 Hakikat-Rah-Muqaam-Shivnabh-Raje-Ki, description of the meeting of Guru nanak and Raja Shivnabh [p.1248] of an early 18th Century handwritten copy of Bhai Bannu’s Bir, the start of the Sikh Bhat Sangat. | |
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The Bhatra Sikhs (also known as Bhat Sikhs) are a group within the Sikhs who originated from the bards of the time of Guru Nanak. [1]
Eleanor Nesbitt and William Hewat McLeod suggested that they are a caste. [2] [3]
Many academics suggests that the word Bhatra is a diminutive form of the word Bhat which comes from Sanskrit meaning a "bard or panegyrist". Dharam Singh writes that in the Sikh tradition Bhatts are poets with the personal experience and vision of the spirituality of the Sikh Gurus whom they eulogize and celebrate in their verses, he suggests that Bhat is not an epithet for a learned Brahman". [4] However the late Giani Gurdit Singh confirmed that the Bhat bards who contributed to the Guru Granth Sahib were descended from the Brahmins in his book, Bhatt Te Uhnah Di Rachna. [5] They originated from the Gaur (Gaud) or Sarsut (Saraswat) Brahmin lineage and started associating with the Sikh Gurus during the guruship of Guru Arjan. [6] [7]
In the book, the Making of Sikh Scripture, Gurinder Singh Mann writes that a large number of the bards who contributed to the Guru Granth Sahib were upper-caste Hindus who came to the Sikh court in the sixteenth century in praise of the Guru and their court. [8] [2]
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McLeod stated that the Bhatra Sikhs have an "extremely small" population and they are from some villages of the Gurdaspur and Sialkot districts of the Punjab region. [3]
McLeod claimed that the Bhatras of the Gurdaspur and Sialkot districts, traditionally, used to work as "fortune-tellers and hawkers". [3]
Ethne K. Marenco claimed that in Punjab, after their conversion to Sikhism, several castes including the [Sikh] Bhats largely abandoned their "traditional occupation" in favor of other professions, particularly in the "industry, trade and transport" sectors. [9] Jagtar Singh Grewal notes that the "compositions" by some Bhatra Sikhs who were in service of the Sikh Gurus were added in the Guru Granth Sahib. [10]
Between the First and Second World War, the Bhatra Sikhs migrated to Britain. They settled mostly in Bristol, Cardiff, Glasgow, Liverpool, London, Portsmouth, Southampton and Swansea with small populations of theirs also settling in Birmingham, Edinburgh, Manchester and Nottingham. [11] They also settled in Belfast, Northern Ireland. [2] According to William Owen Cole, the Bhatra Sikhs were among the earliest Sikhs to arrive in Britain and they arrived as pedlars. [12]
Nesbitt states that in the UK, the Bhatra men initially worked as "door-to-door salesmen" and later as shopkeepers and property renters. She suggests that in the recent times, they have started working in diverse fields. [2]
After the end of the Second World War, the Bhatra Sikhs established gurdwaras in the regions where they resided. [12]
Sikhism, also known as Sikhi, is an Indian religion and philosophy in particular for the Sikh ethnoreligious group that originated in the Punjab region of India around the end of the 15th century CE. The Sikh scriptures are written in the Gurumukhi script particular to Sikhs. It is one of the most recently founded major religious groups and among the largest in the world, with about 25–30 million adherents.
Sikhs are an ethnoreligious group who adhere to Sikhism, an Indian religion that originated in the late 15th century in the Punjab region of the Indian subcontinent, based on the revelation of Guru Nanak. The term Sikh has its origin in the Sanskrit word śiṣya, meaning 'seeker', 'disciple' or 'student'. According to Article I of Chapter 1 of the Sikh Rehat Maryada, the definition of Sikh is: Any human being who faithfully believes in
A gurdwara or gurudwara is a place of assembly and worship for Sikhs but its normal meaning is place of guru or "Home of guru". Sikhs also refer to gurdwaras as Gurdwara Sahib. People from all faiths and religions are welcomed in gurdwaras. Each gurdwara has a Darbar Sahib where the Guru Granth Sahib is placed on a takht in a prominent central position. Any congregant may recite, sing, and explain the verses from the Guru Granth Sahib, in the presence of the rest of the congregation.
