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Abbreviation | SGPC |
---|---|
Formation | 16 November 1920 [1] |
Type | Management Organisation |
Headquarters | Teja Singh Samundri Hall, Sri Harmandir Sahib Complex, Sri Amritsar |
Location | |
President | Harjinder Singh Dhami |
Website | http://sgpc.net |
The Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (abbr.SGPC; lit. Supreme Gurdwara Management Committee) is an organization in India responsible for the management of gurdwaras , Sikh places of worship, in the states of Punjab and Himachal Pradesh and the union territory of Chandigarh. [2] [3] SGPC also administers Darbar Sahib in Amritsar. [4]
The SGPC is governed by the president of SGPC. [5] [6] The SGPC manages the security, financial, facility maintenance and religious aspects of Gurdwaras as well as keeping archaeologically rare and sacred artifacts, including weapons, clothes, books and writings of the Sikh Gurus. [7]
Bibi Jagir Kaur became the first woman to be elected president of the SGPC for the second time in September 2004. She had held the same post from March 1999 to November 2000. [8]
In 1920 the emerging Akali leadership summoned a general assembly of the Sikhs holding all shades of opinion on 15 November 1920 in vicinity of the Akal Takht in Amritsar. The purpose of this assembly was to elect a representative committee of the Sikhs to administer the Harimandir Sahib Complex and other important historical gurdwaras. Two days before the proposed conference the British government set up its own committee consisting of 36 Sikhs to manage the Harimandir Sahib. Sikhs held their scheduled meeting and elected a bigger committee consisting of 175 members and named it Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee. The members of the government appointed committee were also included in it. Harbans Singh Attari became vice president and Sunder Singh Ramgarhia became secretary of the committee. By that time Master Tara Singh had started taking interest in Sikh religious affairs. He was one of the 175 members elected to the committee. The formation of Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee provided a focal point for the movement for the reformation of Sikh religious places. The committee began to take over management of gurdwaras one by one, and were resisted by incumbent mahants.
Starting in late 1920, a large number of reformers both in urban and rural Punjab had joined to form separate and independent religious orders called jathas. The primary purpose of a jatha was to gain control over local gurdwaras. A jatha under the command of a jathedar would occupy a shrine and try to take over management in its favor from its current incumbents. Sometimes the transfer went peacefully especially in the case of smaller Gurdwaras with less income resources. This was done sometimes with the threat of force.
The Sikh leadership was fully aware of the importance of the press for the success of any movement. It enlisted the active support and sympathy of some of the important nationalist papers in the country like 'The Independent', Swaraj (Hindi), The Tribune, Liberal, Kesri (Urdu), Milap (Urdu), Zamindar (Urdu) and Bande Matram (Hindi).Two of the vernacular dailies Akali (Pbi.) and the Akali-te-Pardesi (Urdu), edited by Master Tara Singh also played an important role. It brought the necessary awakening among the Sikh masses and prepared them to undertake the struggle for reform. With the direct and indirect support of the Central Sikh League, the Indian National Congress and the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee, the Shiromani Akali Dal started a non-violent struggle against the government for the control of the Gurdwaras. The reports of some immoral acts perpetrated at Tarn-Taran reached the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee at its meeting on 14 January 1921. A fortnight earlier a local jatha was beaten up and not allowed to perform kirtan at the gurdwara. It decided to send a jatha from Amritsar under Jathedar Teja Singh Bhuchar. Jathedar Kartar Singh Jhabbar with Akalis from 'Khara Sauda Bar' joined him. On 25 January, a group of about forty workers took over the control of Sri Darbar Sahib Tarn-Taran from its Mahant. In the ensuing conflict two Akalis were killed and several others wounded by the henchmen of the Mahants. The Mahants were ousted from the Gurdwara and the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee appointed a managing committee.
In early 1920s, Malcolm Hailey, the governor of the Punjab showed his readiness to assist the Sikhs in taking possession of all the important Gurdwaras in the province through a five-member committee constituted by the Sikh members of the legislative council. Hailey presented a draft of a new Gurdwara Bill to the Akali leaders imprisoned in Lahore fort. Master Tara Singh, Bhag singh Advocate, Gurcharn singh Advocate, Teja Singh Akerpuri (Jathedar AkalTakht Sahib) Sohan Singh Josh and Sardar Teja Singh Samundri studied each clause of the bill carefully. The bill met all the Akali demands and was signed into law on 28 July 1925 by the Viceroy of India after its ratification by the Punjab legislative council. The Act came into force on 1 November 1925 with a gazette notification from the government of Punjab.
