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Concept
Nanakpanthi
Summary
Nanakpanthis (Gurmukhi: ਨਾਨਕਪੰਥੀ; nānakapathī, meaning "follower of the way of life of Nanak"), also known as Nanakshahis, are terms that refer to followers of a Sikh sect who follow the teachings of and revere Guru Nanak (1469-1539), the foundational guru of a spiritual community natively known as Nanakpanth.
The term finds its first attested mention in the Janamsakhi of the Miharvan tradition. The term also finds a later mention in the famous Dabistan-i-Mazahib dating to the mid-17th century.
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 the whole Universe).
Today some Sindhis and Punjabis consider themselves not simply as Hindus or Muslims, but more precisely as Nanakpanthis, both in Pakistan and in India. They generally do not sport beards or wear a turban unlike Amritdhari Sikhs. 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). There is no data for the specific number of Nanakpanthis. Karnail Singh Panjoli, member of the Shiromani Gurdwara Prabandhak Committee, claims that 120 to 150 million people can be classified as Nanakpanthi and 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 and Sindhi Hindus 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 Bihar, Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, Gujarat, Himachal Pradesh, Delhi and Haryana etc.
Official source
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