The Guru Granth Sahib is the central holy religious scripture of Sikhism, regarded by Sikhs as the final, sovereign and eternal Guru following the lineage of the ten human gurus of the religion. The Adi Granth, its first rendition, was compiled by the fifth guru, Guru Arjan (1564–1606). Its compilation was completed on 29 August 1604 and first installed inside the Golden Temple in Amritsar on 1 September 1604. Baba Buddha was appointed the first Granthi of the Golden Temple. Shortly afterwards Guru Hargobind added Ramkali Ki Vaar. Later, Guru Gobind Singh, the tenth Sikh guru, added hymns of Guru Tegh Bahadur to the Adi Granth and affirmed the text as his successor. This second rendition became known as the Guru Granth Sahib and is also sometimes referred to as the Adi Granth.
The following outline is provides an overview of Sikhism, or Sikhi.
Bhagat is a term used in the Indian subcontinent to describe religious personalities who have obtain high acclaim in their community for their services and devoutness. It is also one of the clan in Mahar caste with clan totem as King Cobra and also a surname found among Marathas, Bania communities and Punjabi Brahmins.
Sukhmani Sahib, known under the title of Gauri Sukhmani in the scripture, is usually translated to mean Prayer of Peace is a set of 192 padas present in the holy Guru Granth Sahib, the main scripture and living Guru of Sikhism from Ang 262 to Ang 296. This Gurbani text was written by the 5th Guru, Guru Arjan (1563–1606) at Amritsar in around 1602. Guru Arjan first recited the bani at Gurdwara Barth Sahib in the Gurdaspur district of Punjab, India.
The Mūl Mantar is the opening verse of the Sikh scripture, the Guru Granth Sahib. It consists of twelve words in the Punjabi language, written in Gurmukhi script, and are the most widely known among the Sikhs. They summarize the essential teaching of Guru Nanak, thus constituting a succinct doctrinal statement of Sikhism.
The Sikh gurus are the spiritual masters of Sikhism, who established the religion over the course of about two and a half centuries, beginning in 1469. The year 1469 marks the birth of Guru Nanak, the founder of Sikhism. He was succeeded by nine other human gurus until, in 1708, the Guruship was finally passed on by the tenth guru to the holy Sikh scripture, Guru Granth Sahib, which is now considered the living Guru by the followers of the Sikh faith.
The principal Sikh scripture is the Adi Granth, more commonly called the Guru Granth Sahib. The second most important scripture of the Sikhs is the Dasam Granth. Both of these consist of text which was written or authorised by the Sikh Gurus.
Gurū Nānak, also known as Bābā Nānak, was the founder of Sikhism and is the first of the ten Sikh Gurus. His birth is celebrated as Guru Nanak Gurpurab on Katak Pooranmashi, i.e. October–November.
Bhat Vahis were scrolls or records maintained by Bhatts also known as Bhatra. The majority of Bhat Sikhs originate from Punjab and were amongst the first followers of Guru Nanak. 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 Prince Baba Changa earned the title ‘Bhat Rai’ – the ‘Raja of Poets, and then settled himself and his followers all over India as missionaries to spread the word of Guru Nanak, where many northern Indians became Bhat Sikhs. The majority were from the northern Brahmin caste ,(Bhat ) as the Prince Baba Changa shared the Brahmin heritage. The sangat also had many members from different areas of the Sikh caste spectrum, such as the Hindu Rajputs and Hindu Jats who joined due to Bhat Sikh missionary efforts. The Bhats also contributed 123 compositions in the Sri Guru Granth Sahib (pp.1389–1409), known as the "Bhata de Savaiyye". There hereditary occupations consisted of bards, poets, missionaries, astrologists, genealogists, salesmen.
