of the Nanakpanthis in spreading Sikhism in Sindh is attributed to their ability to adopt the local culture and language of the places they settled. The Nanakpanthis stressed upon the nirankar concept, a formless conceptualization of the divine.

The places of worship of Nanakpanthis in Sindh was originally called a tikana, with the gurdwara term not being used initially. The Udasis also established darbar centres in Sindh, such as the Sadh Belo complex, where heterodoxical practices and beliefs of ascetics were followed which were not ordained by orthodox Khalsa Sikhism. During unrest in Punjab during the 18th century, both Punjabi Sikh and Hindus migrants moved to Sindh, with many being traders and others being warriors. This group of migrants were mostly sehajdharis, some were Bandais whom were followers of Banda Singh Bahadur.

The Sindhi Sikhs were categorized based on region, such Nawabshahi and Naichi. By the late 19th century, Khalsa Sikhs had emerged in the urban areas of Sindh but remained a minority in the midst of heterodoxical Sikh groups. Thariya Singh (1826–1926) of Kandharan village was baptized into Sikhism in the 1870's and spent years prosletyzing Sikhism to local Sindhi Hindus, which led to the conversion of many. Althrough Thariya was baptized into the Khalsa, he did not speak-out against the syncretic practices of Sindh, which aided his success in winning over sehajdhari Hindu converts. He also popularized the practice of gurudino ("giving to the gurus"), whereby the eldest son of a Hindu family was raised and baptized as a Sikh, a practice which was also common in Punjab and Balochistan at the time. Thariya promoted the singing of devotional music, langar communal kitchens, Udasi ascetic practices, congregational dancing in the style of Sufis, the recitation of extracts of Hindu scriptures, respecting holymen from various sampradayas, acceptance of practioners of the local folk Islam of the region, celebrating gurpurabs, and holding kirtan musical performances during amrit vela ("ambrosial time").

The Singh Sabha movement in Punjab and its mission of promoting a monolithic Sikh identity did not impact Sindhi Sikhs much, thus religious syncretism between Sikhism, Islam, and Hinduism continued in Sindh and religious differentiation and boundaries did not materialize as it did in Punjab during the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Sindhi Sikhs did not adopt the Sikh Marriage Act of 1909, preferring to maintain their syncretic ways. Thus, Sindhi Sikhs worshipped local Indic deities, such as Jhulelal, donned a tilak on their forehead, visited dargahs of regional Sufi pirs, and venerated dehdhari gurus (living gurus), which contrasted with Khalsa Sikhs of the Punjab. Due to these factors, it is difficult to categorize what is Hindu and what is Sikh in pre-partition Sindh. The Japji and Sukhmani prayers of Sikhism were translated into Hindi by the local Singh Sabha outfit of Sukkur. However, the Hindus and Sikhs of Sindh were still cognizant of themselves being two different groups, yet minor economic and social conflicts between them did not push them to antagonizing each-other and breaking-off ties. Thus, there were not major conflicts between Sindhi Hindus and Sikhs during the 1930's and 1940's, even as the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh began to gain ground in Sindh at the time. Yet again, this contrasts with the situation in Punjab, where relations between Sikhs and Hindus had soured during the colonial-period.

During the partition of India in 1947, many Sindhi Sikhs left for the Republic of India through ships via ports in Karachi and also by trains via Hyderabad. Many of these refugees arrived in Rajasthani towns. Some rich Sindhi SIkh refugees travelled by plane to India during the partition. The modes of transportion of Sindhi Sikh refugees differs from that of Punjabi Sikh refugees fleeing West Punjab, as Sindh did not experience human-columns journeying to their new homes. When they arrived in India, the refugees often took-up residances in the abandoned dwellings formerly owned by Muslims, who had made the reverse journey of fleeing to Pakistan. The Sindhi refugees were often discriminated by their new neighbours, thus forming ghettos. One of these ethnic ghettos formed was Ulhasnagar. In India, Sindhi Sikhs continue to practice religious syncretism, such as in the case with the Guru Nanak Darbar of Ulhasnagar, however they face pressures from Punjabi Sikhs to adopt the hegemonic beliefs and practices of formalized Sikhism as followed in Punjab. Punjabi Sikhs have labelled the Guru Nanak Darbar as being a dera and not a gurdwara, due to these differences.

In 1988, the first issue of the Directory of Sindhi Sikhs of Ulhasnagar was published. The directory records the names and surnames, alongside paternal names, of all the Sindhi Sikh members of the Guru Nanak Darbar of Ulhasnagar. It was followed by later issues published in 1992, 1998, 2001–02, and 2009, which were updates to the directory. Jaspirat Singh, son of Meharvan Singh, is the current head of the Guru Nanak Darbar of Ulhasnagar. This Sindhi Sikh organization practices unique traditions, such as kaladhaga (a black, talisman thread said to ward off evil from black magic and witchcraft) and Ichhpuran Diwas (day of wish fulfillment, carried-out twice a year where token payments and gift exchanges occur with an forty-day uninterrupted reading of the Sikh scripture).

