Upto 60% Off on UPSC Online Courses

Avail Now

Sikh Reform Movement

Sikh Reform Movement: Resisting Influences, Empowering Gurdwaras, and Restoring Faith #

Sikh Reform Movement: Resisting Influences in 19th Century Punjab #

In opposition to Christian, Hindu reform movements (Brahmo Samajis, Arya Samaj), Muslim proselytising (Aligarh movement, Ahmadiyah), and Christian proselytising, the Singh Movements was founded in Punjab in the 1870s. The Sikh Reform movement was started at a period when the majority Sikh population was quickly migrating to other religions, the Khalsa had lost its reputation, and the British had disbanded and seized the Sikh Empire. 

Sikh Reform Movement: Empowering Gurdwaras and Embracing Nirankar #

The Sikh Reform movement gained strength when the Akali Movement started in Punjab after 1920.

  • The primary objective of the Akalis was to enhance the management of Gurudwaras or Sikh Shrines, which were governed by priests or Mahants and treated as private property.
  • The Shiromani Gurudwara Prabandhak Committee was given the power to oversee gurdwaras by a law established in 1925.
  • Baba Dayal Das popularised the idea of a nirankar (formless) God.

Sikh Reform Movements: Restoring Faith and Governance in Punjab #

To address the corrupt management of Gurdwaras, a fresh reform movement known as the Akali Movement had formed by the end of the nineteenth century. There were several reform movements that took place, which are:

Name of the Movement Associated Leaders Significance
Singh Sabha 

Movement

(1873)

Thakur Singh Sandhawalia and Giani Gian Singh
  • The goal of the sabha was –
    • To restore Sikhism to its original purity.
    • To print historical religious literature and magazines.
    • To spread information about Sikhism.
    • To sing Punjabi.
    • To return Sikh apostles to their religion.
    • To enlist Englishmen in the Sikh educational program.
  • The Singh Sabhas were swamped by other organisations like Khalsa Diwani and, in 1920, a fight for control over Sikh places of worship.
Namdhari Movement

(1857)

Baba Ram Singh
  • The Namdhari movement celebrated a series of ceremonies fashioned by Guru Gobind Singh on the foundation day of Khalsa.
  • Namdharis were compelled to wear the five Sikhism insignia (sword) except kirpan. Namdharis, however, were forced to carry a Lathi (bamboo stave).
  • They repudiated idol worship, cemeteries, tombs, trees, and snakes, as well as popular saints and ceremonies performed by the upper caste Brahman priests.
Nirankari Movement

(1855)

Baba Dayal Das
  • They emphasised appropriate religious practice, producing Hukamnamas to clarify what was acceptable and establishing a network of worship places staffed by their priests.
  • They grew by cooperating with the Britishers.
  • They became a separate group under the Sikh fold.
Akali Movement

(1920-25)

Kartar Singh Jhabbar

 

  • It is also known as the Gurdwara Reform Movement sprang out of the Singh Sabha Movement.
  • The aim was to free the Sikh gurudwaras from the grip of corrupt Udasi mahants.
  • It resulted in the Sikh Gurdwaras Act being passed in 1922 (and later revised in 1925), giving the Sikh people power over how gurudwaras were run, with the Shiromani Gurudwara Prabandhak Committee (SGPC) serving as the top administrative body.
Gurudwara Reform 

Movements

(1920)

 
  • Gurudwaras were governed by the Udasi Sikh mahants before the 1920s. These mahants treated the Gurdwara offerings and other income of the Gurudwaras as their income.
  • Britishers supported these mahants to counter the rising tide of nationalism among the Sikhs.
  • It started as an agitation to free the Gurudwaras from these dishonest mahants and to transfer ownership of the Gurudwaras to an official Sikh organisation.
  • Owing to this campaign, the Shiromani Gurudwara Prabandhak Committee—an elected committee—became in charge of the Gurudwaras in November 1920.

 

Conclusion #

Punjab had the greatest number of socioreligious movements of any South Asian area due to the diversity of its religious groupings. Additionally, conflicts arose regularly both within and across religious groupings. The Sikh community could not ignore the flood of rationalist and progressive ideals that was growing in the nineteenth century. A number of gurus oversaw Sikh religious and social movements in an effort to improve the Sikh religion. 

Sikh Reform Movement FAQs #

Q1. What was the origin of the Sikh socio-religious movement?

Ans. The Sikh socio-religious reform movement began in the late 19th century with the founding of Khalsa College in Amritsar, which promoted Gurumukhi, Sikh education, and Punjabi literature.

Q2. The Gurudwara Reform Movement: What Is It?

Ans. Udasi Sikh mahants oversaw Sikh Gurudwaras before 1920, supporting the British government to suppress Sikh nationalism. The priest labeled General Dyer renegades, leading to the Jallianwala Bagh massacre.

Must Read
NCERT Notes For UPSC UPSC Daily Current Affairs
UPSC Blogs UPSC Daily Editorials
Daily Current Affairs Quiz Daily Main Answer Writing
UPSC Mains Previous Year Papers UPSC Test Series 2024
Print Friendly, PDF & Email

 Final Result – CIVIL SERVICES EXAMINATION, 2023.   Udaan-Prelims Wallah ( Static ) booklets 2024 released both in english and hindi : Download from Here!     Download UPSC Mains 2023 Question Papers PDF  Free Initiative links -1) Download Prahaar 3.0 for Mains Current Affairs PDF both in English and Hindi 2) Daily Main Answer Writing  , 3) Daily Current Affairs , Editorial Analysis and quiz ,  4) PDF Downloads  UPSC Prelims 2023 Trend Analysis cut-off and answer key

THE MOST
LEARNING PLATFORM

Learn From India's Best Faculty

      

 Final Result – CIVIL SERVICES EXAMINATION, 2023.   Udaan-Prelims Wallah ( Static ) booklets 2024 released both in english and hindi : Download from Here!     Download UPSC Mains 2023 Question Papers PDF  Free Initiative links -1) Download Prahaar 3.0 for Mains Current Affairs PDF both in English and Hindi 2) Daily Main Answer Writing  , 3) Daily Current Affairs , Editorial Analysis and quiz ,  4) PDF Downloads  UPSC Prelims 2023 Trend Analysis cut-off and answer key

Quick Revise Now !
AVAILABLE FOR DOWNLOAD SOON
UDAAN PRELIMS WALLAH
Comprehensive coverage with a concise format
Integration of PYQ within the booklet
Designed as per recent trends of Prelims questions
हिंदी में भी उपलब्ध
Quick Revise Now !
UDAAN PRELIMS WALLAH
Comprehensive coverage with a concise format
Integration of PYQ within the booklet
Designed as per recent trends of Prelims questions
हिंदी में भी उपलब्ध

<div class="new-fform">







    </div>

    Subscribe our Newsletter
    Sign up now for our exclusive newsletter and be the first to know about our latest Initiatives, Quality Content, and much more.
    *Promise! We won't spam you.
    Yes! I want to Subscribe.