Guru Arjan was the fifth of the ten total Sikh Gurus. He compiled the first official edition of the Sikh scripture called the Adi Granth, which later expanded into the Guru Granth Sahib. He is regarded as the first of the two Gurus martyred in the Sikh faith.
The Guru Granth Sahib, is the central religious text of Sikhism, considered by Sikhs to be the final sovereign Guru of the religion. It contains 1430 Angs, containing 5,894 hymns of 36 saint mystics which includes Sikh gurus, Bhagats, Bhatts and Gursikhs. It is notable among foundational religious scriptures for including hymns from writers of other religions, namely Hindus and Muslims. It also contains teachings of the Sikh gurus themselves.
Bhatt Gayand was a Brahmin bard in the court of Guru Arjan, whose 13 hymns are present in Guru Granth Sahib, the sacred scripture of the Sikhs.
Bhatt Kirat was a Brahmin bard in the court of Guru Arjan, whose eight hymns are present in Guru Granth Sahib, the holy book of Sikhs. The title Bhatt is given to learned Brahmins.
Bhattan de Savaiye, also known as Bhatt Bani, is a name given to 123 Savaiyas composed by various Bhatts, which are present in Guru Granth Sahib, scripture of Sikhs. According to various scholars, these Savaiyas are eulogies of first five Gurus of Sikhism.
Sikh sects, denominations, traditions, movements, sub-traditions, also known as sampardai in the Punjabi language, are sub-traditions within Sikhism that believe in different approaches to practicing the religion. All sampradas believe in the One Creator God typically rejecting both idol worship and caste systems. Different interpretations have emerged over time, some of which have a living teacher as the leader. The major historic traditions in Sikhism, states Harjot Oberoi, have included Udasi, Nirmala, Nanakpanthi, Khalsa, Sahajdhari, Namdhari Kuka, Nirankari and Sarvaria.
Bhāt is a "generic term" used to refer to a bard in India. The majority of Bhats hail from Rajasthan and worked as genealogists for their patrons, however, they are viewed as mythographers. In India, the inception of Rajputization was followed by the emanation of two groups of bards with a group of them serving the society's influential communities and the other serving the communities with lower ranking in the social hierarchy.
Brahmin Sikh is a Sikh religious group whose members belong to Brahmin community. They played a key role in the early years of Sikhism. Sometimes called Kashmiri Sikhs those who are of Kashmiri origin.
From World War I until the 1950s the vast majority of Sikh settlers in Britain were from a much less privileged background, however. In India Bhatras (as their caste was known) were perceived by others as low-status, itinerant fortune-tellers. Many UK Bhatras' families originated from the Sialkot area (now in Pakistan). Pioneering Bhatra Sikhs settled in London, in the seaports of Belfast, Bristol, Cardiff, Glasgow, London, Portsmouth, Southampton, and Swansea, and inland in Birmingham, Edinburgh, Manchester, and Nottingham. From working as door-to-door salesmen Bhatra men moved into shopkeeping, letting property, and, in more recent generations, into a wide range of occupations and professions. [..] By the end of the 20th century, moves were afoot to replace the stigmatized name 'Bhatra' with the title 'Bhat'.
At home in the Punjab the Bhatras were an extremely small caste, limited in origin to a few villages in Sialkot and Gurdaspur districts. In status they verged on the Outcaste. They had, however, one significant advantage, which was that they were by traditional occupation fortune-tellers and hawkers. In other words, they were well fitted to assume the role of pedlars in the British situation. No evidence seems to exist concerning their actual numbers in Britain nor how the first ones actually reached the country, but chain migration was established and in the 1920s and 1930s they were the more conspicuous of the few Sikhs in Britain, going from door to door hawking clothing and spices from suitcases. Most of them lived in small groups situated in ports and in the major industrial cities. Between 1939 and 1945 further immigration effectively ceased, but as soon as the Second World War was over the situation changed dramatically.