The Act made a Central Gurdwara Board elected by the Sikhs to be the custodian of all important Sikh places of worship. The first meeting of the Gurdwara board passed a resolution that its designation be changed to Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee, which was accepted by the government. Thus ended what came to be known in common parlance as the 'Third Sikh War'. The Punjab government withdrew its orders declaring the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee and other Akali organs as unlawful associations and recognized the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee as a representative body of the Sikhs. In making the Punjab government agree to such recognition, the Akali leadership undoubtedly scored a victory over the bureaucracy. The Sikh Gurdwara bill met most of the demands of the Sikhs, but the government was willing to release the prisoners conditionally i.e. on the understanding to be given by the Akalis that they would agree to work for the Gurdwara Act. The Shiromani Akali Dal and the executive declared conditions imposed for the release of prisoners as wholly unnecessary, unjust and derogatory. Among the prominent Akalis, Mehtab Singh and Giani Sher Singh along with twenty other Akali leaders accepted the conditional release. Master Tara Singh, Bhag Singh Advocate, Teja Singh Samundari, Teja singh Akerpuri (Jathedar Akal Takht) and Fifteen other Akalis did not come out as government emphasis on eliciting written assurance and acceptance was to Master Tara Singh, an attack on the self-respect of the Sikhs. He said, "We ourselves have enacted this Act and we are responsible for implementing it, then why this condition?" Teja Singh Samundari died of a heart attack in the jail after some time. The Punjab Government failed to prove the charges against Master Tara Singh and the remaining Akalis, few months later they all were released unconditionally. The courage and sacrifice shown by the Akalis during the trial very soon drove the Mehtab Singh's group out of the political field and led to a rift in the Akali ranks, as the newly released Akalis condemned Mehtab Singh's group as collaborators. Mehtab Singh's group was also known as 'Rai Bahadur Party'. This group had majority in the committee and Mehtab Singh was elected its president. The Akali Party launched a campaign against the conditionally released leaders. When the new elections for the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee were held, the Akali Party won majority and the newly elected Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee elected Kharak Singh as the President [9] and Master Tara Singh as the Vice President. Since Baba Kharak Singh had not yet been released the responsibility of the president fell on the shoulders of Master Tara Singh.At the time of 1996 the first time SGPC election is held in Himachal Pradesh and the first person who won from that seat is the candidate of Panthak Akalidal whose name is Satnam Singh Gill.
In 1953, an amendment to the 1925 act allowed the reservation of 20 out 140 seats on the SGPC for the members of the Sikh scheduled castes [10]
The 2016 amendment to the act by the Indian parliament stripped around 7 million 'Sehajdhari' Sikhs of voting in the SGPC elections [11]
President of Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee | |
---|---|
Style | Jathedar |
Appointer | Members of Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee |
Inaugural holder | Sundar Singh Majithia |
Formation | 12 October 1920 |
Website | Official website |
The president of the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC) is elected by the Members of SGPC. [12] The president holds powers to organise the meetings of SGPC and deal with matters related with issues of Sikh religion and oversees the managements of the Gurdwaras. [13] Since 2008, the president also serves as Chancellor of Sri Guru Granth Sahib World University. [14]
In 1920 SGPC was established when Gurdwara Reform Movement was started. [15] Sundar Singh Majithia was appointed first President of the committee. This post got legal status after the passing of Sikh Gurdwaras Act, 1925 by legislation in British India.
After passing of this act Baba Kharak Singh became the President. The longest-served president of SGPC till now[ when? ] is Gurcharan Singh Tohra and shortest-served is Gopal Singh Qaumi who served only for one day in June 1933. The first and the only woman president was Jagir Kaur.
