Namdhari sect

About Namdhari sect: 

• The sect was founded by Satguru Ram Singh of Baisakhi in 1857. He challenged the status quo, advocated social reform, and resisted the Raj in various ways.
• The Namdharis were also known as “Kukas” because of their trademark style of reciting the “Gurbani” (Sayings/Teachings of the Guru).
• This style was in a high-pitched voice called “Kook” in Punjabi. Thus, the Namdharis were also called “Kukas”.
  • Satguru Ram Singh asked his followers to boycott everything which bore the stamp of the British Government.
  • In course of time, Baba Ram Singh became a secular chief of Kukas.
  • He appointed Governors and Deputy Governors to organize Kukas in different districts of Punjab. He also inspired young men by giving them military training.
  • The British inflicted terrible punishments on the Namdharis and deported Ram Singh to Rangoon, from where he never returned.
• Namdhari Sikhs consider the Guru Granth Sahib as the Supreme Gurbani, but they also believe in a living human Guru.
• The Namdharis consider the cow to be sacred, they are teetotallers, and avoid even tea and coffee.
• The sect’s headquarters is located in Ludhiana’s Bhaini Sahib near village Raiyaan, where Ram Singh was born. The sect has its deras across Punjab and Haryana, and has a presence in a few other countries, too.

Q1: What is the Guru Granth Sahib?

It is also known as the Adi Granth, is the primary Holy Book of the Sikhs and is consulted for religious guidance in all aspects of life. Composed during the period of Sikh Gurus, from 1469 to 1708, the Guru Granth Sahib is a voluminous text of 1430 pages that was compiled by the fifth Sikh Guru, Guru Arjan Dev (1563-1606), from hymns of the previous Sikh Gurus and other great saints of the Hindu and Muslim traditions.

Source: Explained: The bitter dispute in the Namdhari sect, which has left 8 people injured in a violent clash