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{{Short description|Early sect of Sikhism}} | |||
{{for|travels of [[Guru Nanak]]|Udasis}} | {{for|travels of [[Guru Nanak]]|Udasis}} | ||
{{Sikhism sidebar}} | {{Sikhism sidebar}} | ||
{{Hinduism}} | {{Hinduism}} | ||
[[File:Temple inside Udasi Akhada -KTM -11-Tripureswar by ST (6).JPG|thumb|350px|right|An Udasi shrine in [[Nepal]]]] | [[File:Temple inside Udasi Akhada -KTM -11-Tripureswar by ST (6).JPG|thumb|350px|right|An Udasi shrine in [[Nepal]]]] | ||
'''Udasi''' is a religious sect of | '''Udasi''' is a religious sect of ascetic ''[[sadhu]]s'' centred in northern [[India]]. Becoming custodians of Sikh shrines in the 18th century,<ref name="JSH_1993"/> they were notable interpreters and spreaders of the [[Sikhism#Philosophy and teachings|Sikh philosophy]] during that time.<ref name="PSLEF_2014"/> However, their religious practices border on a syncretism of Sikhism and [[Hinduism]], including idolatry, and they did not conform to the Khalsa standards as ordained by [[Guru Gobind Singh]].<ref name="Fazal2014"/> When the [[Singh Sabha]] reformers, dominated by [[Khalsa]] Sikhs, would hold them responsible for indulging in ritual practices antithetical to Sikhism, as well as personal vices and corruption, the Udasi [[mahant]]s were expelled from the Sikh shrines.<ref name="Fazal2014">{{cite book |author=Tanweer Fazal |title="Nation-state" and Minority Rights in India: Comparative Perspectives on Muslim and Sikh Identities |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=1WwtBAAAQBAJ&pg=PA113 |date=1 August 2014 |publisher=Routledge |isbn=978-1-317-75179-3 |pages=113 }}</ref><ref name=ks542>{{cite book|author1=Pashaura Singh|author2=Louis E. Fenech|title=The Oxford Handbook of Sikh Studies|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=CzYeAwAAQBAJ&pg=PT542|year=2014|publisher=Oxford University Press|isbn=978-0-19-100412-4|pages=542–543}}</ref><ref name="SinghFenech2014p28">{{cite book|author1=Pashaura Singh|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=8I0NAwAAQBAJ&pg=PA28|title=The Oxford Handbook of Sikh Studies|author2=Louis E. Fenech|publisher=Oxford University Press|year=2014|isbn=978-0-19-969930-8|pages=28–29, 73–76}}</ref> | ||
== History == | == History == | ||
The word | The word ''Udasi'' is derived from the Sanskrit word {{Lang|sa-latn|udasin}},<ref name="Oberoi1994p78">{{cite book|author=Harjot Oberoi|title=The Construction of Religious Boundaries: Culture, Identity, and Diversity in the Sikh Tradition|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=1NKC9g2ayJEC&pg=PA78 |year=1994|publisher=University of Chicago Press|isbn=978-0-226-61592-9|pages=78–80}}</ref> meaning 'detached, journey', reflecting an approach to spiritual and temporal life,<ref name="PSLEF_2014">{{cite book |author1=Pashaura Singh |author2=Louis E. Fenech |title=The Oxford Handbook of Sikh Studies |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=CzYeAwAAQBAJ&pg=PA376 |year=2014 |publisher=OUP Oxford |isbn=978-0-19-100412-4 |pages=375–376 }}</ref> or from {{Lang|sa-latn|udas}} ('detachment'), signifying indifference to or renunciation of worldly concerns.<ref name="DNL_1995">{{cite book |author=David N. Lorenzen |author-link=David N. Lorenzen |title=Bhakti Religion in North India: Community Identity and Political Action |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=rpSxJg_ehnIC&pg=PA57 |year=1995 |publisher=SUNY Press |isbn=978-0-7914-2025-6 |pages=57 }}</ref> The sect is based on the teachings of [[Guru Nanak]]'s elder son [[Sri Chand]] (1494–1643), who, contrary to his father's emphasis on participation in society, propagated ascetic renunciation and celibacy.<ref name="PSLEF_2014"/> Another Sikh tradition links the Udasis to Baba Gurditta, the eldest son of [[Guru Hargobind]], and there is dispute on whether the Udasis originated with Sri Chand or Gurditta.{{sfn|Oberoi|1994|p=78}} | ||
