Sewapanthi

Sewapanth
ਸੇਵਾਪੰਥ
Fresco depicting Bhai Kanhaiya seated on a terrace leaning against a bolster with an inscription above his head from Sri Khat Wari Darbar, Shikarpur, Sindh.
Founder
Bhai Kanhaiya
Regions with significant populations
Punjab • Sindh
Religions
Sikhism
Scriptures
Guru Granth Sahib

Sewapanthi (Punjabi: ਸੇਵਾਪੰਥੀ; meaning "fellowship of service" or "path of service"), alternatively spelt as Sevapanthi, and also known as Addanshahi, is a traditional Sikh sect or order (samparda) that was started by Bhai Kanhaiya, a personal follower of the ninth Sikh Guru, Guru Tegh Bahadur. The order is focused on the welfare and altruistic service of others. Kanhaiya was instructed by the Guru to go out and serve humanity, which he did by establishing a dharmasala in the Attock district of Punjab and serving indiscriminately. Sewa Panthis are also known as 'Addan Shahis'. This name is derived from one of Bhai Kanhaiya's disciples, Addan Shah.

History

Origin

Guru Tegh Bahadur had a follower known as Kanhaiya Lal (also spelt as 'Ghaniya'), a Dhamman (Dhiman) Khatri who was born in 1648, in a town called Sohadara, now in Pakistan. Kanhaiya was of a religious-inclination since a young age and met the Sikh guru multiple times at Anandpur when he was ten-years-old and sixteen-years-old. Being very inspired by the guru's mission, Kanhaiya decided to dedicate himself to his service, even neglecting getting married because he thought it would take away time that could instead be spent on serving the guru. He served in the langar and became a drawer of water to the Guru's horses. The Guru gave Kanhaiya a seli topi as a reward. Kanhaiya accompanied Guru Tegh Bahadur when he was touring the eastern regions of the Indian subcontinent. Kanhaiya, who is noted for being humble, wore simple clothes that he made himself. Bhai Kanhaiya was the founder of the Sewapanth order.

Fresco depicting Bhai Khanaiya meeting Guru Gobind Singh from Sri Khat Wari Darbar, Shikarpur, Sindh

Once the 10th Guru, Guru Gobind Singh, had ascended to the gurgaddi, Bhai Kanhaiya began to follow him. Allegedly, Guru exempted Kanhaiya and his followers from military duty and told him to carry on performing the duty allotted to him by his reverend, Guru Tegh Bahadur, of serving all living beings.

In the Battle of Anandpur (1703), Bhai Kanhaiya served water indiscriminately to wounded soldiers in the battlefield, including the opposition, consisting of enemy Pahari forces, Mughal forces of the Sirhind Sarkar, and Gujjars and Pathan irregulars. For this act, angry Sikh warriors accused him of treason brought him before the Guru. When he asked him why he was helping the wounded enemy, Kanhaiya replied that he could not distinguish between friend or foe, as he only saw Waheguru in all. The Guru was very pleased, and not only did he order Kanhaiya to continue, but also gave him a medicine chest as a gift. He then blessed him, saying after him shall be a Sikh order. He was also gifted a bed and handkerchief by the guru. After this, Kanhaiya collected a band of service-minded Sikhs.

During the evacuation of Anandpur in 1705, Kanhaiya became lost from the guru while the flooded Sirsa river was being crossed. Kanhaiya began wandering in the Malwa region, coming upon a Bairagi sadhu near Jagraon told him where Guru Gobind Singh had gone.

Later Mughal and Afghan era

After the invasion of Ahmad Shah Abdali in 1757, the Sewapanthis were able to spread out more and become popular, founding their dharamshalas across India. Some prominent Sewapanthi figures of this era include Aya Ram, Bhai Ranga, Daya Ram, Bhai Dayal, Bhai Soma, and Paras Ram. Paras Ram was a cripple (known as a pingla) and founded a Sewapanthi institution in Jangi Shiva Bazaar in Amritsar. The Sewapanthis continued to service the Sri Darbar Sahib in Amrisar even during the anti-Sikh persecutions under the tenure of the governor Zakariya Khan by lighting its internal lamp. The langar hall at the Golden Temple's construction was supervised by Sewapanthi saints.

