Sewapanthi

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Sewapanth
ਸੇਵਾਪੰਥ
Fresco depicting Bhai Kanhaiya seated on a terrace leaning against a bolster with an inscription above his head from Sri Khat Wari Darbar, Shikarpur, Sindh
Founder
Bhai Kanhaiya
Regions with significant populations
Punjab • Sindh
Religions
Sikhism
Scriptures
Guru Granth Sahib
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Sewapanthi (Punjabi: ਸੇਵਾਪੰਥੀ; meaning "fellowship of service"[1]), alternatively spelt as Sevapanthi, and also known as Addanshahi,[2] is a traditional Sikh sect[3] or order (samparda) that was started by Bhai Kanhaiya, a personal follower of the ninth Sikh Guru, Guru Tegh Bahadur.[4][5] Kanhaiya was instructed by the Guru to go out and serve humanity, which he did by establishing a Dharmsala in the Attock district of Punjab and serving indiscriminately.[6] Sewa Panthis are also known as 'Addan Shahis'. This name is derived from one of Bhai Kanhaiya's disciples, Addan Shah.

History[edit]

Fresco depicting Bhai Khanaiya meeting Guru Gobind Singh from Sri Khat Wari Darbar, Shikarpur, Sindh
A photo of the famous hazuri ragi, Baba Sham Singh Sewapanthi

Guru Tegh Bahadur had a follower known as Kanhaiya Lal, a Dhamman (Dhiman) Khatri who was born in 1648, in a town called Sohadara, now in Pakistan. He became a drawer of water to the Guru's horses. The Guru gave Kanhaiya a seli topi as a reward.[4]

Once the 10th Guru, Guru Gobind Singh, had ascended to the gurgaddi, Bhai Kanhaiya began to follow him. Allegedly, Guru exempted Kanhaiya and his followers from military duty and told him to carry on performing the duty allotted to him by his reverend, Guru Tegh Bahadur, of serving all living beings.[6]

In the Battle of Anandpur, Bhai Kanhaiya served water indiscriminately to wounded soldiers in the battlefield, including the opposition (Mughals).[4][6] For this act, angry Sikh warriors accused him of treason brought him before the Guru. When he asked him why he was helping the wounded enemy, Kanhaiya replied that he could not distinguish between friend or foe, as he only saw Vaheguru in all.[6] The Guru was very pleased, and not only did he order Kanhaiya to continue, but also gave him a medicine chest as a gift. He then blessed him, saying after him shall be a Sikh order.[7]

The langar hall at the Golden Temple's construction was supervised by Sewapanthi saints.[8]

The Sewapanthis are extremely small in number and barely exist today.

Philosophy and practices[edit]

The main focus of the sect is on the selfless service of others, hence their name.[9] The Sewapanthi Sikhs usually wear pure white clothes, and keep kesh (unshorn hair). They have often had their deras and dharamsalas located in places like Punjab, Pakistan, and other High-Muslim populations. Many of the followers of the sect were ethnic Sindhi Sikhs.[1] Due to this, engagements with Sufi texts & Islamic literature has been common among the Sewapanthis historically.[10] The Sewa Panthis are pacifists.[10] Though they do not say it is wrong for a person to defend themselves, Sewapanthis themselves desist from all forms of violence.[10] As such, many Sewapanthis foregoe the pahul, or initiation into the martial Khalsa order.

The Sewapanthi dress is white, and they refuse to harm other forms of life in an aspiration to become the epitome of shaant ras, and to remain in sattva guna.[10] Despite this, they do not entirely detach themselves from the martial spirit expounded upon by Guru Gobind Singh. They support, in principle, the necessary violent actions required of the Khalsa for the protection of dharma.

Traditionally, Sewapanthis do not live the life of a grishti (householder), but remain celibate.[10][1][9] They dedicate their whole lives for sewa, or selfless service for the panth.[9] Many Sevapanthis were/are sehajdhari.

