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{{infobox religious group
| group = Bangladeshi Sikhs বাংলাদেশী শিখ
| image = Gurdwara NanakShahi Dhaka by Ragib Hasan.jpg
| caption = [[Gurdwara Nanak Shahi]] in [[Dhaka]]
| population =
| regions = [[Dhaka]] [[Chittagong]] [[Mymensingh]]
| founder = [[Guru Nanak]]
| scriptures = [[Guru Granth Sahib]]
| languages = [[Sant Bhasha]] ([[Sacred language|sacred]]) [[Punjabi language|Punjabi]] (cultural) [[Bengali language|Bengali]] (national)
}}
{{Sikhism sidebar}}

'''Sikhism in [[Bangladesh]]''' has an extensive heritage and history, although [[Sikhs]] had always been a minority community in Bengal. Their founder, [[Guru Nanak]] visited a number of places in Bengal in the early sixteenth century where he introduced Sikhism to locals and founded numerous establishments. In its early history, the [[Sikh gurus]] despatched their followers to propagate Sikh teachings in Bengal and issued [[hukamnama]]s to that region. [[Guru Tegh Bahadur]] lived in Bengal for two years, and his successor [[Guru Gobind Singh]] also visited the region. Sikhism in Bengal continued to exist during the colonial period as Sikhs found employment in the region, but it declined after [[Partition of India|the partition]] in 1947.<ref>{{Cite news |url=http://archive.thedailystar.net/magazine/2012/07/01/heritage.htm|title=Prayers from Punjab|newspaper=The Daily Star|access-date=2016-12-20}}</ref> Among the eighteen historical ''[[gurdwara]]s'' (Sikh places of worship) in Bangladesh, only five are extant. The [[Gurdwara Nanak Shahi]] of [[Dhaka]] is the principal and largest ''gurdwara'' in the country. The Sikh population in the country almost entirely consists of businessmen and government officials from the neighbouring [[Republic of India]].<ref name="banglapedia" />

== History ==
Sikhism first emerged in [[Bengal]] when its founder, [[Guru Nanak]], visited the [[Bengal Sultanate]] in 1504 during the reign of Sultan [[Alauddin Husain Shah]]. He passed through [[Kaharole Upazila|Kantanagar]] and [[Sylhet]]. [[Kahn Singh Nabha]] credits the establishment of [[Gurdwara Sahib Sylhet]] to Nanak himself. Mughal courtier [[Abu'l-Fazl ibn Mubarak]] also records in his ''[[Akbarnama]]'' that Nanak had entered Sylhet from [[Kamrup region|Kamrup]] with his followers. He further narrates a story in which a ''[[Fakir|faqir]]'' (Sufi ascetic) called [[Nur Shah]] [[shapeshifting|transmorphed]] Nanak's senior companion [[Bhai Mardana]] into a [[sheep|lamb]] although Nanak was able to undo the spell later on.<ref name="banglapedia" />

Nanak then sailed into [[Dhaka]], where he stopped at the village of [[Dhanmondi Thana|Shivpur]] and also visited [[Faridpur, Bangladesh|Faridpur]]. He first preached to the potters of [[Rayer Bazaar]], for whom he dug and consecrated a well in Jafarabad village for. Nanak was also said to have constructed a [[gurdwara]] in Jafarabad.<ref name=ism>{{Cite Banglapedia|article=Sikhism|author=Chandra, Mohanta Sambaru}}</ref> The ruins of the well in Jafarabad is still visited by Sikhs, who believe that its waters have curative powers.<ref name=allen/> Nanak then left Dhaka as he intended to travel to [[Calcutta]] and subsequently the [[Deccan Plateau|Deccan]]. He passed through [[Chittagong]], where he established a ''[[Manji (Sikhism)|manji]]'' (religious headquarter) in [[Chawkbazar Thana|Chawkbazar]] and made [[Bhai Jhanda]] its first ''[[masand]]''. Raja Sudhir Sen of Chittagong converted to Sikhism as a result of his converted son, Indra Singh, and became a disciple of Guru Nanak. This manji later became the [[Chittagong Gurdwara]] (Joy Nagar Lane, [[Panchlaish Thana|Panchlaish]]) through the effort of [[Dewan Mohan Singh]], the [[Biharis|Bihari]]-[[Sikh]] ''[[dewan]]'' of the [[Nawab of Bengal]] [[Murshid Quli Khan]]. The Nawab had also allowed the entire property to be rent-free. The Dewan also established the Gurdwara of English Road in [[Dhaka]] which later collapsed.<ref name="banglapedia" /><ref>{{Cite Banglapedia|article=Panchlaish Thana|author=Bhuiyan, Golam Kibria}}</ref>

[[Baba Gurditta]] later visited Bengal, where he established a ''manji'' in Shujatpur (presently the [[University of Dhaka]] campus) which Gurditta traced to be the location in which Nanak resided during his stay in Bengal. During the reign of [[Mughal emperor]] [[Jahangir]], [[Guru Hargobind]] dispatched [[Bhai Nattha]] ([[Bhai Almast]]'s successor) to Bengal, who dug another well and also laid the foundation stone for the Shujatpur Sikh Sangat, a religious congregation. The ''sangat'' commemorated the footsteps of Guru Nanak.<ref name="banglapedia" />