S. No. | Name | Portrait | Tenure [16] | |
---|---|---|---|---|
Before Sikh Gurdwara Act (1920-1926) | ||||
1 | Sundar Singh Majithia | 12 October 1920 | 14 August 1921 | |
2 | Kharak Singh | 14 August 1921 | 19 February 1922 | |
3 | Sundar Singh Ramgarhiya | 19 February 1922 | 16 July 1922 | |
4 | Mehtab Singh | 16 July 1922 | 27 April 1925 | |
5 | Mangal Singh | 27 April 1925 | 2 October 1926 | |
After Sikh Gurdwara Act (1926-till now) | ||||
(2) | Kharak Singh | 2 October 1926 | 12 October 1930 | |
6 | Tara Singh | 12 October 1930 | 17 June 1933 | |
7 | Gopal Singh Qaumi | 17 June 1933 | 18 June 1933 | |
8 | Partap Singh Shankar | 18 June 1933 | 13 June 1936 | |
(6) | Master Tara Singh | 13 June 1936 | 19 November 1944 | |
9 | Mohan Singh Nagoke | 19 November 1944 | 28 June 1948 | |
10 | Udham Singh Nagoke | 28 June 1948 | 18 March 1950 | |
11 | Chanan Singh Urara | 18 March 1950 | 26 November 1950 | |
(10) | Udham Singh Nagoke | 26 November 1950 | 29 June 1952 | |
(6) | Tara Singh | 29 June 1952 | 5 October 1952 | |
12 | Preetam Singh Khuranj | 5 October 1952 | 18 January 1954 | |
13 | Ishar Singh Majhail | 18 January 1954 | 7 February 1955 | |
(6) | Tara Singh | 7 February 1955 | 21 May 1955 | |
14 | Bawa Harkrishan Singh | 21 May 1955 | 7 July 1955 | |
15 | Gian Singh Rarewala | 7 July 1955 | 16 October 1955 | |
(6) | Tara Singh | 16 October 1955 | 16 November 1958 | |
16 | Prem Singh Lalpur | 16 November 1958 | 7 March 1960 | |
(6) | Tara Singh | 7 March 1960 | 30 April 1960 | |
17 | Ajit Singh Bala | 30 April 1960 | 10 March 1961 | |
(6) | Tara Singh | 10 March 1961 | 11 March 1962 | |
18 | Kirpal Singh 'Chak Sherewal' | 11 March 1962 | 2 October 1962 | |
19 | Sant Chanan Singh | 2 October 1962 | 30 November 1972 | |
20 | Mohan Singh Tur | 30 November 1972 | 6 June 1973 | |
21 | Gurcharan Singh Tohra | 6 June 1973 | 23 March 1986 | |
22 | Kabal Singh | 23 March 1986 | 30 November 1986 | |
(21) | Gurcharan Singh Tohra | 30 November 1986 | 28 November 1990 | |
23 | Baldev Singh Sibiya | 28 November 1990 | 13 November 1991 | |
(21) | Gurcharan Singh Tohra | 13 November 1991 | 16 March 1999 | |
24 | Jagir Kaur | 16 March 1999 | 30 November 2000 | |
25 | Jagdev Singh Talwandi | 30 November 2000 | 27 November 2001 | |
26 | Kirpal Singh Badungar | 27 November 2001 | 27 July 2003 | |
(21) | Gurcharan Singh Tohra | 27 July 2003 | 31 March 2004 | |
27 | Alwinderpal Singh Pakhoke | 1 April 2004 | 22 September 2004 | |
(24) | Jagir Kaur | 23 September 2004 | 22 November 2005 | |
28 | Avtar Singh Makkar | 23 November 2005 | 4 November 2016 | |
(26) | Kirpal Singh Badungar | 5 November 2016 | 28 November 2017 | |
29 | Gobind Singh Longowal | 29 November 2017 | 27 November 2020 | |
(24) | Jagir Kaur | 27 November 2020 | 29 November 2021 | |
30 | Harjinder Singh Dhami | 29 November 2021 | Incumbent |
The SGPC has been accused of representing the interests of Jat Sikhs over other castes and its membership and leadership being dominated by members of the Jat community, which makes other castes feel left out and discriminated against. [17] [18] In defence, the SGPC's early history of fighting casteism has been highlighted [19] and the actions they take against reported instances of caste-based discrimination. [20] Also, a former Jathedar of the Akal Takht claims to be from a lower-caste background. [21]
The SGPC has been criticized by Sikh organizations and individuals for having an apathetic and destructive attitude towards historical Sikh heritage sites, artwork, and architecture. [22] [23] [24] [25] [26] [27] In response to these criticisms, the SGPC announced that it has launched a project to document Sikh heritage. [28] [29] As many as ninety percent of Sikh heritage monuments have been destroyed in Punjab in the name of renovation and kar seva. [30] Historic trees associated with Sikh history are also at risk due to neglectful and poorly made judgements without consulting botanical experts, such as strangling the roots and base with concrete and marble, covering the trees with fibre glass, and erecting steel beams around the trunks. [31] Efforts are ongoing to revive and preserve the life of the Beri trees surrounding the Golden Temple. [32] [33] [34] [35] The SGPC has also been criticized for their lack of action on preventing beadbi (desecrations) of the Guru Granth Sahib and other Sikh scriptures from occurring. [36] Large amounts of historical Sikh scriptural manuscripts have been systematically "cremated" (burnt to destruction) [37] [38] over the years at secretive ‘Angitha Sahib’ gurdwaras in Punjab. [39]
