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 |
|
| Namdhari Movement
(1857) |
Baba Ram Singh |
|
| Nirankari Movement
(1855) |
Baba Dayal Das |
|
| Akali Movement
(1920-25) |
Kartar Singh Jhabbar
|
|
| Gurudwara Reform
Movements (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.
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