Namdhari Sikhs, also called Kuka Sikhs, is an austere sect within Sikhism, a religion of India. The Namdhari movement was founded by Balak Singh (1797–1862), who did not believe in any religious ritual other than the repetition of God’s name (or nam, for which reason members of the sect are called Namdharis). His successor, Ram Singh (1816), introduced the sect’s distinctive style of wearing the turban bound straight across the forehead rather than at an angle, of dressing only in clothing made from white handwoven cloth, and of frenzied chanting of hymns culminating in shrieks (kuks; hence the name Kuka). Under Ram Singh’s leadership, the Namdharis sought a resurgence of Sikh rule in the Punjab. In January 1872, British police apprehended and executed by cannon about 66 Namdhari at Malerkotla. Ram Singh was exiled to Rangoon, Burma afterwards. The Namdhari Sikhs believe in a living human Guru instead of the finality of the Guru in the form of the Sri Guru Granth Sahib as believed by mainstream Sikhs. They believe in 16 Gurus with the present living human Guru being Sri Satguru Dalip Singh Ji, having succeeded the previous living human Guru Sri Satguru Jagjit Singh Ji.
- The Namdharis do, however, consider themselves as Sikhs.
- Namdharis believe that Guru Gobind Singh went into seclusion after surviving the attempt on his life and passed the Guruship on to other human Gurus to this day.
- The Namdharis were founded by their Guru—Balak Singh (1797-1862) in north-west Panjab.
- They were organized into a movement by Baba Ram Singh of Bhaini who fell under the influence of Guru Balak Singh while serving in the Khalsa as a Risaldari of Kanvar Nau Nihal Singh.
- Guru Balak Singh was succeeded by Guru Ram Singh, Guru Hari Singh, Guru Partap Singh, Guru Jagjit Singh and the present living human Guru being Sri Satguru Dalip Singh Ji.
- They are also known as Kookas, Kukas, kooke, kooka or kookeh 'criers', for their shrieks (kuks) given in ecstatic meditative trance.
- The men are distinguished by their white, "round" turbans with their ears fully exposed.
- The more orthodox Kukas also wear attire which included very tight pants and long kurtas.
- They have many non-Sikh traditions like the worshiping of fire (havan), which is more akin to Hinduism than Sikhism
- They are distinguished by their white garb and round turbans, reminiscent of the turbans worn during the Sikh Empire era of Maharaja Ranjit Singh.
- The Namdharis have also preserved the classical musical traditions for singing the Sikh hymns known as kirtan, which have partially been lost by the mainstream Sikh panth.
Role in Indian freedom movement
The British Indian records list the extremist activities of the Namdhari Sikhs during the 1870s. While they were occasionally hailed as freedom fighters, their activities included attacks on cow slaughter issue, resulting in killings of some Muslim butchers in Amritsar and Ludhiana in 1871.[1][2] A group of 66 Namdhari Sikhs were blown up by a cannon in 1872 for protesting against the British; there is a memorial to them at Namdhari Shidi Smarg Malerkotla in Indian Punjab.[3]
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