According to Sikh scholar, Gurtej Singh, on who is to blame for the plight of Sikh historical heritage: [40]
Whether it is the Shiromani Gurudwara Prabandhak Committee or the Akal Takht or even the political Akali Dal which draws its strength from the former two, there is no appreciation for our heritage. Scholars like us do not matter in the scheme of things, because we obstruct their commercial aspirations. The SGPC patronises these babas and they do not realise that they are converting history into mythology by destroying historical evidence.
— Gurtej Singh
On 6 September 2023, the SGPC announced plans to digitize Sikh literature and scriptures kept in the collection of Sri Guru Ramdas Library in Amritsar. [41] There are plans to make the digitized works available to the public on a website in the near future. [41]
After being criticized for their lack of action in responding the growing number of Sikhs leaving the fold and converting to Christianity and not addressing the caste and social issues that gives impetus to the phenomenon, [42] [43] [44] [45] and as a response to the allegations and growing tension between the local Sikh and Christian communities, [46] the SGPC had announced a drive called Ghar Ghar Andar Dharamsaal (meaning 'sacred shrine within every home') to counter missionaries targeting Sikhs and to educate the Sikh population on the tenets of their faith. [47] [48] [49] [50] [51]
The SGPC has been accused for enforcing their standards on who and who is not considered a Sikh. [18] This leaves many heterodox sects, such as Nirmalas, Nirankaris, Udasis, and others feeling marginalized and erased from the Sikh community by the orthodox SGPC. [52] [53] [54] The SGPC has clarified that members of the Udasi and Nirmala sects are "Sikhs". [55] [56]
Women currently are unofficially banned from singing or performing kirtan (religious devotional singing and musical performance) in sanctum sanctorum of the Golden Temple, a gurdwara under the management of the SGPC. [57] [58] [59] [60] The Punjab Legislative Assembly passed a motion to allow women to perform there in 2019. [61] In 1999, Bibi Jagir Kaur became the first female president of the SGPC. [21]
Traditional Muslim rababis and kirtanis, including claimed descendants of Bhai Mardana (companion of Guru Nanak), [62] have been banned from performing at the Golden Temple since 1947 as the SGPC has altered the rules to only allow baptized Khalsa Sikhs to perform services at the Golden Temple. [63] [64] [65] [66] Before partition, they were granted special allowance to perform at the temple. [62] [67]
Allegations of large-scale corruption have been claimed against the SGPC. [68] [69] [70] [71] [72] [73]
A gurdwara or gurudwara is a place of assembly and worship in Sikhism, 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 following outline is provides an overview of Sikhism, or Sikhi.
Panth Rattan Shiri Gurcharan Singh Tohra was a president of Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC), a Sikh body in charge of controlling Gurdwara. He died of a heart attack in New Delhi on 1 April 2004 at the age of 79. He remained the head of the SGPC for a record 27 years, and was one of the most influential and controversial Sikh leaders of the 20th century.
Beant Singh was one of the two bodyguards who assassinated the Prime Minister of India, Indira Gandhi, at her New Delhi residence on 31 October 1984.