Modern-era

Jawahar Singh of Mitha Tiwana was a Sewapanthi who was active from 1900–1950, being succeeded by Nischal Singh, who remains active in Jagadhri, Haryana. A prominent Sewapanthi scholar in the 20th century was Sant Pandit Nischal Singh, who died in 1978. Traditionally Sehajdhari Sikhs, nowadays many Sewapanthis are becoming Khalsa Sikhs. The Sewapanthis are extremely small in number and barely exist today.

Philosophy and practices

A photo of the famous hazuri ragi, Baba Sham Singh Sewapanthi

The main focus of the sect is on the selfless service to others, hence their name. They believe that selfless service to others, based upon mutual respect and love, is a way of salvation and enlightenment by overcoming one's own inherent selfishness. Traditionally, Sewapanthis do not live the life of a grishti (householder), but remain celibate. They dedicate their whole lives for sewa, or selfless service for the panth. They typically do not engage in begging or relying on alms/offerings for their survival. Instead, they tend to construct good and sell them to support themselves, as taught by Aya Ram to his disciple Dharam Das.

The Sewa Panthis are pacifists. Though they do not say it is wrong for a person to defend themselves, Sewapanthis themselves desist from all forms of violence. They refuse to harm other forms of life in an aspiration to become the epitome of shaant ras, and to remain in sattva guna. Despite this, they do not entirely detach themselves from the martial spirit expounded upon by Guru Gobind Singh. They support, in principle, the necessary violent actions required of the Khalsa for the protection of Dharma. As such, many Sewapanthis foregoe the pahul, or initiation into the martial Khalsa order. Many Sewapanthis were Sahajdhari in their observance and therefore did not keep kesh (unshorn hair). This allowed them to escape a lot of the persecution that more identifiable Sikhs faced. Whilst Sewapanthi saints are said to have an aversion towards womankind, they are known to assist women in distress.

The Sewapanthi Sikhs usually wear pure white clothes, and keep kesh (unshorn hair), the Sewapanthi figures Sewa Ram and Addan Shah never cut their hair. They have often had their deras and dharamsalas located in places like Punjab, Pakistan, and other with Muslim majority populations. Many of the followers of the sect were ethnic Sindhi Sikhs.

Literature

This sect was responsible for preparing the ink used to write manuscripts of Sikh scriptures back in the time when such scriptures were written out by hand manually before the introduction of mass-printing. The ink prepared by the sect was known as "Roshanai" or "Addanshahi" ink.

Gurmukhi translation of Imam al-Ghazali's Alchemy of Happiness, known as the "Paras Bhag". It was translated by Sewapanthi sadhus under the patronage of Guru Gobind Singh's Anandpur Durbar.

Whilst mainstream Sikhs refer to their traditional stories as Sakhis, the Sewapanthis referred to their tradition of stories as Parchai, which are life stories related to the Sewapanthi mahatmas. According to Harbhajan Singh, the Sewapanthis were able to continue writing Sikh literature despite Mughal oppression of the Sikhs during the 18th century due to the fact they were sehajharis who did not have an external Khalsa Sikh appearance. Due to their Sindhi connection, engagements with Sufi texts and Islamic literature has been common among the Sewapanthis historically.

Places of worship

A Sewapanthi temple is known as a tikana (a term also used for Nanakpanthi temples). They are highly prevalent in Sindh, where religious syncretism between Hinduism and Sikhism can be observed and clear-cut religious boundaries become blurry and ill-defined. At a tikana is usually a copy of the primary Sikh scripture, Guru Granth Sahib, alongside images of Indic deities. When a new leader is appointed as head of a tikana (centres for the sect), they are bestowed a broom and bowl. The broom embodies cleanliness whilst the bowl epitomises serving others.

Udasi connection

There are strong historical links between these two sampardas. Bhai Khanaiya was an Udasi. Bhai Addan Shah was initially an Udasi and a student of Baba Gurdas Dakhani. This close bond has remained to this day.

