Bhatra Sikhs

for the town in Bangladesh see Bhatra, Bangladesh

The Bhat community, also known as the Sangat community, are a people of Indo Aryan descent comprised majorly of Sikhs. Today in the United Kingdom there are significant numbers of Sikhs with Bhat ancestry, as there are in India. The Bhat Sikhs were amongst the first followers of Guru Nanak who are also believed to have traveled with him as far away as Sri Lanka. In the Punjab most Bhat Sikhs are now in Patiala, Amritsar, Hoshiarpur, Gurdaspur or Bhathinda districts, or in Jalandhar or Chandigarh; elsewhere in India they tend to live in cities, particularly Delhi and Calcutta.

Introduction to the Bhat Sikhs

Bhat tradition and Sikh text states their ancestors came from Punjab, where the Raja Shivnabh and his kingdom became the original 16th century followers of Guru Nanak, the founder of Sikhism. The Raja's grandson Baba Changa earned the title ‘Bhat Rai’ - the ‘Raja of Poets, and then settled himself and his followers all over India as missionaries where many Sikhs and general Indians became Bhat Sikhs. They also contributed 123 compositions in the Sri Guru Granth Sahib..The Bhat people are not considered as a caste in the typical sense but a group within Sikhism created by Guru Nanak which is not shackled by the caste system, a sangat whose members are from all areas of the Sikh caste spectrum. today modern bhat sikhs are commonly known to have a huge amount of wealth which they hugely donate to various gudwaras.

In the 17th century some religious Bhat went to fight as "warrior-saints" against Mughal persecution in the Khalsa campaign inspired by Guru Gobind Singh Ji. Since many Bhat lived as travelling missionaries, their mobility led them to depend on occupations which did not require a settled life.

By the 19th century Bhat was the name of a caste or jati within the Indian tradition of social classes, each with its own occupation. Even though Sikhism itself does not support separation by caste, the social system meant that the Bhat followed a hereditary profession of itinerant salesman, while some also foretold the future, if they were considered to have clairvoyant ability. They have been praised for business acumen, described as people with “a spirit of enterprise”. They were a small group: so small that even in the Punjab many people did not know of them. Though some lived in Lahore, many Bhat can trace their roots to villages around Sialkot and Gurdaspur Districts.

Origins

Many Bhats consider themselves a sangat (fellowship) which originated with Guru Nanak's visit to Sri Lanka. According to the Sikh Encyclopedia, Bhat is related to the Sanskrit word bhatta, a bard or poet. The Encyclopedia says that "more than one story is current about their origin".

Baba Changa Rai

One tradition says that the Bhat people are descended from Changa Rai or Changa Bhat, a disciple of Guru Nanak's mentioned in the Janamsakhis. A congregation led by a teacher called Baba Changa Rai is described in an old document called the Haqiqat Rah Muqam. The Sikh Encyclopedia discusses a possible link between Bhat Sikhs and Changa Bhat of Sri Lanka, who became a disciple of Guru Nanak Dev Ji. One suggestion is that he added Bhat to his name and spread the word of Guru Nanak to his followers, who also became known as Bhat.

Raja Shivnabh

Another tradition says that Guru Nanak visited Sri Lanka during 1574 and met Raja Shivnabh, who was the grandfather of Changa Rai in this account of Bhat origins. The Guru bestowed the title of sangat on the Raja and his people, united seven kingdoms and made the Raja Shivnabh leader of them all. Some scholars consider the Raja was the ruler of Batticaloa. One suggestion is that the meeting of Guru Nanak and Changa Bhat took place about 12 miles south of his meeting with the Raja.

Sri Lanka

M.S. Ahluwalia, a Senior Fellow at the Indian Council of Historical Research, New Delhi, offers historical evidence for Guru Nanak's presence in Sri Lanka, probably in the year 1510. Many scholars, though not all, agree that the Guru visited Sri Lanka on his travels. Some jatt clans are known to have originated from Sri Lanka

Challenges to Theory of Origin

A place called Singaldeep or Sangladeep is often mentioned in 'Hakikat-Rah-Mukaam-Shivnabh-Raje-Ki' and is stated to be in Sri Lanka. A few scholars dispute the idea that there was ever a ruler of Singladeep called Shivnabh (Sivnabh). Another claim is that extensive study in the early 20th century showed that Bhat did not in fact originate from Sri Lanka, and the Bhat Sangat was created in the Punjab by one of Guru Nanak Dev Ji's disciples who came from that area.