Simranjit Singh Mann is a former Indian Police Service officer and a former Member of the Parliament in the Lok Sabha, the lower house of the Parliament of India, representing the constituency of Sangrur since 2022. He lost elections in 2024 and Gurmeet Singh Meet Hayer became new member of parliament. He is the president of the political party Shiromani Akali Dal (Amritsar). Mann has served three-times as an MP; once from Taran Tarn between 1989 and 1991, and twice from Sangrur between 1999-2004 and since 2022. He is a known Khalistani supporter and his party is known for their pro-Khalistan stances.
Teja Singh Akarpuri was an Indian and Sikh politician who served as the 11th Jathedar of Akal Takht from 1921 to 1923 and 1926 to 1930. He was the First MP from Gurdaspur constituency In Lok Sabha from 1952 to 1957 and was succeeded by Diwan Chand Sharma.
The Delhi Sikh Gurdwara Management Committee (DSGMC) is organization in India responsible for the management of Gurdwaras, Sikh places of worship in the City of Delhi. It also manages various educational institutions, hospitals, old age homes, libraries and other charitable institutions in Delhi. It is headquartered in Gurdwara Rakab Ganj Sahib, near Parliament House. Currently, the president of DSGMC is Harmeet Singh Kalka.
The Pakistan Sikh Gurdwara Prabandhak Committee is a Sikh religious organisation in Pakistan. PSGPC was formed by the Government of Pakistan and is entrusted with the maintenance of Sikh religious institutions, places of worships in Pakistan.
Jagtar Singh Hawara is a high level member of Babbar Khalsa who is currently serving life imprisonment at Tihar Jail. He was convicted as a conspirator in the assassination of 12th Chief Minister of Punjab, Beant Singh.
The Akali movement, also called the Gurdwara Reform Movement, was a campaign to bring reform in the gurdwaras in India during the early 1920s. The movement led to the introduction of the Sikh Gurdwara Bill in 1925, which placed all the historical Sikh shrines in India under the control of Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC).
Kartar Singh Jhabbar was a Sikh leader known for his role in the Gurdwara Reform Movement of the 1920s.
A takht, or taḵẖat, literally means a throne or seat of authority and is a spiritual and temporal centre of Sikhism. There are five takhts, which are five gurudwaras that have a very special significance for the Sikh community. Three are located in Punjab whilst the remaining two are located outside of it.
Giani Gurbachan Singh is a Sikh preacher who served as the jathedar of the Akal Takht from 2008 to 2018.
The Haryana Sikh Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee, also known as the Haryana Sikh Gurdwara Management Committee (HSGMC), is an organization responsible for the upkeep of Sikh gurdwaras in the Indian state of Haryana. It was formed on 11 July 2014 by a Haryana Legislative Assembly bill. Before this, the gurdwaras of Haryana were officially under Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC). HSGPC is headquartered at Kurukshetra.
Balwant Singh Nandgarh was an Indian Sikh politician and Jathedar of Takht Sri Damdama Sahib, one of five seats of temporal authority of Sikhism.
Pashaura Singh (1928–2008) also known as Jathedar Santa Singh was the 13th Jathedar of Budha Dal, succeeding Akali Chet Singh.
The Jathedar of the Akal Takht is the head of the Akal Takht and head of the Sikhs worldwide. The jathedar has the de facto power as the supreme spokesperson of the Khalsa to summon, trial and sentence any person who identifies as a Sikh from the Akal Takht.
Partap Singh was a Sikh priest and Panjabi writer. He served as the first acting Jathedar of Akal Takht from 19 December 1937 to 1948 and 19th Jathedar of Akal Takht from 1952 to 15 February 1955.
Jagdev Singh Talwandi was an Indian politician. He was elected to the Lok Sabha in 1978 as a member of the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD), a Sikh-centered regional political party. Talwandi was elected SAD president in 1978 and 1988. He became the President of the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC) in 2000. He was elected to the Punjab Vidhan Sabha thrice in 1967, 1969, and 1972, and was inducted as a Minister of State for Development and Animal Husbandry in the Gurnam Singh Ministry and the Minister of State for Jails, Sports and Transport in the Parkash Singh Badal government. He represented Punjab in the Rajya Sabha from 1980 to 1986.
Udham Singh Nagoke was a freedom fighter, Jathedar of Akal Takht and member of Rajya Sabha.
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