Singh Sabha Movement

The Singh Sabha Movement was a Sikh movement that began in Punjab in the 1870s in reaction to the proselytising activities of Christians, Brahmo Samajis, Arya Samaj, Muslim Aligarh movement and Ahmadiyah.[1] The movement was founded in an era when Sikh Empire had been dissolved and annexed by the colonial British, Khalsa had lost its prestige, and mainstream Sikhs were rapidly converting to other religions.[1] The movement's aims were, according to Barrier and Singh, to "propagate the true Sikh religion and restore Sikhism to its pristine glory; to write and distribute historical and religious books of Sikhs; to propagate Gurmukhi Punjabi through magazines and media". The movement sought to reform Sikhism and bring back into 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.[1][2]

The British East India Company annexed the Sikh Empire in 1849 after the Second Anglo-Sikh War. Thereafter, Christian missionaries increased proselytising activities in central Punjab. In 1853, Maharajah Dalip Singh, the last Sikh ruler, was controversially converted to Christianity. In parallel, Brahmo Samaji and Arya Samaji reform movements of Hinduism began active pursuit of Sikhs into their suddhi ceremonies. Muslim proselytizers formed the Anjuman-i-Islamia midst the Sikhs in Lahore, while the Ahmadiyah movement sought converts to their faith.[1][2]

Sikhs initiated the Singh Sabha movement, which sought to revive Sikhism. Its first meeting was in the Golden Temple, Amritsar in 1873, and it was largely launched by the Sanatan Sikhs, Gianis, priests, and granthis.[3] Shortly thereafter, Nihang Sikhs began influencing the movement, followed by a sustained campaign by Tat Khalsa. The movement became a struggle between Sanatan Sikhs and Tat Khalsa in defining and interpreting Sikhism.[4][5][6]

Sanatan Sikhs led by Khem Singh Bedi – a direct descendant of Guru Nanak, Avtar Singh Vahiria and others supported a more inclusive approach, while Tat Khalsa campaigned for an exclusive approach to the Sikh identity stressing that Sikhs were neither Hindus nor Muslims. The movement expanded in north and northwest Indian subcontinent.[6][4] According to Pashaura Singh, the Singh Sabha movement had three groups and viewpoints on Sikhism:

  1. Khem Singh Bedi led Amritsar Singh Sabha campaigned for recognizing the significance of Khalsa initiation and Sikh identity, they also supported the need for living guru, the concept of divine incarnations and that the Hindu and Sikh society were indivisible;[7]
  2. Teja Singh led Bhasaur Singh Sabha campaigned for the radical approach where anyone not baptized as Khalsa should not be considered a Sikh, and any discussion of Hindu-Sikh relationship was an insult to the Sikhs;[7]
  3. Gurmukh Singh led Lahore Singh Sabha, later to morph into Tat Khalsa, campaigned for considering only the ten Sikh Gurus and the Guru Granth Sahib as the source of Sikh beliefs and practice, and while Khalsa initiation was ideal but those who had not gone through initiation were indivisible part of the Sikh community if they accepted the Sikh scripture as their Guru. To Gurmukh Singh, the question of Hindu-Sikh relationship was an irrelevant question.[7]

By the start of the 20th century, there were about 100 Singh Sabhas. The dispute between Sanatan Sikhs and Tat Khalsa within the Singh Sabha movement intensified over the decades. By the early decades of the 20th century, the influence of Tat Khalsa increased in interpreting the nature of Sikhism and their control over the Sikh Gurdwaras.[6][4][8] Tat Khalsa actions and views ultimately prevailed. Its agents removed the historic idols and the images of Sikh gurus from the Golden Temple in 1905, calling it anti-Sikh and their action as a means to purify the Sikh identity.[9] According to Oberoi, the Singh Sabha movement had a lasting impact on Sikhism by "eradicating all forms of religious diversity within Sikhism" and "establishing uniform norms of religious orthodoxy and orthopraxy". In contrast, Singh states that while Sikhs did embrace Hindu practices in its history, the premise that Sikh identity was always fluid is questionable; the Singh Sabha movement's impact was more complex.[7]

Khalsa Diwans

Once the Singh Sabha movement started, many Singh sabhas began forming locally all over northwest through the 1870s and 1880s. Of these, the Lahore and the Amritsar units were more intense, triggering a series of attacks and counter-attacks against each other. Sikh public leaders then formed a central committee and a General Sabha in 1880. On April 11 1883, this General Sabha evolved into Khalsa Diwan Amritsar, with about 37 affiliated local Singh Sabha chapters, according to Gurdarshan Singh. Other Singh Sabhas, however, opposed it and there were also internal dissensions. The Singh Sabha chapters could not agree on its constitution or its leadership structure, ultimately leading to a split into Khalsa Diwan Amritsar with about 7 chapters and Khalsa Diwan Lahore with about 30 chapters. Each had "greatly different" constitution, in nature and composition, states Gurdarshan Singh.[10]

