Damdami TaksalThe Damdamī Ṭaksāl, also sometimes referred to as Giani Samparda, Jatha Bhindra(n), or Sampardai Bhindra(n) is an orthodox Sikh cultural and educational organization, based in India. They are known for their teachings of vidya as well as gurbani santhya. Its headquarters are located in the town of Mehta Chowk, approximately 40 km north of the city of Amritsar. It has been described as a seminary or “moving university” of the Sikh countryside. In 1706, after the Battle of Muktsar, the army of Guru Gobind Singh camped at Sabo Ki Talwandi.
Singh Sabha MovementThe Singh Sabha Movement, also known as the Singh Sabha Lehar, was a Sikh movement that began in Punjab in the 1870s in reaction to the proselytising activities of Christians, Hindu reform movements (Brahmo Samajis, Arya Samaj) and Muslims (Aligarh movement and Ahmadiyah). The movement was founded in an era when the Sikh Empire had been dissolved and annexed by the British, the Khalsa had lost its prestige, and mainstream Sikhs were rapidly converting to other religions.
NamdhariThe Namdharis (Gurmukhi: ਨਾਮਧਾਰੀ; Devanagari: नामधारी; nāmadhārī, meaning "bearers of the name"), also known as Kuka and Kukaism (Gurmukhi: ਕੂਕਾ; kūkā [sg]; ਕੂਕੇ; kūkē [pl]: from Punjabi kuk, “scream” or “cry”), are a Sikh sect that differs from mainstream Sikhs chiefly in that it believes that the lineage of Sikh Gurus did not end with Guru Gobind Singh (1666–1708), as they recognize Balak Singh (1797–1862) as the 11th Guru of the Sikh religion, thus continuing the succession of Sikh Gurus through the cent
Akali movementThe Akali movement əˈkɑːli, also called the Gurdwara Reform Movement, was a campaign to bring reform in the gurdwaras (the Sikh places of worship) in India during the early 1920s. The movement led to the introduction of the Sikh Gurdwara Bill in 1925, which placed all the historical Sikh shrines in India under the control of Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC). The Akalis also participated in the Indian independence movement against the British Government, and supported the non-cooperation movement against them.
RamgarhiaThe Ramgarhia are a community of Sikhs from the Punjab region of northwestern India, encompassing members of the Lohar and Tarkhan (carpenters) subgroups. Originally called Thoka, meaning carpenter, the Ramgarhia are named after Jassa Singh Ramgarhia, whose birth surname of Thoka became Ramgarhia in the 18th century when he was put in charge of rebuilding of what became known as Ramgarhia Bunga, at Ramrauni, near Amritsar. Ramgarhias traditionally mostly carpenters but included other artisan occupations such as barbers, stonemasons and blacksmiths.
GranthiA Granthi (ਗ੍ਰੰਥੀ, ˈɡɾənthi) is a person, female or male, of the Sikh religion who is a ceremonial reader of the Guru Granth Sahib, which is the holy book in Sikhism, often read to worshipers at Sikh temples called a Gurdwara. The name Granthi comes from the Sanskrit granthika, which means a relater or narrator. Any Sikh individual appointed the title of being a Granthi is considered a principal religious official of Sikhism.
Jat SikhJat Sikh (also known by the more conventional endonym Jatt Sikh) are an ethnoreligious group and a subgroup of the Jat people and the Sikh religious group from the Indian subcontinent. They are one of the dominant communities in the Punjab, owing to their large land holdings. They form an estimated 20%–25% of the population of the Indian state of Punjab. They form at least half of the Sikh population in Punjab, with some sources estimating them to be about 60% to 66% of the Sikh population.
Amritsar districtAmritsar district is one of the twenty three districts that make up the Indian state of Punjab. Located in the Majha region of Punjab, the city of Amritsar is the headquarters of this district. As of 2011, it is the second most populous district of Punjab (out of 23), after Ludhiana. The control of Amritsar was fully taken by Maharaja Ranjit Singh by 1802, after bringing all the Misls under his control. He also fortified Gobindgarh fort along modern lines.
SevāSevā (also transcribed as sewa), in Hinduism and Sikhism, is the concept of selfless service that is performed without any expectation of result or award for performing it. Such services can be performed to benefit other human beings or society. Seva means "service". A more recent interpretation of the word is "dedication to others". In Hinduism, it is also known as karma yoga, as described in the Bhagavata Gita. Seva comes from the Sanskrit root sev-, "to serve", and is a central concept in both contemporary Hinduism and Sikhism.
ArdāsThe Ardās (ਅਰਦਾਸ, pronunciation: äːɾd̪äːs) is a set prayer in Sikhism. It is a part of worship service in a Gurdwara (Sikh temple), daily rituals such as the opening the Guru Granth Sahib for prakash (morning light) or closing it for sukhasan (night bedroom) in larger Gurdwaras, closing of congregational worship in smaller Gurdwaras, rites-of-passages such as with the naming of child or the cremation of a loved one, daily prayer by devout Sikhs and any significant Sikh ceremonies. An Ardas consists of 3 parts.