Many Sewapanthis were Sahajdhari in their observance and therefore did not keep kesh (unshorn hair).[11] This allowed them to escape a lot of the persecution that more identifiable Sikhs faced.[11]

Whilst Sewapanthi saints are said to have an aversion towards womankind, they are known to assist women in distress.[9]

When a new leader is appointed as head of a tikana (centres for the sect), they are bestowed a broom and bowl.[9] The broom embodies cleanliness whilst the bowl epitomizes serving others.[9]

Gurmukhi translation of Imam Al-Ghazali's Alchemy of Happiness, known as the "Paras Bhag". It was translated by Sewapanthi sadhus under the patronage of Guru Gobind Singh's Anandpur Durbar


This sect was responsible for preparing the ink used to write manuscripts of Sikh scriptures back in the time when such scriptures were written out by hand manually before the introduction of mass-printing technology. The ink prepared by the sect was known as "Roshanai" or "Addanshahi ink".[8]

Storytelling tradition[edit]

Whilst mainstream Sikhs refer to their traditional stories as Sakhis, the Sewapanthis referred to their tradition of stories as Parchai, which are life stories related to the Sewapanthi mahatmas.[11]

Places of worship[edit]

A Sewapanthi temple is known as a Tikana (a term also used for Nanakpanthi temples).[9][12] They are highly prevalent in Sindh,[13] where religious syncretism between Hinduism and Sikhism can be observed and clear-cut religious boundaries become blurry and ill-defined.[14][15] At a tikana is usually a copy of the primary Sikh scripture, Guru Granth Sahib, alongside images of Indic deities.[15][16]

Udasi connection[edit]

There are strong historical links between these two sampardas.[10] Bhai Khanaiya was an Udasi. Bhai Addan Shah was initially an Udasi and a student of Baba Gurdas Dakhani. This close bond has remained to this day.

Leaders[edit]

Early leaders[edit]

No. Name

(Birth–Death)

Portrait Term Reference(s)
1. Bhai Kanhaiya
(1648 – 1718) 		1705 – 1718 [5][17]
2. Sewa Ram
(1658 – 1728) 		1718 – 1728 [18][17][19]
3. Addan Shah
(1688 – 26 April 1757) 		1728 – 1757 [20][21][22]
4. Bhalla Ram
(1778 – 1854) 		[21][23][19]
5. Jagata[note 1]
(1798 – 1868) 		[21][24][23][19]


Later leaders[edit]

Tikana Bhai Jagta[edit]

No. Name

(Birth–Death)

Portrait Term Reference(s)
Mahants succeeding Jagata[note 2]
6. Hazari Ram
(1813 – 1883) 		[24][23][19]
7. Sahai Ram
(1825 – 1901) 		[23][19]
8. Ralya Ram
(1842 – 1927) 		[23][19]
9. Lakhmi Das
(1928 – 1965) 		[23][19]
10. Gulab Singh
(1881 – 1950) 		[23]
11. Asa Singh
(9 December 1893 – 1 January 1974) 		[23][19]
12. Tirath Singh
(12 February 1925 – ?) 		14 January 1974 – ? [23][17]
13. Kahan Singh [25]

Others[edit]

  • Mahant Karamjeet Singh Yamunangar[26][27]

Prominent saints[edit]

  • Baba Sham Singh[28][8]
  • Sant Amir Singh[28]
  • Baba Jhanda Singh[8]
  • Baba Kharag Singh of Bir Sahib[8]

See also[edit]

Notes[edit]

  1. ^ His name is alternatively spelt as Jagta.
  2. ^ As head leader of the 'Sewa Panthi Addan Shahi Sabha'.

References[edit]