[[Guru Tegh Bahadur]] stayed in [[Dhaka]] between 1666 and 1668 after visiting [[Assam]]. During this time, Bulaki Das was the ''[[masand]]'' (Sikh minister) of Dhaka. He established the [[Gurdwara Sangat Tola]] (14 Sreesh Das Lane) in [[Bangla Bazar]].<ref name=allen>{{cite book|title=Eastern Bengal District Gazetteers: Dacca|url=https://archive.org/details/daccaallen00alle/page/70/mode/2up|year=1912|first=Basil Copleston|last=Allen|publisher=The Pioneer Press|location=[[Allahabad]]|page=70|chapter=The People}}</ref> His wooden sandals are preserved at the [[Gurdwara Nanak Shahi]].<ref name=nanakshahi/> He also visited the [[Gurdwara Sahib Sylhet]] twice. His successor, [[Guru Gobind Singh]], issued many [[hukamnama]]s to the Sylhet temple and also visited Dhaka. The [[Gurdwara Sahib Sylhet]] provided war elephants for him too.<ref name=ism/><ref>{{cite book|page=681|title=History of Sikh Gurus Retold: 1606-1708 C.E|chapter=Guru Tegh Bahadur|author=Singh Gandhi, Surjit|year=2007|isbn=9788126908585|publisher=[[Atlantic Books|Atlantic Publishers]]}}</ref>

Overtime, the Shujatpur ''sangat'' developed into what is now the [[Gurdwara Nanak Shahi]] from 1830 onwards. Under the initiative of Mahant Prem Daas, Bhai Nattha's well was reformed in 1833.<ref name="banglapedia" /> A large number of [[Sikhs]] found employment with the [[Assam Bengal Railway]] and a ''gurdwara'' was established for them in [[Pahartali Thana|Pahartali, Chittagong]].<ref name=cachar>{{cite book|title=Assam District Gazetteers|volume=1: Cachar|year=1905|location=[[Calcutta]]|author=B C Allen|publisher=[[Government of Assam]]|url=https://archive.org/details/in.ernet.dli.2015.463827}}</ref> The [[Gurdwara Sahib Sylhet]] was destroyed as result of the [[1897 Assam earthquake|1897 earthquake]]. The [[Sangat Sutrashashi]] at Urdu Road was later destroyed by the Sutra Sadhus. There is also a gurdwara in [[Banshkhali Upazila|Banigram, Banshkhali]].<ref>{{Cite Banglapedia|article=Banshkhali Upazila|author=Bishwas, Ujjal}}</ref>

In 1945, Sikhs established the [[Gurdwara Guru Nanak Sahib]] in [[Mymensingh]] which continues to be used by ten local families today. A [[Bengalis|Bengali]] Sikh called Here Singh was appointed as its inaugural chief. From 1915 to 1947, Sri Chandrajyoti served as the ''[[granthi]]'' of [[Gurdwara Nanak Shahi]] in Dhaka. After the [[Independence of Pakistan]], most of the Sikh community left for the [[Dominion of India]] and the Dhaka gurdwara was looked after by Bhai Swaran Singh.<ref name=banglapedia>{{Cite Banglapedia|article=Sikhs, The|author=Nasrin Akhter}}</ref> After the [[Indo-Pakistani War of 1971]] and [[Bangladesh Liberation War]], Indian Sikh soldiers helped renovate the extant [[gurdwara]]s of Bangladesh including the Gurdwara Nanak Shahi.<ref name=nanakshahi>{{Cite Banglapedia|article=Gurdwara Nanak Shahi|author=Chandra, Mohanta Sambaru}}</ref>

==Demographics==
The Sikh population almost entirely consists of [[Punjabis|Punjabi]] businessmen and government officials from the neighbouring [[Republic of India]]. There exists a small ancient [[Balmiki]] community who retain fluency in the [[Punjabi language]] from the time of [[Guru Nanak]]. Despite the direct propagation from four of the [[Sikh gurus]], the religion was unable to profoundly influence the [[Bengali people]] due to its seemingly [[Punjab]]i-centric nature.<ref name="banglapedia" />

==Government recognition==
The [[Government of Pakistan]] requisitioned this part of Jafarabad under Sikh supervision until 1959. A handwritten copy of the [[Guru Granth Sahib]] from the time of [[Guru Arjan]] was kept at the [[Gurdwara Sangat Tola]] and later moved to the [[Gurdwara Nanak Shahi]] in 1985.<ref>{{Cite Banglapedia|article=Granth Sahib|author=Chandra, Mohanta Sambaru}}</ref> After the [[independence of Bangladesh]], Bhai Kartar Singh and the Bangladesh Gurdwara Management Board seized control of all the gurdwaras in the country including the central [[Gurdwara Nanak Shahi]] of [[Dhaka]].<ref name="banglapedia" />

== References ==
{{reflist|2}}

{{Asia topic|Sikhism in}}
{{Religion in Bangladesh topics}}

[[Category:Religion in Bangladesh]]
[[Category:Sikhism by country|Bangladesh]]

Sikhism in Bangladesh - Revision history

ThereseH43: Fresh page draft.