Bhat Sikhs In The United Kingdom

Bhat Sikhs started to arrive in the United Kingdom in the 1920s, but most immigrated in the late 1940s or 1950s.

In the 1920s some men travelled to Britain to work as door-to-door salesmen, most leaving their families in the Punjab to begin with. By the time of the Second World War there were a few hundred Sikhs clustered in British seaports like Cardiff, Bristol, and Southampton. Some returned to India when war broke out, but others stayed on and used contacts with Punjabi merchant seamen to import scarce goods.

Partition

The Partition of India in 1947 led many Sikhs to emigrate, and the Bhat population in the UK was greatly enlarged. Later arrivals tended to join relatives, friends and neighbours from the Punjab, so that some British Bhat communities have links to one or two particular villages. Difficult journeys following Partition are not forgotten. The Edinburgh Sikh women's group (Sikh Sanjog) has exhibited artwork telling the story of leaving the Punjab and arriving in a strange land. A 2001 obituary of a senior figure in the Cardiff Bhat community described the trials of leaving northern India in turbulent times.

Jobs

The traditional Bhat profession of itinerant salesman was useful to those arriving in the UK, and was "a skill with considerable potential". At first most Bhat, like some other Sikhs, worked either as doorstep or market traders (working with the Khatri community), but some settled in big cities like Leeds or Birmingham, gave up self-employment and took waged jobs in industry. (At this time many educated immigrants to Britain had difficulty finding employment suited to their qualifications and experience, because of racial and/or cultural prejudice.)

Bhat traders gradually moved into other roles as self-employed businessmen, often specialising in retailing. By the end of the 1950s selling door-to-door was less common and many British Bhat Sikhs moved towards commercial enterprises like market stalls, shops, supermarkets and wholesale warehouses. Nowadays the younger Bhata generation are represented in many varied professions from doctors to accountants, from engineers to lawyers.

In the 1920s some men travelled to Britain to work as door-to-door salesmen, most leaving their families in the Punjab to begin with. By the time of the Second World War there were a few hundred Sikhs clustered in British seaports like Cardiff, Bristol, and Southampton. Some returned to India when war broke out, but others stayed on and used contacts with Punjabi merchant seamen to import scarce goods.

‘One group of Sikhs who kept their turbans were a group called Bhartedas (sic)’.

The Bhat Sikhs are the pioneer Sikh community to migrate to Britain. Whilst most men from other Sikh communities were finding a foothold in Britain in the early 1950‘s, the Bhats had already established themselves as a settled community all over Britain in port towns and cities.

Gurdwaras

When possible the Bhat community has established its own Gurdwaras (temples), the first of which was opened in Manchester in 1953. As of 2006 there are more than 30 Bhat or Bhat Sikh temples in the UK, the newest being the one opened in Peterborough in 2004. In some British towns Bhats are a small proportion of the overall Sikh population (in Glasgow 5%); elsewhere, as in Edinburgh, they are in the majority.

The London Bhat Community

The Bhat Gurdwaras in the UK are sometimes linked with ongoing community projects. The site of the first Sangat Bhat Gurdwara in London, in Mile End Bow in Campbell Road, is still in service and of interest to social historians. The Community also moved to a retired Synagogue in a Grade Two listed building in Harley Grove, East London, recognised as a fine example of Jewish Architecture and visited by Jewish historians. This fits with Sikh beliefs in tolerance and respect for other cultures. The Harley Grove Gurdwara has large Vasakhi celebrations at the Sikh New Year, and is a focal point for Bhat Sikhs in London. This Community is led by Trustee Gurupashad Bance, a business man and community leader who currently sits on the UK National Governing Sikh Council, and has pioneered active Sikh and civic engagement.

