mahant

Discover the legacy of Giani Amir Singh, a distinguished Sikh scholar (1870-1954), who enriched Sikh education and music at Sattovali Gali Monastery.

NIHAL SINGH DAMDAMIAN, 19th century Nirmala saint, a native of Mimsa village of the former princely state of Patiala, received initiation and religious education at the hands of Mahant Dunna Singh, of Uchcha Buriga, a Nirmala sanctuary at Damdama Sahib, Talvandi Sabo, in present day Bathinda district, and became head of the Buriga after the latter`s death. He was respected for his humility and unassuming nature and for the zeal with which he served in the Guru ka Larigar and the loving care with which he looked after the cattle in the shed. In 1860, he with a band of youthful devotees, went to Dera Baba Ram Rai in Dehra Dun and, felling one of the tallest trees in the pine forest of its extensive estate, brought it to Talvandi Sabo carrying it on their heads all the way to Patiala and thence on bullock carts arranged by Maharaja Narinder Singh of Patiala to Damdama Sahib where it was put up as the religious flagmast. Reaching Damdama Sahib, Nihal Singh humbly stood at the entrance where the sangat had deposited their shoes and would not enter the Takht Sahib until he had obtained pardon by paying penalty for having violated the Sikh code of conduct forbidding any dealings with the followers of Baba Ram Rai.

BHAI PHERU, GURDWARA (also called Gurdwara Sangat Sahib), named after its founder, the well known Udasi Sikh preacher Bhai Pherii (1640-1706), is located at Mien ki Maur, in Chuniari tahsil of Lahore district in Pakistan. During Sikh times, large endowments in land extending to about 2,750 acres were inscribed to the shrine which was administered by a line of priests belonging to Sangat Sahib Ke sect of Udasi Sikhs. As a campaign for bringing the Sikh places of worship under the management of a central body, the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee, formed in 1920, negotiations were opened with the mahant or custodian for the transfer of the Bhai Pheru Gurdwara and the landed property attached to it.

NANAK GARH GURUDWARA,BADAMI BAGH, LAHORE This monument of Jagat Guru Nanaki Dev Ji was once located at. the bank of old River Ravi near Badami Bagh railway station. It is said that it was at this spot that Jagat Guru had delivered (Mukat) the father of Duni Chand from rebirth. Once a memorial dome stood in this place and the control of this place was with a Mahant . Neither the Mahants nor any signs of this place remain but for the accounts in the pages of history.

Explore the Bhai Pheru Morcha, a pivotal Sikh campaign in the 1920s for shrine reformation, and its impact on Sikh history and heritage.

Explore the life of Pritam Das, a revered Udasi saint who established the Parichayali Akhara and Nirban Akhara, shaping Udasi Sikh history.

DALIP SINGH (1894-1921), who fell a martyr at Nankana Sahib on the morning of 20 February 1921, was born to Karam Singh and Har Kaur in January 1894 at the village of Sahoval, in Sialkot district, now in Pakistan. Two of his three brothers having died young, Dalip Singh was brought up by his parents with extra attention and care. He was educated at Sarigia, Daska and Gujranwala. While at school, he developed a keen interest in Sikh history and gurbani, utterances of the Gurus, i.e. Sikh religious texts.

Discover the historic village of Rajoana in Ludhiana, featuring Gurdwara Manji Sahib, a shrine commemorating Guru Gobind Singh's visit in 1705.

DEVA SINGH NAROTAM, PANDIT (d. 1924), Nirmala scholar, was the son of Mahitab Singh of the village of Janetpura, 13 km north of Jagraori (30° 47`N, 75° 28`E), in Ludhiana district of the Punjab. He received his early lessons in the Sikh texts at the hands of Bhai Gurdit Singh and then left home to continue his studies under Sant Nattha Singh of Gurdwara Tapiana Sahib at Khadur Sahib, in Amritsar district, and later under Sant Mahna Singh (d. 1890) at the Nirmala dera or monastery at Khandur, near Mullaripur, in Ludhiana district. He accompanied Sant Mahna Singh to Bhai Rupa, a village 18 km north of Rampura Phul in Bathinda district, to join the Nirmala monastery called Dera Khuharivala. Here, Deva Singh, already reputed enough as a scholar to be known as pandit (lit. learned scholar), was put by his mentor through a course of comparative study of gurbani in the light of his knowledge of Sanskrit and Vedanta.

Discover the inspiring journey of Pandit Sadhu Singh, a distinguished Nirmala scholar and Shri Mahant of the Nirmal Pahchayati Akhara.

Discover Vadda Dera, founded in 1859 in Punjab, India. Learn about its rich history in Sikh music training and cultural teachings.

Explore the life of Pandit Tara Singh Narotam, a prominent Nirmala scholar known for his contributions to Sikh literature and Vedantic interpretation.