Baba Bankhandi Maharaj | |
|---|---|
 Depiction of Bankhandi from Sakhar Soonharo (1940) by Parsram Veerumal Masand | |
| Gaddi Nashin of Sadh Belo | |
| In office 1823 – 1863 | |
| Preceded by | none (position established) |
| Succeeded by | Swami Achal Prasad |
| Personal | |
| Born | Balchand Sharma 1763 Nepal or Kero Khetar near Delhi |
| Died | 1863 Sadh Belo, Sukkur, Sindh |
| Religion | Sikhism |
| Sect | Udasi Bakhshishāṅ (Mihanshahi branch) |
Bankhandi (1763 – 1863), commonly referred to as Baba Bankhandi Maharaj honorifically[1], also spelt Vankhandi,[2] was an Udasi missionary and saint who founded Sadh Belo in 1823.[3][4][5][6] Bankhandi was a missionary and preacher of the Mihanshahi sub-sect of the Udasis.[7]
Biography[edit | edit source]
Bankhandi, who was born as Balchandra, was originally a Gaur Brahmin said to hail from Kurukshetra (in Haryana).[8] Other sources claim he was born as Balchand Sharma, and was originally said to hail from either Nepal or Kero Khetar near Dehli.[4][3] According to Sarmukh Singh Amole, he was born in 1763 whilst other sources give a year of birth ranging from 1807–1808.[7]
He became an Udasi missionary and belonged to the Bakhshishāṅ subsect (specifically the Mihanshahi branch).[9] He moved to a heavily forested island in Sukkur, Sindh on the Indus River called Menak Parbat in 1823 at the age of 15.[4] He took a liking to his newfound environment, where he established a dhuni (location for a sacred fire).[6] There he founded Sadh Belo, which grew to become a major centre of spirituality and learning for the Udasi sect.[10][1] He established a hut (kutiya) there on the mound.[2] Bankhandi established places of worship for various Indic deities, such as Annuparna, Ganesha, Shiva, and Hanuman.[6] He also constructed places where the Guru Granth Sahib was kept.[6] It is believed that Bankhandi had been bestowed with a bowl (kamandalu) by the goddess Annapoorna that had divine properties.[2] He is said to have died in 1863.[10][7] A temple dedicated to him was constructed in 1899 by the eight successor (gaddi nashin), Sant Harnam Das.[4][3] It remains a popular pilgrimage site today.[9]
References[edit | edit source]
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Kalhoro, Zulfiqar Ali (26 May 2013). "The Sikhs of Sindh". Originally published on The Friday Times, republished on SikhChic.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 Bharadwaj, Prakash (1988). Sindhis Through the Ages: Far-East & South-East Asian countries. World-Wide Publishing Company. p. 58.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 Memon, Sarfaraz (26 June 2022). "Sindh's Sadh Belo Temple". T-Magazine.
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 Rasheed, Shaikh Abdul (2017-09-18). "Sadh Belo Temple the most frequented religious site". Daily Times. Retrieved 2023-05-29.
- ↑ "Sadhu Bela: Pakistan's temple island you won't forget". gulfnews.com.
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 6.3 Jatt, Zahida Rehman (June 12, 2018). "Sadh Belo temple: an abode of Udasipanth in Sindh". dawn.com.
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 7.2 Amole, Sarmukh Singh. "PRĪTAM DĀS, MAHANT". Encyclopedia of Sikhism (Online Edition). Punjabi University, Patiala. Retrieved 11 April 2026.
- ↑ eGangotri. Gurusakhi Suryodaya Charitamrit I E Guru Bankhadi Yogsidhi By Harinam Das Ji Maharaj Gadidhar Mahant Sadguru Bankhandi Ashram, Sukkur Sind.
- ↑ 9.0 9.1 Singh, Harbans (2004). The Encyclopaedia of Sikhism. Vol. 4 (2nd ed.). Punjabi University, Patiala. pp. 6, 377. ISBN 0-8364-2883-8. OCLC 29703420.
- ↑ 10.0 10.1 Mahn, Churnjeet; Murphy, Anne, eds. (2018). Partition and the practice of memory. Cham, Switzerland: Palgrave Macmillan. p. 47. ISBN 978-3-319-64516-2.