They maintain their own parallel line of gurus from Guru Nanak, followed by Sri Chand, followed by Gurditta.<ref name="PSLEF_2014"/> They first came to prominence in the 17th century,<ref name="Oberoi1994p78"/> and gradually began to manage Sikh shrines and establishments in the 18th century,<ref name="JSH_1993"/> from where they espoused a model of Sikhism that diverged considerably from that of the Khalsa.<ref name="Oberoi1994p78"/> They would set up establishments across North India through to Benares, where they would come to be ideologically joined with monastic asceticism.<ref name="Oberoi1994p78"/> The combination of Hindu gods and the Sikh religious text indicated that the sect evolved over time under many historical influences and conditions,<ref name="PSLEF_2014"/> interpreting the message of [[Guru Granth Sahib]] in monistic [[Vedanta|Vedantic]] terms.{{sfn|Singh|Fenech|2014|p=376}}<ref name="JSG_1998"/> They were initially largely based in urban centers where they set up their establishments, or ''akharas'', only beginning to spread into rural areas during Sikh rule;<ref name="PSLEF_2014"/> before, they had around a dozen centres; by the end of Maharaja [[Ranjit Singh]]'s reign, the number had increased to around 250.<ref name="JSG_1998">{{cite book |author=J. S. Grewal |title=The Sikhs of the Punjab |url=https://archive.org/details/sikhsofpunjab0000grew |url-access=registration |year=1998 |publisher=Cambridge University Press |isbn=978-0-521-63764-0 |page=[https://archive.org/details/sikhsofpunjab0000grew/page/116 116] }}</ref> The Udasis widely propagated its form of Sikh philosophy, and during the 18th and the early 19th centuries, their teachings attracted a large number of people to the Sikh fold.<ref name="PSLEF_2014"/> | They maintain their own parallel line of gurus from Guru Nanak, followed by Sri Chand, followed by Gurditta.<ref name="PSLEF_2014"/> They first came to prominence in the 17th century,<ref name="Oberoi1994p78"/> and gradually began to manage Sikh shrines and establishments in the 18th century,<ref name="JSH_1993"/> from where they espoused a model of Sikhism that diverged considerably from that of the Khalsa.<ref name="Oberoi1994p78"/> They would set up establishments across North India through to Benares, where they would come to be ideologically joined with monastic asceticism.<ref name="Oberoi1994p78"/> The combination of Hindu gods and the Sikh religious text indicated that the sect evolved over time under many historical influences and conditions,<ref name="PSLEF_2014"/> interpreting the message of [[Guru Granth Sahib]] in monistic [[Vedanta|Vedantic]] terms.{{sfn|Singh|Fenech|2014|p=376}}<ref name="JSG_1998"/> They were initially largely based in urban centers where they set up their establishments, or ''akharas'', only beginning to spread into rural areas during Sikh rule;<ref name="PSLEF_2014"/> before, they had around a dozen centres; by the end of Maharaja [[Ranjit Singh]]'s reign, the number had increased to around 250.<ref name="JSG_1998">{{cite book |author=J. S. Grewal |title=The Sikhs of the Punjab |url=https://archive.org/details/sikhsofpunjab0000grew |url-access=registration |year=1998 |publisher=Cambridge University Press |isbn=978-0-521-63764-0 |page=[https://archive.org/details/sikhsofpunjab0000grew/page/116 116] }}</ref> The Udasis widely propagated its form of Sikh philosophy, and during the 18th and the early 19th centuries, their teachings attracted a large number of people to the Sikh fold.<ref name="PSLEF_2014"/> | ||
