Singh Sabha Movement
The Singh Sabha Movement was a Sikh movement begun in the late 19th century in reaction to the proselytizing activities of Hindus and Christians.[1] The movement's aims were the revival of the Sikh Gurus' teachings, the production of religious literature in the Punjabi language using the Gurmukhi script, and a campaign to increase literacy.[1]
After the annexation of the Sikh Empire by the British Raj in 1849, Christian missionaries increased proselytizing activities in central Punjab. In 1853, Maharajah Dalip Singh, the last Sikh ruler, was controversially converted to Christianity. Harnam Singh, a Sikh aristocrat from Kapurthala converted soon after the Maharaja. The British Government decided in 1886 against his return to India or his re-embracing Sikhism. Despite protests from the India Office, he set sail for 'home' on 30 March 1886. However, he was intercepted and arrested in Aden, where the writ of the Governor General of India began. He could not be stopped from an informal re-conversion ceremony in Aden, far less grand and symbolic than it would have been in India, done by emissaries. He therefore returned to Sikhism.
See also [edit]
References [edit]
- ^ a b "Singh Sabha (Sikhism) Britannica Online Encyclopedia". Encyclopædia Britannica Online. Retrieved 18 September 2010.