Sects

Udasis

Part of a series on
Udasis
Udasi leaders Sri Chand Baba Gurditta Bhai Almast Bhai Balu Hasna
Select revered saints Bhumman Shah Bankhandi Biram Das Ganga Ram Viakarni Ganga Das
Places Akhara Sadh Belo Sri Chand Darbar
Titles Mahant Gaddi Nashin
Sikh sects
v t e

Sindh has a large number of people who may be best described as Udasis. The area of northern Sindh was especially influenced by Udasipanth. The Udasi temples of Sindh are known as darbars. It is said that Sri Chand himself visited Thatta in Sindh, where a darbar commemorates his stay. Sri Chand travelled to Sindh in the second half of the 16th century during the reign of the Tarkhan dynasty. He established a dhuni (campfire) at Rohri and another at Faqir Jo Goth, the latter of which is around 5 kilometres from Thatta.

After the passing of Gurditta, the second Udasi leader, the leadership passed to four preachers, with Bhai Almast being one of these four. Almast travelled to Sindh, where he conducted missionary activities and successfully converted many Sindhis to the Udasipanth. His place of residence was at Rohri, at the dhuni established by Sri Chand. Those newly converted appended Ram or Das to the end of their names. The mahants (who appended the prefix Bava or Bao, meaning "ascetic" at the beginning of their names and refer to their title of leadership as Gadhisar) of the Baba Sri Chand Darbar (colloquially known as Raj Ghaat) in Faqir Jo Goth, such as the first mahant, Bava Balkram Das, conducted missionary activities in the area and faraway (even as distant as Nepal) as did his successors. His two successors, Bava Pooran Das and Bava Lachman Das, were not only missionaries but also masters at hathi yoga. Sikhism became popularized in Sindh due to the missionary works of these Udasi saints. Udasi temples in Sindh typically houses both the Guru Granth Sahib as well images of various Hindu deities. There is said to be an Udasi temple dedicated to a saint in every town and city of Sindh. During the reign of the Talpur Mirs of Khairpur (1783–1955), many Udasi darbars were constructed and Udasi saints were accepted to settle in the state.

A darbar at Godhu Shah in Khairpur (known as the Godhu Shah Darbar, Nanga Darbar, or Gurpota Darbar) is believed to have been founded by a grandson of one of the Sikh gurus (Gurpota) whom became an Udasi under the guidance of a mahant, it is associated with the Nanga sect of Udasis. Another Udasi saint who spread the faith in Sindh was Rai Sahib Gokal Singh, who established a darbar in Gokalpur Kot in Garhi Yashin. Baba Wasti Ram, an Udasi saint, established a darbar in Garhi Yasin town. Baba Wasti Ram and his successors, Baba Khushi Ram Sahib (a talented mystic), Baba Agya Ram (established a darbar in Aurangabad village), and Baba Piyara Ram (established in a darbar in Maari village), spread the Udasi teachings in the Shikarpur area. One prominent Udasi saint, Bankhandi, originally from either Nepal or near Delhi, was the founder of Sadh Belo in Sukkur, Sindh in 1823.

In recent times, veneration of the folkdeity Jhulelal has crept into the practices of Udasi darbars in Sindh. The liberal attitude of Sindhi Muslims may have helped the Udasis take root in Sindh rather than being pushed out on the basis of religious intolerance and persecution.

The most well-known Udasi darbars of Sindh are:

• Baba Bankhandi Darbar at Sadh Belo, Sukkur
• Baba Sarup Das Darbar (alias Halani Darbar) at Naushero Feroz
• Khushi Ram Darbar at Rohri
• Samad Udasin at Shikarpur
• Chhat Darbar at Shikarpur
• Wadi Darbar at Pir Jo Goth
• Jumna Das Darbar

Nanakpanthis

Sikhs from the Punjab may have settled in Sindh during the 16th century to escape persecution, and they and their descendants gradually formed the basis of the Nanakpanthi community. Guru Nanak reportedly traveled through Sindh, reaching the Shikarpur area and impacting local spirituality. In the 1881 and 1891 Indian censuses, the Sindhi Hindu community could not decide to identify as Hindu or Sikh. Many Sindhi Nanakpanthis migrated to India during the 1947 partition, and are found in the states of Maharashtra, Gujarat, and Rajasthan. Many Sindhi Hindus in India and Pakistan admire Guru Nanak and regularly visit gurudwaras. A Sindhi temple typically houses the Guru Granth Sahib and images of Hindu deities. A Nanakpanthi temple is known as a tikano or tikana (a term also used for Sewapanthi temples). They are prevalent in Sindh, where religious syncretism of Hinduism and Sikhism is observed and religious boundaries become blurry and ill-defined. A tikana usually houses a copy of the Guru Granth Sahib alongside images of Indic deities.