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== Practices == | == Practices == | ||
According to 18th-century descriptions, they either cut or | According to 18th-century descriptions, they either cut or matted their hair under a turban, rather than knot it under a turban like Khalsas, and instead of the Khalsa emphasis on the ''[[panj kakkar]]'' garb and sporting arms, their dress code would include items such as a cap, a cotton bag, a flower rosary, a vessel made of dried pumpkin, a chain around the waist, ash to smear on their body, and a deerskin upon which to perform [[Hatha yoga]], resulting in an extremely divergent appearance from Khalsa Sikhs in the eighteenth century.<ref name="Oberoi1994p78"/> In addition to not consider the Khalsa's [[Rehat Maryada]] to be binding on them,<ref name="DNL_1995"/> their modes of thought and attitude towards salvation also differed significantly. The Khalsa believed that salvation could be attained while taking part in society and pursuing secular objectives like political power and accumulation of resources like agrarian land, though this had to be accomplished within a particular framework of beliefs and spiritual practices, chief among which was the societal order and structure of the Khalsa. The Udasis considered secular pursuits to be incompatible with personal salvation, which was to be achieved only through renouncing the world,<ref name="Oberoi1994p78"/> espousing asceticism and a monastic traveler lifestyle. Udasis are known for their ''[[Akhara]]s'' along with the Nirmala sect of Sikhism. | ||
The Udasis also worship the [[panchayatana puja|panchayatana]], the five Hindu deities: [[Shiva]], [[Vishnu]], [[Durga]], [[Ganesha]], and [[Surya]].<ref>{{cite book |author=James G. Lochtefeld |title=The Illustrated Encyclopedia of Hinduism: A-M |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=5kl0DYIjUPgC&pg=PA61 |year=2002 |publisher=The Rosen Publishing Group |isbn=978-0-8239-3179-8 |pages=61 }}</ref> | The Udasis also worship the [[panchayatana puja|panchayatana]], the five Hindu deities: [[Shiva]], [[Vishnu]], [[Durga]], [[Ganesha]], and [[Surya]].<ref>{{cite book |author=James G. Lochtefeld |title=The Illustrated Encyclopedia of Hinduism: A-M |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=5kl0DYIjUPgC&pg=PA61 |year=2002 |publisher=The Rosen Publishing Group |isbn=978-0-8239-3179-8 |pages=61 }}</ref> | ||
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== Akhara locations == | == Akhara locations == | ||
{{anchor | Udasi akhara | Udasi Akhara}} | {{anchor | Udasi akhara | Udasi Akhara}} | ||
Traditionally, there were four Udasi centres (''[[akhara]]s'' or ''dhuans'') with each controlling a certain preaching area; [[Nanakmatta]], [[Kashmir]], [[Malwa (Punjab)]] and [[Doaba]]. There is an Udasi [[gurudwara]] (temple) in [[Amritsar]], near the [[Harimandir Sahib]] (Golden Temple). | Traditionally, there were four Udasi centres (''[[akhara]]s'' or ''dhuans''{{Which lang|reason=to add language template|date=November 2021}}) with each controlling a certain preaching area; [[Nanakmatta]], [[Kashmir]], [[Malwa (Punjab)]] and [[Doaba]]. There is an Udasi [[gurudwara]] (temple) in [[Amritsar]], near the [[Harimandir Sahib]] (Golden Temple). | ||
Today's Udasi are predominantly located in northwestern India especially around [[Punjab]] [[Haryana]], [[Gujarat]] and cities like [[Haridwar]] and [[New Delhi]] | Today's Udasi are predominantly located in northwestern India especially around [[Punjab]] [[Haryana]], [[Gujarat]] and cities like [[Haridwar]] and [[New Delhi]]; they are divided into three major groups: | ||
* Niya (New) Udasi Panchayati Akarda | * Niya (New) Udasi Panchayati Akarda | ||