The Leeds Bhat Community

Gurdwara Guru Hargobind Sahib ji, Potternewton Mansion, was recently established by the Bhat Sangat in Leeds; mainly consisting of the families of the following: S Hazara Singh Rathore, S Jagdish Singh Rathore (Pardaan), S Ranjit Singh Rathore, S Jaswant Singh Rathore(Secretary), S Himmat Singh Landa,S Sher Singh Landa, Surjit Singh Rathore, Valleti Singh Digwa, Sroop Singh Rathore and many others. It is a grade two listed building, situated in Potternewton Park. The Gurdwara Sahib is in an excellent location with good transport links and good car parking facilities. The building has been a Gurdwara since March 2006, it was Park Lane college before the building was bought.

On Sunday 13 April 2008, The new building of Gurdwara Kalgidhar Sahib ji was opened just in time for Vaisakhi thanks to the efforts of its hardworking Sangat who made this possible. The new building replaces 138 Chapeltown Road which had been previous Gurdwara building for 21 years.

The previous Gurdwara Sahib, Gurdwara Kalgidhar Sahib was established by a few members of the Bhat Sangat around 21 years ago. These included S Mehlia Singh Rathore, S Boota Tehl Singh Rathore, S Jaswant Singh Rathore,S Sapuran Singh Digwa,S Sardar Singh Sathi,S Sher Singh Sathi, S Bahadur Singh Landa and some others. It was previously Gurdwara Ramgarhia Board.

The very first Sikh Gurdwara in Leeds, on Chapeltown Road, was established with the help of many Bhat Sikhs. These included, S Mehlia Singh Rathore, S Boota Tehl Singh Rathore, S Sardar Singh Rathore, S Hazara Singh Rathore, S Niranjan Singh Landa, Akali Balwant Singh Landa S Sapuran Singh Digwa,S Sardar Singh Sathi, S Tehl Singh Digwa, Bahadur Singh Landa. Indeed, these people wereamong the first Sikh settlers in Leeds.

few months ago there was an article placed on wikipedia and it critisized the shri kalgidhar sahib ji gurdwara committy... i put it to you all that the coward who placed this article was VIJANT SINGH SWALI!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

The Edinburgh Bhat Commuinty

In 1964 The first Gurdwara in Edinburgh was established at 7 Hope Terrace,Leith, Edinburgh. The House belonged to two brothers Gholu Singh Roudh and Mangal Singh Khanda Roudh, who donated the property to be used as a Gurdwara by the Sikh Community.Furthermore they were the first Sikh settlers in Scotland. Also check the link to this at Bhatra.co.uk Roudh

Bhat Sikhs in The United States of America

The first Bhat Sikh in U.S.A was Vilati Singh Rathour. He originally had the surname Rathore, although because of spelling changed to Rathour. He came from Sialkot, Punjab before the Partition. His brothers decided to move to the United Kingdom, while he decided to move to America.

There are a sizable number of Bhat Sikhs in the United States. The number increases as immigrants from India obtain visas and move in with relatives or acquaintances.

They tend not to have a tangible occupations, commonly doing any job that comes their way. They also do lapti, or tingin which is haggling or bargaining. As noted above, the American Bhat community are very good with money. They tend to make a sizable amount of money by fortune-telling or conning people.

The majority of American Bhat Sikhs tend to have arranged marriages although that is changing.

Bhat Sangat name groups

The Names of the Jarth came from certain tribal groups with names representing animals like dragons, lions, tigers and elephants.

Bhat Sikhs consist of 2 groups, who at around the 16th and 17th century started travelling and preaching Sikhism around India separately and overtime, formed two Bhat groups, Darewal and Landervaser. The Landervaser are from a village farming background.

Most of the Punjabis from all walks of life that embraced Guru Nanak’s teachings from hearing the Bards of these travellers, joined the Bhat Sikhs and became Sikhs. Hence Bhat Sikh surnames include those from Khatris.

