Ravidassia or the Ravidas Panth is a religion based on the teachings of Guru Ravidas. It was considered a sect within Sikhism until 2009. However, some Ravidassias continue to maintain Sikh religious practices, including the reverence of the Guru Granth Sahib as their focal religious text, wearing Sikh articles of faith (5Ks), and appending Singh or Kaur to their names.
Bhagat Sadhna, also called Sadhna Qasai, was a north Indian poet, saint, mystic and one of the devotees whose hymn was incorporated in Guru Granth Sahib. Venerated in the region of Punjab, among Sikhs and Ravidassias, his devotional hymn is widely quoted by most preachers. His one hymn is present in Adi Granth Sahib, in Raga Bilaval.
Trilochan was a celebrated medieval Indian saint and one of devotee whose hymns are present in Guru Granth Sahib, the holy book of Sikhs.
The Ramdasia were historically a Sikh, Hindu sub-group that originated from the caste of leather tanners and shoemakers known as Chamar.
Guru Ravidass Jayanti is the birthday of Ravidas, celebrated on Magh Purnima, the full moon day in the month of Magh month. It is the annual focal point for the festival in India; People across countries celebrate this special occasion in India. Also, devotees take a holy dip in the river to perform rites. The 2020 date for the Jayanti was 9 February, and the 2021 date was 16 February.
Ravidas or Raidas (1267–1335) was an Indian mystic poet-saint of the Bhakti movement during the 15th to 16th century CE. Venerated as a guru in the modern regions of Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Rajasthan, Gujarat, Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, Punjab, and Haryana, he was a poet, social reformer and spiritual figure.
Dera Sach Khand Ballan, also known as Dera Sant Sarwan Dass or Dera Ballan, is a Ravidassia dera based in the village of Ballan near Jalandhar, Punjab, India. It was founded by Pipal Dass soon after 1900, and it played a role in the Ad Dharm movement to popularize the image of Ravidas as a guru. It has since adopted the mission of spreading the teachings of Ravidas and advancing public education and healthcare in India.
Sant Ramanand Dass was a leader of Dera Sach Khand, a socio-religious organization founded by followers of Guru Ravidas. His name came to international attention when he was murdered by Sikh radicals at the age of 57 in the 24 May 2009 attack on the Guru Ravidass Temple in Austria.
Gurdwara Janam Asthan, also referred to as Gurdwara Nankana Sahib, is a highly revered gurdwara that is situated at the site where the founder of Sikhism, Guru Nanak, was born. The shrine is located in Nankana Sahib, Punjab, Pakistan.
Amritbani Guru Ravidass Ji is the holy book of the Ravidassia religion.
The Ad-Dharmi is a sect in the state of Punjab, in India and is an alternative term for the Ravidasia religion, meaning Primal Spiritual Path. The term Ad-Dharm came into popular usage in the early part of the 20th century, when many followers of Guru Ravidas converted to Sikhism and were severely discriminated against due to their low caste status. Many of these converts stopped attending Sikh Gurdwaras controlled by Jat Sikhs and built their own shrines upon arrival in the UK, Canada, and Fiji Island. Ad-Dharmis comprise 11.48% of the total of Scheduled Caste communities in Punjab.
Sikhism has often been criticised by non-Sikhs regarding its texts, practices, and societal norms, but Sikhs and other scholars argue that these criticisms are flawed and are based on a biased and poor understanding of the texts, especially of the multiple languages used in the Sikh scriptures. They also argue that most Western scholars who attempted to interpret Eastern religious texts were missionaries and could not overcome the bias they carried with them, irrespective of whether they were translating the Quran, Vedas, Puranas or the Guru Granth Sahib. Sikhism's founder Guru Nanak rejected ritualistic worship and encouraged belief in one God: Waheguru. The veneration and bowing to the Guru Granth Sahib, has often been interpreted by Western scholars as akin to idolatry, as observed by the Hindu faith, which defeats the ideology of Guru Nanak. Other scholars dismiss Sikhism as, either consciously or spontaneously, a syncretism of the Hindu Bhakti and Islamic Sufi movements.
Varanasi, also known as Kashi, is considered as the religious capital of Hinduism. In the Hindu faith, it is the holiest of all of its cities; the four dhams in the four cardinal directions of the country – Badrinath in the north, Puri in the east, Dwarka in the west and Rameshwaram in the south – are all represented in the city in "archetypal forms" as the presiding deities at Badrinath Ghat, Assi's Jagannath Temple area, Shankudhara Pokhra, and Mir Ghat respectively. Other Hindu holy places, such as the Kedarnath at Kedar Ghat, Mathura at Bakaruia Kund or Nakhi Ghat, Prayagraj (Allahadbad) at Dashahvamedha Ghat, Kamakhya (Assam) at Kamachha, Kurukshetra at Kurkukshetra Kund near Asi, and Lake Manasarovar at Mansarovar near Shyameshvara are a part of the city's religious and cultural heritage.
Khuralgarh Sahib is one of the most prominent historical place of Ravidasi communities like Ad-Dharmi, Chamar, Ramdasia Sikhs and Mochis. It is situated at village Kharali, Garhshanker, Hoshiarpur district. Khuralgarh Sahib is also called Charan Choh Ganga Sri Guru Ravidas Ji as this place was visited by Sri Guru Ravidas
Sant Ravidas Ghat is the southernmost and largest ghat in Varanasi. To most visitors to Varanasi, it is known for being an important religious place for Ravidasis with a 25 acres park known as Sant Ravidas Smarak Park.
Sir Gobardhan is a census town in Varanasi tehsil of Varanasi district in the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh. The census town & village falls under the Shir Goverdhanpur gram panchayat. Sir Gobardhan Census town & village is about 13 kilometers South of Varanasi railway station, 323 kilometers South-East of Lucknow and 3.5 kilometers South-East of Banaras Hindu University main gate. It is of historical significance as it is birthplace of Sant Sri Guru Ravidas. Shri Guru Ravidass Janam Asthan at Seer Goverdhanpur is main pilgrimage place for Ravidasis worldwide.
A dera is a type of socio-religious organization in northern India. Jacob Copeman defines the deras as "monasteries or the extended residential sites of religious leaders; frequently just glossed as sect".
Shri Guru Ravidas Gurughar, Tughlakabad is one of the important religious places of Ravidasi communities like Ad-Dharmis, Ramdasia Sikhs, Chamars, Jatavs, and Mochis. It is situated at Tughlakabad area of Delhi, India.
Chambhar is caste from Indian state of Maharashtra, and Northern Karnataka. Their traditional occupation was leather work. Historically subject to untouchability, they were traditionally outside the Hindu ritual ranking system of castes known as varna. Castes with similar traditional occupation are found throughout the Indian subcontinent such as Chamar in Northern india, and Mochi in Gujarat.
Karam Singh Raju was an Indian bureaucrat and author who joined the Punjab State Civil Service just after the Independence of India. He was one of the very few first dalits who joined this prestigious service.
