Nanakpanthi – Wikipedia

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Religious community in Pakistan and India

Nanakpanthis
ਨਾਨਕਪੰਥੀ

Photograph of a ‘Nanukshahe’, by J.L. Lyell, ca.1860’s
c. 120–150 million (claimed)[A][1][2]
Guru Nanak
 India 80–100 million[3][4][B]
 Pakistan 800,000–2,222,435[5][6]
 Afghanistan 100,000[7]
   Nepal 300,000
 Bhutan 230,450
 Sri Lanka 771,000
Sikhism, Hinduism

Nanakpanthis[8] (Gurmukhi: ਨਾਨਕਪੰਥੀ; nānakapathī) is a Sikh sect which refers to followers of the teachings of Guru Nanak (1469-1539), the foundational guru of a spiritual community natively known as Nanakpanth while known world-wide as Sikhism. Nanakpanth is an open frontier that references strongly an early Sikh community. Nanakpanthi signifies any person, regardless of any religious affiliation, who follows Guru Nanak and believes in his teachings of Universal brotherhood, Truth, Love, Tolerance, Compassion and most importantly Oneness of one single formless Waheguru (The creator of whole Universe).[9]

Today a large fraction of the Punjabi Hindus, Sindhi Hindus, and Pashtun Hindus consider themselves not simply as Hindus, but more precisely as Nanakpanthis, both in Pakistan[10] and in India. Strands of Nanakpanthi culture exists in Pakistan and Afghanistan including Balochistan, Sindh, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and remote areas of Punjab province.[11] They generally do not sport beards or wear a turban unlike Amritdhari Sikhs.[12] Even in the 1881 and 1891 Indian censuses, the Sindhi Hindu community could not decide to collectively identify as Hindu or Sikh.[13] In the later 1911 Census Report, Shahpur District (Punjab) reported that 20,539 Hindus (being 34 percent of the total Hindu population) identified as Nanakpanthi along with 78,016 Sikhs (being 38 percent of the total Sikh population).[14] There is no data for the specific number of Nanakpanthis. Karnail Singh Panjoli, member of the Shiromani Gurdwara Prabandhak Committee, says that there are several communities within the term ‘Nanakpanthis’ too. There are groups like Sikhligarh, Vanjaarey, Radha Soami, Nirmaley, Namdhari, Lubaney, Johri, Satnamiye, Udaasiyas, Punjabi Hindus, Sindhi Hindus, and Punjabi Muslims who call themselves Nanakpanthis. They along with their religious affiliated books, follow and incorporate the teachings of Guru Nanak. Within India, Nanakpanthis are well scattered across states like Assam, Tripura, West Bengal, Odisha, Bihar, Rajasthan, Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, Jharkhand, Chhattisgarh, Himachal Pradesh, Delhi and Haryana etc.”[11][15][16]

Worldwide there are estimated 25–30 million Khalsa Sikhs who solely identify their religious affiliation as “Sikh”.[17][18] However, there are in addition many millions of people (around 120-150 million approx.) across the world who also venerate the 10 Sikh Gurus and follow the teachings of Guru Granth Sahib.[C][19] Amritsar is the holiest city in Sikhism and about 120 million people from across the world visit it each year for pilgrimage.[20]

Various number of Ethnicities/sects in India follow the teachings of Guru Nanak and visit gurudwaras along with worshipping Hindu deities at Mandirs. The Indian government considers them as Hindus in the official census.[21] Many Sindhi Hindus in both India and Pakistan believe in Guru Nanak and visit gurudwaras regularly.[22][23] A major segment of ethnic Punjabis who are Hindu by religion especially in Indian Punjab, Pakistan’s Punjab, Delhi, Haryana, Rajasthan, Chandigarh, Jammu and Uttarakhand etc have continued heterogeneous religious practices in spiritual kinship with Sikhism. This not only includes veneration of the Sikh Gurus in private practice but also visit to Sikh Gurdwaras in addition to Hindu Mandirs.[24]

Population of Indian Tribes that follow both Sikhism and Hinduism
Tribes Population Location/residence References
Sikligar 40 Million (4 crore) Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh, Punjab, Haryana, Gujarat, Rajasthan, Tamil Nadu [25]
Satnami 10 million (1 crore) Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand, Bengal, Uttar Pradesh [26]
Banjara 50 million (5 crore) Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, Punjab, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh [27][28][29][30]
Nirankari,[31][32]Namdhari,[33][34][35]Radha Soami[36][37][38] 2 million (20 Lakhs) Whole India (North India, South India and West India) [39]
Sindhi Hindus, Punjabi Hindus 20 Million (2 crore) Specially in Punjab, Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh, Delhi, Rajasthan, Maharashtra, Uttar Pradesh (Maghar) [40]
Total population 122 Million India as a whole [41]

Gallery[edit]

  • ‘Nanakpanthi’, a Sikh who follows Guru Nanak, ca.1825.