• Aboee
• Athangal
• Ark
• Amlawat
• Aulak
• Bagga
• Bagri
• Bahia
• Baidwan
• Bajya
• Bala
• Balhara
• Balyan
• Bains
• Bance
• Bath/Badh
• Bhai
• Bhagat
• Bhaker/Bhakar/Prabhakar
• Bhatti
• Bhikha
• Bana
• Bandechha
• Bansi
• Barham
• Barhama
• Bariana
• Bath/Badh
• Basati
• Basra
• Basrai
• Basran
• Bharat
• Bhari
• Bhati / Bhatti / Bhatia
• Bhattal
• Bhandal
• Bhoot
• Bhukar
• Bhullar
• Bhana

• Chatha
• Chadhar
• Chughtai
• Chilka
• Chima
• Chahal
• Chhokar, Chokar
• Chanana
• Chohan
• Changa
• Chauhan

• Digpal/Digwa
• Das
• Daska
• Derewal
• Dhoni
• Dara
• Dehr
• Dehal
• Dev
• Deo
• Dhaka
• Dadrai
• Dhanesar
• Dhankhar
• Dharan
• Dharni
• Dhadwar

• Gami
• Gaurrh
• Gill
• Grewal
• Goojra/Gojrah
• Gola
• Gaina
• Gakhal
• Gandas
• Gandhar
• Godara
• Gora
• Goraya

• Jaswal
• Janjua
• Jogi
• Jajra
• Jakhar
• Jakhu
• Jande
• Jewlia
• Jhaal
• Jhaj
• JhajjJhajharia
• Jhandi
• Jhammat
• Jhuj
• Josan
• Joon

• Kag
• Khalsa
• Khalsi
• Kasbia/Kasba
• Kirat
• Kaumi
• Karwasra
• Katewa
• Katyal
• Karir
• Kehal
• Khagwal
• Khainwar
• Khainwar
• Landa
• Ladh/Lad
• Larr
• Lohia
• Luddu
• Lakhat

• Mangawa
• Mangat
• Maun
• Mavi
• Mehmi
• Mehndi/Mendhi
• Minocha
• Moit
• Mohar
• Monga
• Mundi
• Mungut
• Mattu
• Madho
• Makhan
• Manku
• Neer/Paneer/Keer
• Nandra/Nanra
• Nain
• Nandal
• Nantaal
• Natt
• Nanda
• Potiwal
• Pall
• Pardesi
• Parhar
• Parmar
• Patel
• Pawar
• Phalaswal
• Phagura
• Phangureh
• Phogat
• Phoolka
• Pilania

• Palak
• Palrwal
• Palsania
• Panaich
• Panag

• Rai
• Roudh
• Rana
• Rangila
• Rathore/Swali)
• Rattan
• Rao
• Rajian
• Rakkar
• Randhawa
• Ranjha
• Raina
• Rawat
• Redhu
• Rahan
• Riar

• Sabarwal
• Saharan
• Sahasi
• Sahi
• Sahota
• Sandha
• Sandhar
• Suwali/Swali
• Sagar
• Sathi
• Shad
• Sharma/bhaker
• Sheri
• Soroya

• Taak
• Tar
• Thariwal
• Toda
• Toor
• Thathaal
• Thenua
• Thor

• Vaire

These help to stop the families getting married to their own relatives. It is not acceptable to marry someone who has the same father's family name.

Culture

Commentators have found Bhat Sikhs pride themselves on an orthodox approach to their religion, and many have more conservative attitudes than other Sikhs. Though Sikhism supports equality for women, a generation ago researchers found some Bhat girls were withdrawn from English schools before the official leaving age of 16, and their fathers said they wanted to "prepare them for marriage, e.g. train them in cooking, housekeeping, embroidery and sewing". While this may no longer be the case, some still feel that girls should be preparing for marriage and motherhood.

Food

Sharing food or Langar is important in Sikhism, and each Gurdwara has a community centre with its own kitchen.

Marriage

Marriages arranged by the couple's parents are common. Sikh Bhat believe that by arranging their son's or daughter's marriage they will be able to ensure that their son/daughter will be matched up with the right partner, the right family and hopefully have a stable and happy future. Another reason for doing this, for Bhat and many other communities, is to keep tradition, culture and religion alive. In most cases parents will accompany the son/daughter when finding their partner as the parents usually help in finding a suitable match. In 1999 arranged marriages were found to be almost the rule in some UK Bhat communities (for instance, Edinburgh) while elsewhere about half of Bhat Sikh marriages are arranged by the parents (for instance, Birmingham). This is similar to the frequency of arranged marriage in other UK Asian communities.