References

1. ^ "Sikhism in Sindh". Regional perspectives on India's Partition: Shifting the Vantage Points. Anjali Gera Roy, Nandi Bhatia. Taylor & Francis. May 4, 2023. ISBN 9781000829242.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: others (link)
2. Takhar, Opinderjit Kaur; Jakobsh, Doris R. (2023). Global Sikhs: Histories, Practices and Identities. Routledge Critical Sikh Studies. Taylor & Francis. ISBN 9781000847352. Unlike Sufi shrines, the Sindhi mandir has escaped academic attention in the tracing of pre-partition syncretic traditions partially because of the geographical boundaries of Sikh and Panjab studies. The history of Sikhism in Sindh and the appeal of particular forms of Sikhism among Sindhi mandir can provide a glimpse into the co-existence of Sikh and Hindu practices in the Sindhi mandir. It was Richard F. Burton who, in his book Sindh & the Races that Inhabit the Valley of the Indus (1851), "describes the curious mix of Hindu and Sikh practices among Sindhi Hindus". He observes that "they show a general tendency towards the faith of Nanak Shah, and that many castes have so intermingled the religion of the Sikhs with their original Hinduism, that we can scarcely discern the line of demarcation (1851)." The historical reason for the prevalence of these syncretic practices in Sindh was due to the Sindhis being introduced to Sikhism by the Udasi panth popularized by Guru Nanak's son Sri Chand whose followers are known as Nanakpanthi Sikhs in Sindh. Nanakpanth refers to Sikhs who follow the teachings of Guru Nanak without observing the five Ks prescribed for Khalsa Sikhs and do not find Hinduism as conflictual with Sikhism. Unlike Nanakpanthis who follow the rituals of Hinduism, performed idol worship and are Hindus except that they kept Guru Granth Sahib in their places of worship, new categories of sikhs in Sindh who describe themselves as Gursikhs claim to bow their heads only in front of the Guru Granth Sahib.
3. Kalhoro, Zulfiqar Ali (26 May 2013). "The Sikhs of Sindh". Originally published on The Friday Times, republished on SikhChic.
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9. ^ Kalhoro, Zulfiqar Ali (14 December 2018). "Udasi Sikh Saints of Sindh". Originally published on The Friday Times, republished on Academia.edu.
10. Takhar, Opinderjit Kaur; Jakobsh, Doris R. (2023). Global Sikhs: Histories, Practices and Identities. Routledge Critical Sikh Studies. Taylor & Francis. ISBN 9781000847352. Unlike Sufi shrines, the Sindhi mandir has escaped academic attention in the tracing of pre-partition syncretic traditions partially because of the geographical boundaries of Sikh and Panjab studies. The history of Sikhism in Sindh and the appeal of particular forms of Sikhism among Sindhi mandir can provide a glimpse into the co-existence of Sikh and Hindu practices in the Sindhi mandir. It was Richard F. Burton who, in his book Sindh & the Races that Inhabit the Valley of the Indus (1851), "describes the curious mix of Hindu and Sikh practices among Sindhi Hindus". He observes that "they show a general tendency towards the faith of Nanak Shah, and that many castes have so intermingled the religion of the Sikhs with their original Hinduism, that we can scarcely discern the line of demarcation (1851)." The historical reason for the prevalence of these syncretic practices in Sindh was due to the Sindhis being introduced to Sikhism by the Udasi panth popularized by Guru Nanak's son Sri Chand whose followers are known as Nanakpanthi Sikhs in Sindh. Nanakpanth refers to Sikhs who follow the teachings of Guru Nanak without observing the five Ks prescribed for Khalsa Sikhs and do not find Hinduism as conflictual with Sikhism. Unlike Nanakpanthis who follow the rituals of Hinduism, performed idol worship and are Hindus except that they kept Guru Granth Sahib in their places of worship, new categories of sikhs in Sindh who describe themselves as Gursikhs claim to bow their heads only in front of the Guru Granth Sahib.
11. Jatt, Zahida. (2018). Devotion Transcending Regional Boundaries: An Exploration of the Origin, Adaption and Development of Udasipanth in Sindh. https://www.researchgate.net/publication/322343647_Devotion_Transcending_Regional_Boundaries_An_Exploration_of_the_Origin_Adaption_and_Development_of_Udasipanth_in_Sindh
12. Falzon, M. A. (2022-07-25). Selling Anything Anywhere: Sindhis and Global Trade. Penguin Random House India Private Limited. ISBN 978-93-5492-578-8.
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19. Jatt, Zahida. (2018). Devotion Transcending Regional Boundaries: An Exploration of the Origin, Adaption and Development of Udasipanth in Sindh. https://www.researchgate.net/publication/322343647_Devotion_Transcending_Regional_Boundaries_An_Exploration_of_the_Origin_Adaption_and_Development_of_Udasipanth_in_Sindh
20. ^ Singh, Bhupinder (October 2020). "Nanakpanthis". Abstracts of Sikh Studies. XXII (4). Institute of Sikh Studies.
21. Albinia, Alice (21 June 2012). Empires of the Indus: The Story of a River. John Murray Press. ISBN 978-1-84854-786-5.
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27. ^ Kalhoro, Zulfiqar Ali (26 May 2013). "The Sikhs of Sindh". Originally published on The Friday Times, republished on SikhChic.
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31. Kalhoro, Zulfiqar Ali (25 May 2018). "Muslim saints and their Hindu devotees". Originally published on The Friday Times, republished on Academia.edu.