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Sarbat Khalsa

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Sarbat Khalsa
ਸਰਬੱਤ ਖ਼ਾਲਸਾ
A stylized wordmark saying "Calgary Stampede" below a C lazy-S logo.
The 1986 Sarbat Khalsa gathering at the Akal Takht on Vaisakhi (13 April 1986).
FrequencyBiannually Since 1805, then called upon Sikh community request since 1986.
Location(s)Various throughout Punjab Region
CountryPrevious (Sikh Raaj and Sikh Empire), Most recent (Punjab, India)
Founded18th Century
FounderGuru Gobind Singh Ji
Most recent10th November 2015
Attendance500,000 - 600,000 Sikhs
ActivitySikh Religious Affairs, Sikh Activism, Sikh Human Rights, Sikh Separatism (Since 1986)

Sarbat Khalsa (lit. meaning all the Khalsa; Punjabi: ਸਰਬੱਤ ਖ਼ਾਲਸਾ (Gurmukhi) pronunciation: [sǝɾbǝt̪t̪ kʰäːlsäː]),[1] was a biannual deliberative assembly (on the same lines as a Parliament in a Direct democracy) of the Sikhs held at Amritsar in Punjab during the 18th century.[2] It literally translates to the "entire Sikh Nation" but as a political institution it refers to the meetings of the Dal Khalsa and the legislature of the Sikh Confederacy.

Procedure

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Meetings of the Sarbat Khalsa began with an Ardās, a Sikh prayer for guidance.

Meetings of the Sarbat Khalsa began with an Ardās, a Sikh prayer for guidance. The body then chose Panj Piare, or five members, to act as the governing body of the mass meeting. To become one of the Panj Piare members would have to be nominated, answer objections from the assembly, and be subject to a direct vote.[3] After their election the Panj Piare sat next to the Guru Granth Sahib on the Akal Takht of Harmandir Sahib. Members put proposals up for consideration and the Panj Piare intervened in disputes that came up during the assembly. A proposal passed by the Sarbat Khalsa, known as a Gurmata (The Guru's decision) binding on all Sikhs.[3] The declaration of the Independence of Khalistan was conducted in the Sarbat Khalsa (1986).

History

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The first Sarbat Khalsa was called by the tenth guru, Guru Gobind Singh before his death in 1708 and the tradition of calling Sarbat Khalsa has continued ever since at times of hardship or conflict. After the demolition of the Mahant System by the Khalsa Panth, S. Kartar Singh Jhabbar called the Sarbat Khalsa in 1920. He was not the Jathedar of the Akal Takht but a Sikh leader. In the resolution of that Sarbat Khalsa, Teja Singh Bhuchhar was announced as the Jathedar of the Akal Takht. The next known meeting of the Sarbat Khalsa took place on the occasion of Divali in 1721 when a clash between Tat Khalsa and the Bandais (owing fealty to Banda Singh Bahadur) was averted and amicably settled through the intervention and wise counsel of Bhai Mani Singh.

The next notable Sarbat Khalsa, which was held soon after the martyrdom of Bhai Tara Singh Wan in 1726, passed a Gurmata (the decisions of the Sarbat Khalsa), laying down a threefold plan of action: to plunder government treasures in transit between local and regional offices and the central treasury; to raid government armouries for weapons and government stables for horses and carriages; and to eliminate government informers and lackeys. This Sarbat Khalsa was arranged by the Jathedar of the Akal Takht at the time, Baba Darbara Singh.[4]

Another Sarbat Khalsa assembled in 1733 to deliberate upon and accept the government's offer of a Nawabship and jagir to the Panth. Under a gurmata of the Sarbat Khalsa on 14 October (Divali day) 1745, the active fighting force of the Sikhs was reorganized into 25 jathas (bands) of about 100 each.

A further reorganization into 11 misls (divisions) forming the Dal Khalsa was made by the Sarbat Khalsa on Baisakhi, 29 March 1748. Thus, Sarbat Khalsa became the central body of what J.D. Cunningham, in his book, A history of the Sikhs, terms a “theocratic confederate feudalism” established by the misls.[5] On 29 April 1986, a Sarbat Khalsa at the Golden Temple declared the rebuilding of Akal Takht.[6]

After the death of Banda Singh Bahadur in 1716 the Khalsa was in disarray. After 1716, the Mughal government began a campaign of genocide against Sikhs led by Abdus Samad Khan and later his son Zakariya Khan that was carried out by in the form of a standing army dedicated to eliminating Sikhs, daily public executions, and monetary rewards for the heads of killed Sikhs.[7] The Dal Khalsa "retaliated by killing government functionaries and plundering Mughal posts, arsenals, and treasuries".[8] In 1733, because of the failure of the Mughal government to subdue the Sikhs they were offered a jagir in 1733. Nawab Kapur Singh was appointed head of the Dal Khalsa and he reorganized the Sikhs into the Taruna Dal and Budda Dal. The Taruna Dal formed the basis of the Sikh Misls.

