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A masand was a representative, religious preacher, and tithe collector in Sikhism. [1] [2] They were an officially appointed missionary minister representing the Sikh Guru, who baptized conversions to Sikhism, and collected dasvandh ("the tenth" of income) as an offering to the Sikh community and religious establishment. [1] A masand forwarded the collected amount to the Sikh guru.
The word masand (Punjabi: ਮਸੰਦ) is an adaptation of the Persian term ‘masnad’ (Punjabi: ਮਸਨਦ), [3] which refers to ‘a seat’ that is at a lower level than the throne. The Guru was the highest authority while masands were emplaced to spread the message of Sikhism and given the authority to baptize individuals converting to Sikhism. During conversions happening in the absence of the Guru, the new convert would touch the feet of the masand or drink the water they had dipped their toe in, in order to become initiated into the Sikh religion. [4]
It is unclear when the masand system started. It began with Guru Amar Das in some accounts, [1] by Guru Ram Das in other accounts, [5] [2] or Guru Arjan by still other accounts. [6] A masand was appointed for each religious administrative unit called the Sikh Manji, a system that was founded by Guru Amar Das. [7] [8] This system was expanded by later Sikh Gurus. [9]
Sikh Gurus had established a Masand system of Sikh representatives who taught and spread the teachings of the Sikh Gurus and also collect monetary offering to maintain armed legion of saint-soldiers. [2] It was comparable in its conception to the diocese and wilayats of Christianity and Sufism. [10] Over time, this system became corrupted.[ citation needed ]The masand system was critical in empowering Sikhism with an independent economic resource pool, that helped pay for gurdwara (temple) building, for building a Sikh army and the upkeep of Sikh soldiers, as well routine expenses such as langar (kitchen) which offered a free meal to visitors to the Sikh temples. [5]
The Masands were appointed to collect revenue and gifts from the distant dharamsals and congregations for the central Sikh authority, where they were responsible for bringing it to. [10] The Masands from various parishes would congregate with the Sikh guru at his durbar (court) on the occasion of Vaisakhi and present the funds and offerings of the dharamsals under their management to him. [10] They managed distant congregations at a regional and provincial level, such as their finances and inns, and conducted missionary activities. [10] They were assisted in their duties by gumashitas (deputies), which they had the power to appoint. [10] The gumashitas helped manage the group of dharamsals in a province or region, especially ones located in small towns, under the purview of a masand head. [10] Some Masands grew in prominence and influence to such a level that even regions falling out of their assigned region were controlled by them, such as in the case of the Masands of Patna, Burhanpur and Kabul managing the dharamsals located in northeast India, south India, and the Pashtun belt region comprising modern-day Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. [10]
Masands who were unable to attend the meeting with the Sikh guru at his durbar would present their collections and offerings in the form of a hundi (bill of exchange). [10]
The manji and masand system of revenue collection for Sikh temples and other purposes was a source of major dispute between the Sikh Gurus and the Mughal emperors. For example, Aurangzeb seized the tithe collections by the masands for use by the Mughal treasury, and demolished Sikh temples throughout Punjab to emphasize the Islamic character of the Mughal Empire. [11]
Positions of local Masands was not dynastic nor inheritable and it was not a professional duty as they still had to live the life of a householder. [12] They were not allowed to claim divine status for themselves. [12]
Over time, a few masands became corrupt and started treating themselves as Gurus to collect money for their personal motives. Hence, Guru Gobind Singh ordered Sikhs not to recognize those masands as authority figures and prohibited having any type of relationship with them or their deputies. [14] According to early Sikh literature including rahitnamas, the Sikhs, under Guru Gobind's command, punished, beat and killed certain masands whose corruption, exploitation, and greed or inability to deliver sufficient money and resources had affronted the Guru. [15] [16]
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Sikhism, also known as Sikhi is an Indian religion and philosophy that originated in the Punjab region of India around the end of the 15th century CE. It is one of the most recently founded major religious groups and among the largest in the world, with about 25–30 million adherents.
A gurdwara or gurudwara is a place of assembly and worship for Sikhs. 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.
Guru Gobind Singh was the tenth and last human Sikh Guru. He was a warrior, poet, and philosopher. In 1675, at the age of nine he was formally installed as the leader of the Sikhs after his father Guru Tegh Bahadur was executed by Emperor Aurangzeb. His father was the ninth Sikh Guru. His four biological sons died during his lifetime – two in battle and two executed by the Mughal governor Wazir Khan.
Khalsa refers to both a community that considers Sikhism as its faith, as well as a special group of initiated Sikhs. The Khalsa tradition was initiated in 1699 by the Tenth Guru of Sikhism, Guru Gobind Singh. Its formation was a key event in the history of Sikhism. The founding of Khalsa is celebrated by Sikhs during the festival of Vaisakhi.