In the 1890s, Sikhs groups formed many Khalsa Diwans in towns and cities, while rural groups formed their own Sikh Sabhas. By 1902, there were over 150 Singh Sabhas and Khalsa diwans in existence. Another attempt brought 29 of these Khalsa Diwans and other Sikh societies under a Chief Khalsa Diwan. It was officially registered and recognized by the colonial British government on July 9 1904. The new body was financially supported by the affiliated Singh sabhas, and Sikh aristocrats. It also attracted dedicated Sikh preachers or Updeshak. By 1920, the Chief Khalsa Diwan oversaw 105 affiliates. It developed an elaborate structure with the Chief Khalsa Diwan having three types of advisors and various committees, all paid a monthly salary from dues collected from the affiliates and members.[11] While Sikh newspapers championed the Chief Khalsa Diwan and the British colonial government recognized it as representing the entire Sikh community and all the Sikh Sabhas, in late 1900s and throughout 1910s significant internal disagreements led important Sikh activists to challenge the authority of the Chief Diwan Khalsa.[12]

According to J.S. Grewal, while there were disagreements, the Singh Sabhas and Diwans were all concerned with religious reform and to collectively addressing the growing threat from Christian missionaries who were converting Sikhs into Christians, after the much-publicized celebrity conversions earlier such as of Maharaja Dalip Singh and Kanwar Harnam Singh Ahluwalia.[13] Sikh publications by the various Sikh Sabhas expressed their fear for the Sikh identity in early 20th-century given the success of the Christian missionaries, as well the rising threat of Muslim and Arya Samaj proselytization efforts.[13][14] The Sikh leaders were concerned about Christian missionary schools targeting the Sikh youth. They welcomed the English language education but opposed the Christian theology that was also being taught in these schools.[13]

In 1919, the internal disagreements led some Sikh leaders to form the Central Sikh League, while in 1920 the Shiromani Gurdwara Prabandhak Committee emerged for the same reasons.[12] In 1932, a general meeting of the Sikhs formed the Khalsa Darbar as an attempt to form a united front triggered by the colonial British government's Communal Award of seats to the Punjab Legislative Council. The Central Sikh League formed in 1919 merged into the Khalsa Darbar. However, in 1937, the Sikhs split into Shiromani Akali Dal and Congressite Sikhs.[15] The Singh Sabhas of the late 19th-century were overwhelmed by these organizations as Britain attempted to gain Indian soldiers for their World War II efforts and from the dynamics of religion-based political partition of the Indian subcontinent in the final decades of the colonial rule.[13][14]

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 NG Barrier and Nazar Singh (2015), Singh Sabha Movement, Encyclopedia of Sikhism, Harbans Singh (Editor in Chief), Punjab University
  2. 1 2 Editors of Encyclopedia Britannica (2010). "Singh Sabha (Sikhism)". Encyclopædia Britannica.
  3. ↑ Dr Harjinder Singh Dilgeer, SIKH HISTORY IN 10 VOLUMES, Sikh University Press, Belgium, published in 2012; vol 4, pp 49-69
  4. 1 2 3 Pashaura Singh; Louis E. Fenech (2014). The Oxford Handbook of Sikh Studies. Oxford University Press. pp. 28–29, 73–76. ISBN 978-0-19-969930-8.
  5. ↑ Arvind-Pal Singh Mandair (2013). Sikhism: A Guide for the Perplexed. Bloomsburg Academic. pp. 85–86. ISBN 978-1-4411-0231-7.
  6. 1 2 3 Louis E. Fenech; W. H. McLeod (2014). Historical Dictionary of Sikhism. Rowman & Littlefield. p. 273. ISBN 978-1-4422-3601-1.
  7. 1 2 3 4 Pashaura Singh; Louis E. Fenech (2014). The Oxford Handbook of Sikh Studies. Oxford University Press. pp. 29–30. ISBN 978-0-19-969930-8.
  8. ↑ Harjot Oberoi (1994). The Construction of Religious Boundaries: Culture, Identity, and Diversity in the Sikh Tradition. University of Chicago Press. pp. 382–383. ISBN 978-0-226-61593-6.
  9. ↑ Pashaura Singh; Louis E. Fenech (2014). The Oxford Handbook of Sikh Studies. Oxford University Press. pp. 329–330, 351–353. ISBN 978-0-19-969930-8.
  10. ↑ Singh, Mohinder (Editor); Singh, Gurdarshan (Author) (1988). History and Culture of Panjab. New Delhi: Atlantic Publishers & Distri. pp. 97–100. ISBN 9788171560783. Retrieved 22 August 2018.
  11. ↑ Singh, Mohinder (Editor); Singh, Gurdarshan (Author) (1988). History and Culture of Panjab. New Delhi: Atlantic Publishers & Distri. pp. 101–104, 108–112. ISBN 9788171560783. Retrieved 27 October 2017.
  12. 1 2 Singh, Mohinder (Editor); Singh, Jogindr (Author) (1988). History and Culture of Panjab. New Delhi: Atlantic Publishers & Distri. pp. 108–110. ISBN 9788171560783. Retrieved 22 August 2018.
  13. 1 2 3 4 J. S. Grewal (1998). The Sikhs of the Punjab. Cambridge University Press. pp. 145–149. ISBN 978-0-521-63764-0.
  14. 1 2 Kenneth W. Jones (1989). Socio-Religious Reform Movements in British India. Cambridge University Press. pp. 111–114. ISBN 978-0-521-24986-7.
  15. ↑ J. S. Grewal (1998). The Sikhs of the Punjab. Cambridge University Press. pp. 169–171. ISBN 978-0-521-63764-0.
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