The typical age of marriage in the Bhat community is younger than in the UK as a whole, although there are signs of change as more go into higher education or focus on careers. Most Sikh marriages in the UK involve members of the same caste. Wedding ceremonies in their various stages may last up to two weeks or more. The BBC filmed a Bhat wedding in 1997 which was a "blind marriage" involving a bride and groom who had not seen each other before the ceremony. These are becoming rare and involve only a small minority of Sikhs.

Some wedding ceremonies take 3 days and involve close relatives staying at the groom's family home.

Names for relationships within the family

• Bapu - Papa: Father, Grandfather
• Bebe - Bube - Ma: Mother, Grandmother
• Chacha - Chuche: Younger than Father
• Taa-ya - Theuy: Older than Father
• Phuphurh: Uncle To Sister
• Parjayi: Brother's Wife
• Pehnji - Didi: Sister
• Jija: Sisters Husband
• Veer ji - Bhaji: Brother

Further information

See also: List of Sikhism-related topics

Prince Charles has a long-term interest in Sikhism and has met Bhat Sikhs in various parts of the UK, praising their community work in Manchester.

Other Sikhs in the UK

Although Sikhism does not support the old Indian caste system, in the UK there are some tensions between Jat Sikhs and Bhat Sikhs which probably have an element of leftover caste prejudice although this is only in political matters over Sikh Gurdwaras and not against the two ethnicitys as most Bhat sikhs are of Jat origin. Jat Sikhs are the biggest group of the approximately 600,000 Sikhs in the UK, though in the first half of the 20th century they and the Bhat Sikhs had equal numbers of people in the country. The Jats worked as "door-knock" salesmen then too, though it was not their traditional occupation (farming). Ramgharia Sikhs (traditionally wood workers and craftsmen) are another sizeable group.

Films and music

See also: Music of Punjab

Actors, films, music and musicians which may be of special interest to Sikhs in the UK include:

• Baleah Baleh - a traditional Punjabi folk-singer
• Gandhi - the film directed by Richard Attenborough which portrays the Amritsar massacre
• Films with Gurdas Maan
• Dholki drumming - a traditional art
• Jasbir Singh Bhogal, tabla player
• Rhythm Dhol Bass (RDB), a Bhangra group
• Mehsopuria, a Bhangra singer
• Daljit Neer, singer, writer, media, radio, tv presenter
• Onkar Singh, London based Stand Up Comic

Historical figures

See also: List of prominent Sikhs

People of historical importance for Sikhs in the UK include:

• Mata Sahib Kaur

Bibliography

• Desh Pradesh, Differentiation and Disjunction among the Sikhs in South Asian Experience in Britain (1994) ed. Roger Ballard
• Roger Ballard, The Growth and Changing Character of the Sikh Presence in Britain in The South Asian Religious Diaspora in Britain, Canada, and the United States (2000), ed. Harold Coward, Raymond Brady Williams, John R Hinnells
• Roger Ballard, Migration,Remittances, Economic Growth and Poverty Reduction: Reflections on the basis of South Asian Experience
• R and C Ballard, The Sikhs: the development of South Asian settlements in Britain in Between Two Cultures ed. JL Watson (1977)
• P Ghuman, Bhattra Sikhs in Cardiff: Family and Kinship Organization. New Community (1980) 8, 3.
• Marie Gillespie, Television, Ethnicity and Cultural Change (Routledge 1995)
• Malory Nye, A Place for Our Gods: The Construction of an Edinburgh Hindu Temple Community (1995)
• Eleanor Nesbitt, Sikhism: A Very Short Introduction (OUP 2005) ISBN 0-19-280601-7
• Difference within Sikh Communities
• Sikh settlers in Britain (includes material on caste and on "Bhattra")
• The Sikh Encyclopedia

External links

• Bhatra.co.uk - includes unique content on the early decades in the UK - collection of photographs
• Bhatra in the UK before Partition
• Sikh Sanjog
• Sikh Directory UK - includes Bhatra Gurdwaras
• Cardiff Bhatra Gurdwara
• Bhat Sikh Community in Peterborough

Bhat Sikh Community In Doncaster

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