ÿþ<HTML><HEAD><TITLE>ALMAST BH&#256&#298 (1553-1643)</TITLE> <style type="text/css"> .BODY { background-color: #EAF1F7; background-image: url('images/gtbh.jpg'); background-repeat: no-repeat; background-attachment: fixed; background-position: center; color: #0066CC;} .C1{text-align: justify;color: #0066CC;FONT-size: SMALL;FONT-family: Tahoma;} .BIB{text-align: center;color: #000099;FONT-size: SMALL;FONT-family: Tahoma;} .CONT{text-align: right;color: #FF0000;FONT-size: SMALL;FONT-family: Tahoma;} </style><META NAME="keywords" CONTENT="ALMAST,BH*,Person,Person"> <META http-equiv="content-type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8"></HEAD> <BODY class="BODY" oncontextmenu="return false" ondragstart="return false" onselectstart="return false"> <FONT ALIGN="JUSTIFY" FACE="Tahoma"> <p class="C1">&#65279ALMAST, BH&#256&#298 (1553-1643), Sikh preacher and head of a <i>dh&#363&#257&#7749</i> or branch of the Ud&#257s&#299 sect, was born in a Gau&#7771 Br&#257hma&#7751 family of Sr&#299nagar (Kashm&#299r) on 26 August 1553. He was the son of Bh&#257&#299 Hardatt and M&#257&#299 Prabh&#257, and was the elder brother of B&#257l&#363 Hasn&#257, another equally prominent preacher of the sect. Almast's original name was &#256l&#363; he came to be called Almast (lit. intoxicated, in a state of ecstasy, indifferent) because of his mystical proclivities and indifference towards worldly affairs. He was also called Kambal&#299&#257 or Goda&#7771&#299&#257 because he would normally be dressed only in a ragged blanket (<i>kambal</i>, in Punjabi) or <i>goda&#7771&#299</i>, a light quilt or padded sheet. Young &#256l&#363 was hardly past his adolescence when he left home in quest of spiritual knowledge. In 1574, he came to &#7692er&#257 B&#257b&#257 N&#257nak where he fell under the spell of B&#257b&#257 Sr&#299 Chand, the elder son of Gur&#363 N&#257nak and founder of the Ud&#257s&#299 sect. He served at the <i> dehur&#257 </i> or mausoleum of Gur&#363 N&#257nak, and for his livelihood tended a flock of goats. It was here that he began to be called Almast. B&#257b&#257 Gurditt&#257 (1613-38), the eldest son of Gur&#363 Hargobind, who had succeeded B&#257b&#257 Sr&#299 Chand as head of the Ud&#257s&#299 sect, deputed Bh&#257&#299 Almast to preach the message of Gur&#363 N&#257nak in the eastern provinces. He first went to Puri in O&#7771iss&#257 where he established a shrine to commemorate Gur&#363 N&#257nak's visit to the Jagann&#257th temple. The shrine, known as Gurdw&#257r&#257 Ma&#7749g&#363 Ma&#7789h, is still in existence.</p> <p class="C1">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;In 1633, Bh&#257&#299 Almast went to N&#257nak Mat&#257 formerly known as Gorakh Mat&#257, where Gur&#363 N&#257nak had a discourse with the N&#257th yog&#299s under an old <i>p&#299pal</i> tree, and where a shrine dedicated to him had later been established. The place had been reoccupied by the yog&#299s who had razed the Sikh shrine and burnt down the <i>p&#299pal</i> tree. Almast applied for help to Gur&#363 Hargobind who reached N&#257nak Mat&#257 in June 1634, chastised the N&#257th intruders and restored the Sikh shrine. According to local tradition, he even miraculously rejuvenated the burnt <i>p&#299pal</i> tree. Bh&#257&#299 Almast spent the remaining period of his life at N&#257nak Mat&#257 from where he sent out his eight principal disciples to preach in various districts of eastern India. These disciples established Sikh shrines at places visited by Gur&#363 N&#257nak during his first <i>ud&#257s&#299 </i>or absence from home on a preaching journey.</p> </font> <p class="BIB"> BIBLIOGRAPHY<p class="C1"><ol class="C1"><li class="C1"> Randh&#299r Si&#7749gh, Bh&#257&#299, <i>Ud&#257s&#299 Sikh&#257&#7749 d&#299 Vithi&#257</i>. Chandigarh, 1972<BR> <li class="C1"> Pr&#299tam Si&#7749gh, ed. , <i>Nirmal Samprad&#257i</i>Amritsar, 1981<BR> </ol><p class="CONT">Pi&#257r&#257 Si&#7749gh Padam<br></p><BR> </font> <img src="counter.aspx" width="1px" height="1px" alt=""> </HTML></BODY>