IOverview
The Nirankari are a Sikh movement begun by Baba Dayal Singh in mid nineteenth century Rawalpindi. Nirankar means the Formless One, a name for God in Sikh scripture. The Nirankari set out to return Sikhism to the original teaching of Guru Nanak: remembrance of the Name, no worship of images, and no need for priestly ritual.
Like the Namdhari, the Nirankari accept a line of living Gurus following Baba Dayal, and that is where they differ from the mainstream. The movement should be distinguished from the Sant Nirankari Mission, a later organisation with different teachings that mainstream Sikhs do not regard as Sikh.
IIHistory
Baba Dayal Singh lived from 1783 to 1855, in the time of Ranjit Singh's Sikh Empire. According to Wikipedia and Britannica, he criticised Sikhs of his day for returning to image worship, calling on Brahmin priests for their rites and neglecting the remembrance of the Name. He called for a return to the teaching of Guru Nanak. Many historians regard his movement as the earliest of the Sikh reform movements, before both the Namdhari and the Singh Sabha.
- 1851The movement beginsBaba Dayal starts preaching in Rawalpindi.
- 1855 to 1870Baba Darbara SinghBaba Dayal's son succeeds him and sets out the movement's rites in the Hukamnama.
- 1891CensusAbout 46,610 Nirankari Sikhs are recorded, according to Wikipedia.
- 1947Partition of PunjabThe community leaves Rawalpindi, now in Pakistan, for India.
- 1958A centre in ChandigarhA new headquarters is established in the city of Chandigarh.
IIIBelief and Distinctives
The Nirankari teach that God is Nirankar, without form, and that the path to liberation is nam simran, remembering the Name. They revere the Guru Granth Sahib and reject idol worship, sacrificial offerings and Brahmin astrology.
Where they differ from the mainstream is in accepting a continuing line of living Gurus: Baba Dayal, Baba Darbara Singh, Sahib Rattaji, Baba Gurdit Singh, Sahib Hara Singh, Baba Gurbakhsh Singh and, since the late 1990s, Baba Jagdarshan Singh. The Nirankari see these figures as spiritual guides, while mainstream Sikhs hold that there has been no living human Guru since 1708.
A common misunderstanding is that the Nirankari and the Sant Nirankari Mission are the same. The Sant Nirankari Mission grew up in the 1920s and 1930s around Baba Buta Singh, who had been part of the Nirankari movement and then broke away. It later developed into a separate spiritual movement that does not centre on the Guru Granth Sahib. In 1978, after a clash in Amritsar, the Akal Takht issued a directive telling Sikhs to have no dealings with the Sant Nirankari Mission. That directive was not aimed at Baba Dayal's Nirankari movement.
IVPractice, Ritual and Daily Life
The movement's most lasting contribution is in ritual. Its Hukamnama sets out Sikh rites for birth, marriage and death without Hindu or Muslim ceremonies. The Anand wedding, in which the couple walk around the Guru Granth Sahib while the Lavan hymns are sung, was practised by the Nirankari from the mid nineteenth century. It later became the standard Sikh rite and was recognised in law by the Anand Marriage Act of 1909. Daily remembrance of the Name and simple living lie at the heart of Nirankari life.
VOrganisation and Distribution
The centre today is in Chandigarh, where the community moved after the partition of Punjab in 1947. Its head is Baba Jagdarshan Singh. The community is small, made up largely of families from the Rawalpindi and Peshawar region. This library has no reliable figure for its present size. The only historical figure found is about 46,610 Nirankari Sikhs in the 1891 census, as cited by Wikipedia.
Historians usually place the Nirankari alongside the Namdhari and the Singh Sabha in the nineteenth century wave of Sikh reform. All three sought to remove customs regarded as foreign to the Gurus' teaching, but they went in three directions. The Singh Sabha became the foundation of today's mainstream, while the Nirankari and Namdhari kept their own lines of living Gurus.
VIIn Vietnam
This library has found no trace of Nirankari individuals or groups in Vietnam.
VIISymbol of the Branch
No symbol of its own is recorded with a source for this branch, so the library uses the common symbol of the path.
VIIIOther Branches of Sikhism
Mainstream Sikhism (Khalsa Panth)ਖ਼ਾਲਸਾ ਪੰਥ Khālsā PanthThe great majority of Sikhs.
Nihangਨਿਹੰਗ NihangA warrior order within the Khalsa, not a separate faith.
Namdhari (Kuka)ਨਾਮਧਾਰੀ NāmdhārīFounded by Satguru Ram Singh in April 1857 at Sri Bhaini Sahib.Sikh Dharma (3HO)Sikh Dharma InternationalFounded in the United States by Harbhajan Singh (Yogi Bhajan), 1971 according to Britannica, 1969 in some sources.Uses the common symbol of the pathNirankariਨਿਰੰਕਾਰੀ NirankārīFounded by Baba Dayal in 1851 in northwest Punjab, stressing remembrance of the Name and the formless God.Uses the common symbol of the pathUdasiਉਦਾਸੀ UdāsīA celibate renunciant order founded by Sri Chand, son of Guru Nanak.Uses the common symbol of the path
Ravidassiaਰਵਿਦਾਸੀਆ RavidāsīāA community revering Guru Ravidas, formerly counted as a Sikh group.IXSources
The library cross-checks the sources below. Where they disagree, the page gives both.
?Quick Questions
Are the Nirankari the same as the Sant Nirankari Mission?
No. The Nirankari are a Sikh movement founded by Baba Dayal in 1851 that reveres the Guru Granth Sahib. The Sant Nirankari Mission broke away later, developed into a separate spiritual movement, and is not regarded as Sikh by mainstream Sikhs.
How do the Nirankari differ from mainstream Sikhs?
The Nirankari accept a line of living Gurus descending from Baba Dayal, while the mainstream holds the Guru Granth Sahib as the eternal Guru since 1708. On remembrance of the Name and the rejection of image worship the two are close.
Where did the Anand wedding come from?
The Nirankari performed weddings around the Guru Granth Sahib from the mid nineteenth century. The rite later became the Sikh standard and was recognised by the Anand Marriage Act of 1909.