  1. ^ a b c Singh, Jagraj (2009). A complete guide to Sikhism. Chandigarh, India: Unistar Books. p. 249. ISBN 978-81-7142-754-3. OCLC 319683249. Sewa Panthi Sampardai: Literally sewa panthi sampardai means fellowship of service. It was founded by Bhai Ghahnaiya, who during the siege of Anandpur toured the battlefield carrying water and serving it to the friend and foe alike. Sewa Panthis are principally Sindhi Sikhs, celibate and very few. They have established a big dera at Goniana Mandi in Bathinda district and now are mainly devoted to the cause of education in addition to preaching of Sikhism.
  2. ^ Hīrā, Bhagata Siṅgha (1988). Bhai Kanhaiya, Beacon-light of Humanitarian Service & the Apostle of Peace. Sewa Jyoti Publications. pp. 83–84, 94.
  3. ^ Dogra, R. C. (1995). Encyclopaedia of Sikh Religion and Culture. Gobind Singh Mansukhani. New Delhi: Vikas Pub. House. p. 426. ISBN 0-7069-8368-8. OCLC 32242463.
  4. ^ a b c Kaur, Sukhdeep. "THE NIRANKARI SECT IN THE 19 TH CENTURY."
  5. ^ a b Dilagīra, Harajindara Siṅgha (1997). The Sikh Reference Book (1st ed.). Edmonton, Alb., Canada: Sikh Educational Trust for Sikh University Centre, Denmark. p. 602. ISBN 0-9695964-2-1. OCLC 37769917. SEWA PANTHI : - This term is used sometimes for the associates of Bhai Ghanaiya Singh, the leader of the Sikh Red-Cross . Literally : Sewa Panthi is person whose life is devoted to the services (of the Sikh nation).
  6. ^ a b c d Mahal, Ramandeep. "Bhai Kanhaiya ji: A Humanitarian Soul."
  7. ^ Taak, Sangeeta, Sugandha Sawhney, and Madeeha Majid. "Sikhism and the International Humanitarian Law." -19 ISIL YB Int'l Human. & Refugee L. 18 (2018): 1.
  8. ^ a b c d e Nirankari, Maan Singh (2008). Sikhism, a Perspective. Edited by Neelam Man Singh Chowdhry. Chandigarh: Unistar Books. p. 154. ISBN 978-81-7142-621-8. OCLC 289070938. The Addanshahi Sehajdhari Sikhs earn their livelihood by performing religious duties. The ink used by the ancient writers was prepared by members of the Addanshahi sect and was known as Roshanai or "Addan Shahi" ink. This sect contributed a lot in the propagation of Sikh religion by founding many religious centers. As a result many people came under the Sehajdhari Sikh fold. Some of the descendents from this sect were Sant Baba Sham Singh of Amritsar, Baba Jhanda Singh and Baba Kharag Singh of Bir Sahib who undertook the construction Sri Guru Ram Das community kitchen at Darbar Sahib.
  9. ^ a b c d e f g Singh, R. N. (2003). Historical Development of Sikhism: Religion to Politics. Encyclopaedia of Sikh Heritage. Commonwealth. pp. 81–82. ISBN 9788171697038.
  10. ^ a b c d e f Sidhu, Sumail Singh. "Contesting Vision of Sikh Identity In Punjab: 1800-1930." Unpublished Ph. D Thesis,(New Delhi: Jawaharlal Nehru University, 2007): 172.
  11. ^ a b c Ayyappappanikkar, K. Ayyappa Paniker (1997). Medieval Indian Literature: Surveys and selections. Volume 1 of Medieval Indian Literature: An Anthology, Sahitya Akademi. Vol. 1. Ayyappappanikkar, Sahitya Akademi. New Delhi: Sahitya Akademi. p. 451. ISBN 81-260-0365-0. OCLC 40418059. Parchai, another form of life-stories, was also popular in India. A flourishing tradition of parchai about the lives of such bhaktas as Trilochan, Dhanna, Raidas, Kabir, Namdeva and Pipa came into being in the Braj-Sadhukari linguistic style. It seems that the vartakars move their vartas around saguna bhaktas, while the parchais did so around the nirguna sants. In the Punjab many a writer adopted the parchai style and wrote what are called parchis in Punjabi. These parchis, in Punjabi, were written in the Braj-Sadhukari language in the verse form (Suhajram: Parchian Sewaram) as well as in Punjabi prose (Sewadas Udasi: Parchian Guru Gobind Singh). Just as sakhis relate to the lives of gurus and their Sikhs, so the parchis pertain to the lives of Sewapanthi mahatmas. Sewapanth is a branch of the Sikh Panth itself. Sewapanthis were Sahajdhari Sikhs, i.e. those who believe in the tenets of the gurus, but do not keep the external form, especially the unshorn hair. On account of the fact that they could not be easily distinguished from the non-Sikhs in their external form, they came to be spared of the tyrannies of the Mughal rulers which the Sikhs with their easily identifiable external form had to undergo. The use of parchi nomenclature in contradistinction to sakhi and janamsakhi seems to be linked to the relatively distinctive identity of the Sewapanthis. In spite of the fact that they also have a narrative form, and a spiritual context, like the other genera, yet they reflect the distinctive Sewapanthi of Addanshahi tradition. In medieval times, the preservation of a distinctive identity was, perhaps, a compulsion for the various traditions. Was it, in some way, linked with the instinct for social survival? The parchis were also, perhaps, their more pervasive strategies aimed at survival through critical times.
