11. SIKH REFORM MOVEMENTS

NIRANKARI MOVEMENT

Founded in the 1840s by Baba Dayal Das. He preached against the practice of Hindu ceremonies, that were being performed by Sikhs. He denounced idol worship and rejected rituals. He emphasized the worship of God as Nirankar (formless God) and asked his disciples to obey the shabad (preaching) of the Guru and serve their parents and avoid bad habits. Eating meat, and consuming liquor was also forbidden.

NAMDHARI MOVEMENT

It was founded as an offshoot of the Kuka Movement that was founded by Balak Singh. In 1857, Balak Singh’s disciple Baba Ram Singh formally inaugurated Namdhari Movement.
Like the Nirankari Movement, this movement originated and spread in the North-West corner of the country, its principal object was to spread the true spirit of Sikhism. The Namdhari Khalsas were named Kukas.

SINGH SABHA

It was founded in 1875, at Amritsar, under the guidance of Thakur Singh Sandhawalia and Giani Gian Singh, with two main objectives

1. It wanted to bring to Sikh Community, the benefits of Western enlightenment through Western education.
2. To counter Hindu and Christian missionaries, that were influencing the Sikh Community at large and to revive the community by publishing historical texts, and religious books and propagating knowledge. The Sabha opened Khalsa Schools/ Colleges.

Similar Sabhas came up in Lahore in 1879. In the year 1880, Khalsa Diwan was established as Central Organisation for all Singh Sabhas. He preached Extreme Puritanism (strict morality, discipline) and prescribed a dress code of pure white clothes, a new turban style, vegetarian food, and abstinence from all vices. He acknowledged the equality of women, encouraged widow remarriage, and rejected dowry and child marriage.

AKALI MOVEMENT

It also known as Gurudwara Reform Movement came into full swing in the early 1920s was an offshoot of the Singh Sabha Movement, mainly founded with the objective of fighting the prevalent corruption amongst the community, especially that of the Mahantas.

Shiromani Gurudwara Prabandhak Committee was elected in 1920. In 1921, Akali’s launched a Non-Cooperation Satyagraha Movement against the Mahantas.