Guru Har Rai revered as the seventh Nanak, was the seventh of ten Gurus of the Sikh religion. He became the Sikh leader at age 14, on 3 March 1644, after the death of his grandfather and the sixth Sikh leader Guru Hargobind. He guided the Sikhs for about seventeen years, till his death at age 31.
Dasvandh is the one tenth part of one's income that one should donate, both financially and directly in the form of seva, according to Sikh principles.
Dal Khalsa was the name of the combined military forces of 11 Sikh misls that operated in the 18th century (1735–1799) in the Punjab region. The military force was established by Nawab Kapur Singh in the mid 1730s.
Anandpur Sahib, also referred simply as Anandpur, is a city in Rupnagar district (Ropar), on the edge of Shivalik Hills, in the Indian state of Punjab. Located near the Sutlej River, the city is one of the most sacred religious places in Sikhism, being the place where the last two Sikh Gurus, Guru Tegh Bahadur and Guru Gobind Singh, lived. It is also the place where Guru Gobind Singh founded the Khalsa Panth in 1699. The city is home to Takhat Sri Kesgarh Sahib, the third of the five Takhts in Sikhism.
Bhai Mani Singh was an 18th-century Sikh scholar and martyr. He was a childhood companion of Guru Gobind Singh and took the vows of Sikhism when the Guru inaugurated the Khalsa in March 1699. Soon after that, the Guru sent him to Amritsar to take charge of Harmandir Sahib, which had been without a custodian since 1696. He took control and steered the course of Sikh destiny at a critical stage in Sikh history. He was also a teacher of the Gianian Bunga, later becoming known as the "Amritsari Taksal", currently located in Sato Ki Gali.
Bhai Dayala, died 9 November 1675, also known as Bhai Dayal Das, was an early martyr of Sikhism. He was boiled alongside his Sikh companions Bhai Mati Das and Bhai Sati Das and the Ninth Guru, Guru Tegh Bahadur.
Machhiwara is one of the developing cities in the Ludhiana district of the Indian state of Punjab. Machhiwara is famous for Gurudwara Sri Charan Kanwal Sahib associated with Guru Gobind Singh ji and named after the Guru's feet that are compared to the lotus flower. And It is also famous for Religious Hindu Sri Shivala Bramchari Temple associated with the Pandavas of Dvapara Yuga.
The Battle of Anandpur was fought at Anandpur, between the armies of the Sikh Guru Gobind Singh and the Mughal forces aided by the Nawab of Bahawalpur state, Rajas of the Sivalik Hills.
A dharamshala, also written as dharmashala, is a public resthouse or shelter in the Indian subcontinent. It also refers to Sikh places of worship before the introduction of Gurdwaras. Just as sarai are for travellers and caravans, dharamshalas are built for religious travellers at pilgrimage sites. In Nepal there are dharamshalas especially built for pilgrims as well as dharamshalas for locals.
Sikhism prohibits idolatry, in accordance with mainstream Khalsa norms and the teachings of the Sikh Gurus, a position that has been accepted as orthodox.
Amrit Sanskar also called Amrit Parchar, Amrit Sanchar, Khande di Pahul, or Khande Batte di Pahul is one of the four Sikh Sanskaars. The Amrit Sanskar is the initiation rite introduced by Guru Gobind Singh when he founded the Khalsa in 1699.
A Manji was a Sikh religious administrative unit, similar to a parish or diocese, for the propagation of Sikhism. It was part of the Sikh missionary administrative organization founded by Guru Amar Das, the third Guru of Sikhism.
Sikhism in Bangladesh has an extensive heritage and history, although Sikhs had always been a minority community in Bengal. Their founder, Guru Nanak visited a number of places in Bengal in the early sixteenth century where he introduced Sikhism to locals and founded numerous establishments. In its early history, the Sikh gurus despatched their followers to propagate Sikh teachings in Bengal and issued hukamnamas to that region. Guru Tegh Bahadur lived in Bengal for two years, and his successor Guru Gobind Singh also visited the region. Sikhism in Bengal continued to exist during the colonial period as Sikhs found employment in the region, but it declined after the partition in 1947. Among the eighteen historical gurdwaras in Bangladesh, only five are extant. The Gurdwara Nanak Shahi of Dhaka is the principal and largest gurdwara in the country. The Sikh population in the country almost entirely consists of businessmen and government officials from the neighbouring Republic of India.
The Battle of Shahi Tibbi was fought between the Khalsa led by Bhai Jiwan Singh and the Mughal Empire led by Wazir Khan. This battle was fought alongside the Battle of Sarsa.