  • Sketch of a ‘Nanakpanthi’ by Sir Thomas Theophilus Metcalfe (1795-1853)

  • Guru Nanak riding a fish, Nanakpanthi artwork possibly from Sindh

See also[edit]

References[edit]

  1. ^ Goyal, Divya (3 November 2019). “Explained: Who are Nanak Naam Lewa, and why Kartarpur Corridor can’t be limited to Sikhs”. The Indian Express.
  2. ^ “Navjot Singh Sidhu thinks there are 14 crore Sikhs in India instead of 2.4 crore”. Free Press Journal. 12 November 2019.
  3. ^ Goyal, Divya (3 November 2019). “Explained: Who are Nanak Naam Lewa, and why Kartarpur Corridor can’t be limited to Sikhs”. The Indian Express.
  4. ^ “Harmandir Sahib in Amritsar – Pilgrimage – GCSE Religious Studies Revision”. BBC Bitesize. Retrieved 5 January 2021.
  5. ^ Goyal, Divya (3 November 2019). “Explained: Who are Nanak Naam Lewa, and why Kartarpur Corridor can’t be limited to Sikhs”. The Indian Express.
  6. ^ https://www.sikhnet.com/news/sindhi-hindus-nanakpanthis-pakistan
  7. ^ https://www.punjabnewsexpress.com/editorial/news/the-muslim-devotees-of-baba-guru-nanak-152529
  8. ^ Rose, H. A. (Horace Arthur); Ibbetson, Denzil; Maclagan, Edward (1911). A glossary of the tribes and castes of the Punjab and North-West Frontier Province : based on the census report for the Punjab, 1883 vol 3. Wellcome Library. Lahore : Printed by the superintendent, Government printing, Punjab. pp. 152.
  9. ^ https://m.economictimes.com/news/how-to/gurupurab-guru-nanak-devs-5-teachings-that-will-change-the-way-you-look-at-life/amp_articleshow/87804818.cms
  10. ^ Struggling to revive Gurmukhi, Amar Guriro, Express Tribune, OCTOBER 18, 2016
  11. ^ a b “Explained: Who are Nanak Naam Lewa, and why Kartarpur Corridor can’t be limited to Sikhs”. 10 November 2019.
  12. ^ ETPB could disbar non-Sikh pilgrims from visiting gurdwaras in Pakistan, Times of India, Apr 27, 2018
  13. ^ Empires of the Indus: The Story of a River – Alice Albinia ISBN 978-1-84854-786-5
  14. ^ A Glossary of the Tribes and Castes of the Punjab and North-West Frontier Province, Vol. 1
  15. ^ “Navjot Singh Sidhu thinks there are 14 crore Sikhs in India instead of 2.4 crore”.
  16. ^ “‘Sikligar Sikhs in MP face safety issues’“.
  17. ^ “Who are Sikhs and what do they believe?”.
  18. ^ “Sikhs in Wolverhampton celebrate 550 years of Guru Nanak”. BBC News. 12 November 2019.
  19. ^ Goyal, Divya (3 November 2019). “Explained: Who are Nanak Naam Lewa, and why Kartarpur Corridor can’t be limited to Sikhs”. The Indian Express.
  20. ^ “Harmandir Sahib in Amritsar – Pilgrimage – GCSE Religious Studies Revision”. BBC Bitesize. Retrieved 5 January 2021.
  21. ^ https://indianexpress.com/article/explained/explained-who-are-nanak-naam-lewa-and-why-kartarpur-corridor-cant-be-limited-to-sikhs-6100351/
  22. ^ https://www.thefridaytimes.com/2018/04/13/nanakpanthi-saints-of-sindh/
  23. ^ https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/chandigarh/nanakpanthis-in-sindh-face-hate-campaign/articleshow/60715615.cms
  24. ^ Raj, Dhooleka Sarhadi (2003). Where Are You From? Middle-Class Migrants in the Modern World. Berkeley: University of California Press. p. 80. ISBN 9780520233836.
  25. ^ https://www.tribuneindia.com/news/archive/jalandhar/-sikligar-sikhs-in-mp-face-safety-issues-399431
  26. ^ “Celebrating 550th by uplifting neglected Sikh sub-groups | SikhNet”.
  27. ^ “Celebrating 550th by uplifting neglected Sikh sub-groups | SikhNet”.
  28. ^ https://www.indiatoday.in/magazine/religion/story/19860531-growing-number-of-banjaras-of-andhra-pradesh-slowly-get-drawn-into-sikhism-800896-1986-05-30
  29. ^ https://zeenews.india.com/news/nation/away-from-punjab-the-south-indian-sikhs_737141.html
  30. ^ https://www.newindianexpress.com/cities/hyderabad/2013/sep/16/Banjaras-are-the-largest-ethnic-group-in-India-517018.html
  31. ^ “Who are Nirankaris?”. 18 November 2018.
  32. ^ “Rivalry between Sikhs & Nirankaris is almost a century old”. 20 November 2018.
  33. ^ THE NAMDHARI SIKHS OF PUNJAB – JSTOR
  34. ^ “Namdhari | Sikh sect | Britannica”.
  35. ^ “A cult in crisis: Faith, feud and fault lines in the Namdharis”. 10 April 2016.
  36. ^ “The billionaires and the guru: A family burns through $2 billion”. The Economic Times.
  37. ^ “Explained: Who are the Radha Soami Satsang Beas, the ‘dera’ at the heart of allegations against Singh brothers”. 16 October 2019.
  38. ^ “Gurinder Singh Dhillon — the music & film-loving Radha Soami head at heart of Fortis crisis”. 16 November 2019.
  39. ^ “Celebrating 550th by uplifting neglected Sikh sub-groups | SikhNet”.
  40. ^ “Celebrating 550th by uplifting neglected Sikh sub-groups | SikhNet”.
  41. ^ Goyal, Divya (3 November 2019). “Explained: Who are Nanak Naam Lewa, and why Kartarpur Corridor can’t be limited to Sikhs”. The Indian Express.