Leaders

Early leaders

No. Name

(Birth–Death)

 Portrait Term Reference(s)
1. Bhai Kanhaiya
(1648 – 1718)		 1705 – 1718
2. Sewa Ram
(1658 – 1728)		 1718 – 1728
3. Addan Shah
(1688 – 26 April 1757)		 1728 – 1757
4. Bhalla Ram
(1778 – 1854)
5. Jagata
(1798 – 1868)

Later leaders

Tikana Bhai Jagta

No. Name

(Birth–Death)

 Portrait Term Reference(s)
Mahants succeeding Jagata
6. Hazari Ram
(1813 – 1883)
7. Sahai Ram
(1825 – 1901)
8. Ralya Ram
(1842 – 1927)
9. Lakhmi Das
(1928 – 1965)
10. Gulab Singh
(1881 AD – 1908 AD)		 1881 AD - 1908 AD
11. Asa Singh
(9 December 1893 – 1 January 1974)		 8 May 1950 - 1 January 1974
12. Tirath Singh (12 February 1925 – 14 January 2008) 14 January 1974 – 14 January 2008
13. Kahan Singh Ji
(September 15, 1943 – present)		 January 15, 2008 – present

Others

  • Mahant Karamjeet Singh Yamunangar

Prominent saints

See also

Notes

  1. ↑ His name is alternatively spelt as Jagta.
  2. ↑ As head leader of the 'Sewa Panthi Addan Shahi Sabha'.