  12. ^ Falzon, Mark-Anthony (2004). Cosmopolitan Connections: The Sindhi Diaspora, 1860-2000. International Comparative Social Studies. Vol. 9. Leiden: Brill. pp. 73–74. ISBN 978-90-04-14008-0.
  13. ^ Ramey, Steven W. (2008). Hindu, Sufi, or Sikh: Contested Practices and Identifications of Sindhi Hindus in India and Beyond (1st ed.). Springer. pp. 180–81. ISBN 9780230616226.
  14. ^ Malhi, Gobind (1998). Sadhu Hiranand: The Man and His Mission. National Biography. National Book Trust, India. p. 5.
  15. ^ a b Falzon, M. A. (2022). "Glossary". Selling Anything Anywhere: Sindhis and Global Trade. Penguin Random House India Private Limited. ISBN 9789354925788. tikana: a mandir which usually includes both the Sikh Guru Granth Sahib and images of Hindu deities.
  16. ^ Armentrout, Donald S.; Norman, Corrie E. (2005). Religion in the Contemporary South: Changes, Continuities, and Contexts. Knoxville, Tennessee: Univ. of Tennessee Press. p. 220. ISBN 978-1-57233-361-1.
  17. ^ a b c Jacobsen, Knut A.; Kumar, Pratap (2018). South Asians in the Diaspora: Histories and Religious Traditions. BRILL. p. 342. ISBN 9789047401407.
  18. ^ Singh, Harbans (1992–1998). The Encyclopaedia of Sikhism. Vol. 3, M–R. Patiala: Punjabi University. p. 299. ISBN 0-8364-2883-8. OCLC 29703420. PARCHl BHAl SEVA RAM is a biographical sketch, in Punjabi verse, of Bhai Seva Ram who led the Sevapanthi sect after the death of its founder Bhai Kanhaiya, a disciple of Guru Gobind Singh
  19. ^ a b c d e f g h Studies in Sikhism and Comparative Religion. Vol. 19. Guru Nanak Foundation. 2000. p. 44. His successors who continued the succession of Bhai Kanhaiya tradition of serving others and who committed their lives to service of the sick and wounded lived to be 70 (Sewa Ram, 1728 ), 158 (Bhalla Ram, 1879 ) , 71 (Jagta, 1811), 70 (Hazuri, 1826), 76 (Sahai Ram, 1844), 85 (Ralaya Raam, 1870), 73 (Lakshmi Dass, 1908), 79 (Gulab Singh, 1950), 81 (Asa Singh, 1974).
  20. ^ Kohli, Surindar Singh (1993). History of Punjabi Literature. Delhi: National Book Shop. p. 100. ISBN 81-7116-141-3. OCLC 29595565. After Bhai Mani Singh, the next important prose-writer of this period is Addan Shah. Sant Addan Shah, one of the leaders of Sewapanthi Sikhs, was a good scholar of both Hinduism and Islam. His name is associated with "Paras Bhag", which is not an original work. It is the Punjabi version of Imam Ghazali's work ...
  21. ^ a b c Hīrā, Bhagata Siṅgha (1992). The Great Sikh Saints. National Book Shop. pp. 150–170, 235. ISBN 9788171161515.
  22. ^ Singh, Harbans (1995). The Encyclopaedia of Sikhism. Vol. 1: A–D (2nd ed.). Patiala: Punjabi University. p. 7. ISBN 978-81-7380-100-6.
  23. ^ a b c d e f g h i Singh, Chaman. Seva Panthi Tikana Bhai Jagta Ji Sahib Goniana Mandi (Bhatinda) (PDF) (in Punjabi). Giani Balvant Singh Ji Kotha Guru.
  24. ^ a b Hīrā, Bhagata Siṅgha (1986). Bhai Jagta Sahib: A Biographic Sketch. Sewa Jyoti Publications, Tikana Bhai Jagta Sahib. pp. 108–109.
  25. ^ "Free eye check-up camp organised". The Tribune. 12 February 2012.
  26. ^ "Mahant Karamjit Singh elected as president of Haryana gurdwara management body's 'ad hoc committee'". The Indian Express. 21 December 2022.
  27. ^ Singh, Jaskaran (21 December 2022). "Mahant Karamjit Singh of Sewapanthi sect appointed new president of ad-hoc HSGMC, Daduwal walks out in protest". The Times of India.
  28. ^ a b Singh, Trilochan (1994). Ernest Trumpp and W.H. McLeod as Scholars of Sikh History Religion and Culture. International Centre of Sikh Studies. p. 194. Baba Sham Singh and the eminent theologian Sant Amir Singh were Sewa Panthi Saints and great scholars.
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