Baba Dyal Singh

Baba Dayal Singh (1783-1855) was a Sahajdhari Sikh whose main mission was to bring Sikhs back to the Adi Granth and simran. His successor Baba Darbara Singh established many centres beyond Rawalpindi and wrote about the essential teachings of Baba Dayal. The sect had grown considerably and the third successor, Sahib Rattaji (1870-1909) kept the Nirankaris in order via strict adherence to their rahit (Khalsa code of conduct). At this time they numbered in the thousands and some had taken interest in the Singh Sabha movements (see entries on Singh Sabhas), under the fourth successor Baba Gurdit Singh. The Nirankaris helped to bring the Anand Marriage Bill in 1908-9 to the attention of the Sikh populace. Their fifth Guru Sahib Hara Singh (1877-1971) started to reorganise the sangat and was succeeded by his eldest son Baba Gurbakhsh Singh. However because their emphasis was largely upon Guru Nanak's message, and the times were dominated by Singh Sabha Sikhs emphasising Guru Gobind Singh's Khalsa, their voices went unheard. This was exacerbated by the shift from Sahajdhari (shaven) to Keshdhari (unshaven) Sikhs. Finally with their inability to keep in step with the tumultuous social changes of the British Raj they were soon marginalised.

Sahib Hara Singh's younger son, *Dr. Man Singh Nirankari (1912- 2010), who retired as the principal of the Amritsar medical College, has continued popularizing the teachings of Baba Dayal Das. He is known throughout Punjab because of his newspaper columns, and because of the many books that he has written, including a few on Baba Dayal and the Nirankaris. He was instrumental in setting up the Nirnarki Gurudwara in Chandigarh, after partition. He brought with him from Pakistan a large number of Sikh manuscripts. He donated these to the *Government Museum and Art gallery in Chandigarh in order to encourage scholarly research. After his death, his grandson Angad Chowdhry is said to continue his work.

Baba Dyal Das's Nirankari sect are the original Nirankaris and different from the Sant Nirankari Mission and should not be confused with it. In 1978 Sant Nirankari Mission were excommunicated by Akal Takht, the Sikh Religious Authority for their belief in a living Guru after the Guru Granth Sahib. Baba Dyal Das's Nirankari are respected for their contribution to Singh Sabha reform movement.

The primary beliefs of the Nirankari sect are: worship of a formless god 'Nirankar', a disdain for 'empty' ritual, a return to the original teachings of the Adi Granth. Politically they try to distance themselves from the hegemony of the Khalsa in Sikh religious practice.