References

  1. 1 2 3 Singh, Jagraj (2009). A complete guide to Sikhism. Chandigarh, India: Unistar Books. p. 249. ISBN 978-81-7142-754-3. OCLC 319683249. Sewa Panthi Sampardai: Literally sewa panthi sampardai means fellowship of service. It was founded by Bhai Ghahnaiya, who during the siege of Anandpur toured the battlefield carrying water and serving it to the friend and foe alike. Sewa Panthis are principally Sindhi Sikhs, celibate and very few. They have established a big dera at Goniana Mandi in Bathinda district and now are mainly devoted to the cause of education in addition to preaching of Sikhism.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 Gandhi, Surjit Singh (2007). "Sikh Religious Orders - Sewa Panthis". History of Sikh Gurus Retold. Vol. II: 1606-1708 C.E. Atlantic Publishers & Distributors. pp. 963–971. ISBN 9788126908585.
  3. ↑ Hīrā, Bhagata Siṅgha (1988). Bhai Kanhaiya, Beacon-light of Humanitarian Service & the Apostle of Peace. Sewa Jyoti Publications. pp. 83–84, 94.
  4. ↑ Dogra, R. C. (1995). Encyclopaedia of Sikh Religion and Culture. Gobind Singh Mansukhani. New Delhi: Vikas Pub. House. p. 426. ISBN 0-7069-8368-8. OCLC 32242463.
  5. 1 2 3 Kaur, Sukhdeep. "THE NIRANKARI SECT IN THE 19 TH CENTURY."
  6. 1 2 Dilagīra, Harajindara Siṅgha (1997). The Sikh Reference Book (1st ed.). Edmonton, Alb., Canada: Sikh Educational Trust for Sikh University Centre, Denmark. p. 602. ISBN 0-9695964-2-1. OCLC 37769917. SEWA PANTHI : - This term is used sometimes for the associates of Bhai Ghanaiya Singh, the leader of the Sikh Red-Cross . Literally : Sewa Panthi is person whose life is devoted to the services (of the Sikh nation).
  7. 1 2 3 4 Mahal, Ramandeep. "Bhai Kanhaiya ji: A Humanitarian Soul."
  8. ↑ Taak, Sangeeta, Sugandha Sawhney, and Madeeha Majid. "Sikhism and the International Humanitarian Law." -19 ISIL YB Int'l Human. & Refugee L. 18 (2018): 1.
  9. 1 2 3 4 5 Nirankari, Maan Singh (2008). Sikhism, a Perspective. Edited by Neelam Man Singh Chowdhry. Chandigarh: Unistar Books. p. 154. ISBN 978-81-7142-621-8. OCLC 289070938. The Addanshahi Sehajdhari Sikhs earn their livelihood by performing religious duties. The ink used by the ancient writers was prepared by members of the Addanshahi sect and was known as Roshanai or "Addan Shahi" ink. This sect contributed a lot in the propagation of Sikh religion by founding many religious centers. As a result many people came under the Sehajdhari Sikh fold. Some of the descendents from this sect were Sant Baba Sham Singh of Amritsar, Baba Jhanda Singh and Baba Kharag Singh of Bir Sahib who undertook the construction Sri Guru Ram Das community kitchen at Darbar Sahib.
  10. 1 2 Nirankari, Maan Singh (2008). Sikhism: A Perspective. p. 157. ISBN 9788171426218.
  11. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Singh, R. N. (2003). Historical Development of Sikhism: Religion to Politics. Encyclopaedia of Sikh Heritage. Commonwealth. pp. 81–82. ISBN 9788171697038.
  12. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Sidhu, Sumail Singh. "Contesting Vision of Sikh Identity In Punjab: 1800-1930." Unpublished Ph. D Thesis,(New Delhi: Jawaharlal Nehru University, 2007): 172.
  13. 1 2 3 4 Singh, Harbhajan; Ayyappappanikkar, K. Ayyappa Paniker (1997). Medieval Indian Literature: Surveys and selections. Volume 1 of Medieval Indian Literature: An Anthology, Sahitya Akademi. Vol. 1. Ayyappappanikkar, Sahitya Akademi. New Delhi: Sahitya Akademi. p. 451. ISBN 81-260-0365-0. OCLC 40418059. Parchai, another form of life-stories, was also popular in India. A flourishing tradition of parchai about the lives of such bhaktas as Trilochan, Dhanna, Raidas, Kabir, Namdeva and Pipa came into being in the Braj-Sadhukari linguistic style. It seems that the vartakars move their vartas around saguna bhaktas, while the parchais did so around the nirguna sants. In the Punjab many a writer adopted the parchai style and wrote what are called parchis in Punjabi. These parchis, in Punjabi, were written in the Braj-Sadhukari language in the verse form (Suhajram: Parchian Sewaram) as well as in Punjabi prose (Sewadas Udasi: Parchian Guru Gobind Singh). Just as sakhis relate to the lives of gurus and their Sikhs, so the parchis pertain to the lives of Sewapanthi mahatmas. Sewapanth is a branch of the Sikh Panth itself. Sewapanthis were Sahajdhari Sikhs, i.e. those who believe in the tenets of the gurus, but do not keep the external form, especially the unshorn hair. Because they could not be easily distinguished from the non-Sikhs in their external form, they came to be spared of the tyrannies of the