As for their origin, the academicians hold that the term Bhatra is a diminutive of the Sanskrit word bhat which literally means bard or panegyrist. They used to recite poetry, lauding the grandeur of the ruler or the gallantry of warrior who happened to be their patron. In the Sikh tradition, Bhatts are poets with the personal experience and vision of the spirituality of the Sikh Gurus whom they eulogize and celebrate in their verses. According to another myth prevalent in India, Bhat is an epithet for a learned Brahman.
ਭੱਟ ਬਾਹਮਣ ਸਨ ਤੇ ਹੁਣ ਭੀ ਉਹ ਬਾਹਮਣ ਹੀ ਸਦਾਉਂਦੇ ਹਨ । ਪਰ ਆਪਣੇ ਵਿਸ਼ੇਸ਼ ਕਰਮ ' ਉਸਤਤ - ਪਾਠ ਕਰਕੇ ਇਹ ਬ੍ਰਾਹਮਣਾਂ ਦੀ ਇੱਕ ਵਖਰੀ ਸ਼ਰੇਣੀ ਬਣ ਗਈ ।
Bhatt is a family of bards. Their main professions were writing poetry and recording the genealogy of the prominent families. Bhatts belong to Kaushish sub-group of Gaur Brahmin caste.
The Bhatts are Brahmins, who sang praises of their patrons (Jajmans) and maintained the registers called Vahees, mentioning accounts of various happenings in different parts of the Punjab including birth and death records of their Jajmans, since ancient times. There are two major subdivisions of Brahmins namely Gaur and Sarsut (Saraswat) Brahmins. The Gaur Brahmins lived on the banks of the river Ganges on the eastern side of the Saraswati River (now Ghagar) in the Ganga-Jamna divide, while the Sarsut Brahmins lived on the western side of the Saraswati river in the Punjab. The Bhatts are a sub-sect of the Sarsut Brahmins. In the pre-modem times they inhabited numerous villages in the Punjab along the banks of Saraswati River in and around Pehowa, in Karnal district. Some of the Bhatts came to Guru's Darbar during the pontificate of Guru Arjan Dev soon after the demise of Guru Ram Dass and their hymns are found recorded in Guru Granth Sahib, under the heading, "Bhattan Dey Sawayye". A Bhatt Vahee related with the events in the ...
In 1921, as has been pointed out previously, many untouchables were being absorbed into Sikhism and there were reform movements as well. This process continued on to 1931 and we find that there had been considerable conversion to Sikhism among the Chuhras. We are also informed that there had been a great decrease in the traditional occupation for castes like the Chamars, Bhats, Jhinwars and others and that, after agriculture, alternate occupations were preferred in industry, trade and transport.
This fact has sometimes been interpreted in terms of Kabir's influence on Sikhism or even on Guru Nanak. It may be pointed out that though Kabir's verses are the largest in number, he is one among many. The proportion of all their compositions put together remains rather small and they are nowhere included in those parts of the Granth which are used for liturgical purposes. The compositions of some of the bhats who served the Gurus are also included in the Granth. It may be suggested that Guru Arjan's decision to include the compositions of devotional theists in his compilation was an attempt to assimilate that tradition to Sikhism. His decision becomes easily understandable in the light of Guru Nanak's approval of sādhs and sants in general.
So, for example, Bhatra Sikhs settled between World War I and World War II in Britain's ports—Glasgow, London, Liverpool, Cardiff, Swansea, Bristol, Southampton, and Portsmouth—with only a few inland settlements in Edinburgh, Birmingham, Manchester and Nottingham.
Bhatras, a group ranked very low in the Hindu spectrum of caste (from which Sikhs, Christians and members of other religions derive their status), were among the first Sikhs to come to Britain, as pedlars between the wars. They established gurdwaras in the post-war period wherever they lived, in ports such as Portsmouth, or Manchester, and Cardiff.