Maharaja Ranjit Singh abolished the Sarbat Khalsa in 1805 but it has recently been revived.[9]

In 2015, a Sarbat Khalsa was held against the wishes of SGPC and announced 13 resolutions deliberated upon by the Sikh panth and its representatives.

List of prominent Sarbat Khalsas

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See also

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References

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  1. ^ Cole, W. Owen (1997). A popular dictionary of Sikhism. Lincolnwood, Ill.: NTC Pub. Group. p. 75. ISBN 978-0700710485.
  2. ^ Brief History of Sikh Misls. Jalandhar: Sikh Missionary College (Regd.). pp. 4–5.
  3. ^ a b Brief History of Sikh Misls. Jalandhar: Sikh Missionary College (Regd.). p. 5.
  4. ^ Singh, Jagraj (2009). A Complete Guide to Sikhism. Unistar Books. p. 54. ISBN 9788171427543. Banda Singh was captured alive and executed in Delhi by the Moghul Government of Hindustan in 1716, after which two most powerful nations of Asia at that time, the Moghul Emperor of Hindustan from Delhi and Ahmad Shah Abdali King of Afghanistan from Kabul vowed to wipe out the Sikhs from the face of the earth. The Sikhs left their homes and hearths and escaped to the safety of jungles, mountains of the Punjab and desert of the adjoining Rajputana, refused to submit and continued their struggle for the independence of the Sikh Nation. They re-organized themselves and first Sarbat Khalsa meeting was held at Akal Takhat Amritsar under the leadership of Jathedar Darbara Singh on the Vaisakhi day in 1726. Thereafter Amritsar became the headquarters of Dal Khalsa, Buddha Dal, Taruna Dal and then 12 Misls.
  5. ^ Kakshi, S.R.; Rashmi Pathak; S.R.Bakshi; R. Pathak (2007), Punjab Through the Ages, Sarup and Son, p. 8, ISBN 978-81-7625-738-1, retrieved 2010-04-25
  6. ^ Giorgio Shani (2007). Sikh Nationalism and Identity in a Global Age. Routledge. p. 58. ISBN 9781134101894.
  7. ^ SIngh, Patwant (2001). The Sikhs. Image. pp. 78–79. ISBN 978-0-385-50206-1.
  8. ^ SIngh, Patwant (2001). The Sikhs. Image. p. 79. ISBN 978-0-385-50206-1.
  9. ^ Cole, W. Owen (1997). A popular dictionary of Sikhism. Piara Singh Sambhi. Lincolnwood, Ill.: NTC Pub. Group. ISBN 978-0-203-98609-7. OCLC 648154652. A gurmatta may only be passed by the Sarbat Khalsa, that is a properly constituted assembly of the Panth which has been publicly announced and to which they have been summoned. In this way it resembles the gatherings of Sikhs in the presence of the human Gurus at Hola Mohalla, Baisakhi, and Diwali, at which such decisions were often made, though, of course, it must be held in the presence of the Guru Granth Sahib. In 1805 Maharaja Ranjit Singh abolished assemblies of the Sarbat Khalsa for this purpose, but the practice has recently been re-established.

Further reading

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  • Volume 2: Evolution of Sikh Confederacies (1708-1769) by Hari Ram Gupta. Munshiram Manoharlal Publishers, 1999, ISBN 8121505402, Pages: 383 pages, illustrated.
  • The Heritage of the Sikhs by Harbans Singh. 1994, ISBN 81-7304-064-8.
  • Sikh Domination of the Mughal Empire. 2000, second edition. ISBN 81-215-0213-6.
  • The Sikh Commonwealth or Rise and Fall of Sikh Misls. 2001, revised edition. ISBN 81-215-0165-2.
  • Maharaja Ranjit Singh, Lord of the Five Rivers by Jean-Marie Lafont. Oxford University Press. 2002, ISBN 0-19-566111-7.
  • History of Panjab by Dr L. M. Joshi and Dr Fauja Singh.
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