Mughal rulers which the Sikhs with their easily identifiable external form had to undergo. The use of parchi nomenclature in contradistinction to sakhi and janamsakhi seems to be linked to the relatively distinctive identity of the Sewapanthis. In spite of the fact that they also have a narrative form, and a spiritual context, like the other genera, yet they reflect the distinctive Sewapanthi of Addanshahi tradition. In medieval times, the preservation of a distinctive identity was, perhaps, a compulsion for the various traditions. Was it, in some way, linked with the instinct for social survival? The parchis were also, perhaps, their more pervasive strategies aimed at survival through critical times.
  14. ↑ Falzon, Mark-Anthony (2004). Cosmopolitan Connections: The Sindhi Diaspora, 1860-2000. International Comparative Social Studies. Vol. 9. Leiden: Brill. pp. 73–74. ISBN 978-90-04-14008-0.
  15. ↑ Ramey, Steven W. (2008). Hindu, Sufi, or Sikh: Contested Practices and Identifications of Sindhi Hindus in India and Beyond (1st ed.). Springer. pp. 180–81. ISBN 9780230616226.
  16. ↑ Malhi, Gobind (1998). Sadhu Hiranand: The Man and His Mission. National Biography. National Book Trust, India. p. 5.
  17. 1 2 Falzon, M. A. (2022). "Glossary". Selling Anything Anywhere: Sindhis and Global Trade. Penguin Random House India Private Limited. ISBN 9789354925788. tikana: a mandir which usually includes both the Sikh Guru Granth Sahib and images of Hindu deities.
  18. ↑ Armentrout, Donald S.; Norman, Corrie E. (2005). Religion in the Contemporary South: Changes, Continuities, and Contexts. Knoxville, Tennessee: Univ. of Tennessee Press. p. 220. ISBN 978-1-57233-361-1.
  19. 1 2 3 4 Jacobsen, Knut A.; Kumar, Pratap (2018). South Asians in the Diaspora: Histories and Religious Traditions. BRILL. p. 342. ISBN 9789047401407.
  20. ↑ Singh, Harbans (1992–1998). The Encyclopaedia of Sikhism. Vol. 3, M–R. Patiala: Punjabi University. p. 299. ISBN 0-8364-2883-8. OCLC 29703420. PARCHl BHAl SEVA RAM is a biographical sketch, in Punjabi verse, of Bhai Seva Ram who led the Sevapanthi sect after the death of its founder Bhai Kanhaiya, a disciple of Guru Gobind Singh
  21. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 Studies in Sikhism and Comparative Religion. Vol. 19. Guru Nanak Foundation. 2000. p. 44. His successors who continued the succession of Bhai Kanhaiya tradition of serving others and who committed their lives to service of the sick and wounded lived to be 70 (Sewa Ram, 1728), 158 (Bhalla Ram, 1879), 71 (Jagta, 1811), 70 (Hazuri, 1826), 76 (Sahai Ram, 1844), 85 (Ralaya Raam, 1870), 73 (Lakshmi Dass, 1908), 79 (Gulab Singh, 1950), 81 (Asa Singh, 1974).
  22. ↑ Kohli, Surindar Singh (1993). History of Punjabi Literature. Delhi: National Book Shop. p. 100. ISBN 81-7116-141-3. OCLC 29595565. After Bhai Mani Singh, the next important prose-writer of this period is Addan Shah. Sant Addan Shah, one of the leaders of Sewapanthi Sikhs, was a good scholar of both Hinduism and Islam. His name is associated with "Paras Bhag", which is not an original work. It is the Punjabi version of Imam Ghazali's work ...
  23. 1 2 3 Hīrā, Bhagata Siṅgha (1992). The Great Sikh Saints. National Book Shop. pp. 150–170, 235. ISBN 9788171161515.
  24. ↑ Singh, Harbans (1995). The Encyclopaedia of Sikhism. Vol. 1: A–D (2nd ed.). Patiala: Punjabi University. p. 7. ISBN 978-81-7380-100-6.
  25. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Singh, Chaman. Seva Panthi Tikana Bhai Jagta Ji Sahib Goniana Mandi (Bhatinda) (PDF) (in Punjabi). Giani Balvant Singh Ji Kotha Guru.
  26. 1 2 Hīrā, Bhagata Siṅgha (1986). Bhai Jagta Sahib: A Biographic Sketch. Sewa Jyoti Publications, Tikana Bhai Jagta Sahib. pp. 108–109.
  27. ↑ "Mahant Tirath Singh Ji". SikhiWiki. Retrieved 4 August 2026. On the evening of January 14th, 2008 ... departed this world.
  28. ↑ "Mahant Kahan Singh Ji". SikhiWiki. Retrieved 4 August 2026. Being next Mahant
  29. ↑ "Free eye check-up camp organised". The Tribune. 12 February 2012.
  30. ↑ "Mahant Karamjit Singh elected as president of Haryana gurdwara management body's 'ad hoc committee'". The Indian Express. 21 December 2022.
  31. ↑ Singh, Jaskaran (21 December 2022). "Mahant Karamjit Singh of Sewapanthi sect appointed new president of ad-hoc HSGMC, Daduwal walks out in protest". The Times of India.
  32. 1 2 Singh, Trilochan (1994). Ernest Trumpp and W.H. McLeod as Scholars of Sikh History Religion and Culture. International Centre of Sikh Studies. p. 194. Baba Sham Singh and the eminent theologian Sant Amir Singh were Sewa Panthi Saints and great scholars.