ÿþ<HTML><HEAD><TITLE>ATAR SI&#7748GH ATLEV&#256LE SANT (d. 1937)</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="ATAR,SIDGH,ATLEVLE,SANT"> <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">&#65279ATAR SI&#7748GH ATLEV&#256LE, SANT (d. 1937), Sikh holy man and preacher, born in early fifties of the nineteenth century, was the eldest son of Bh&#257&#299 Kishan Si&#7749gh and M&#257&#299 Narai&#7751&#299, a devoted couple of M&#299rpur, in Jamm&#363 and Kashm&#299r state. Atar Si&#7749gh, originally known as Har&#299 Si&#7749gh, was adopted by his childless uncle, Mehar Si&#7749gh, who had migrated to the village of Jo&#7771e, in Kh&#257r&#299&#257&#7749 <i>tahs&#299l</i> of district Gujr&#257t, now in Pakistan. Har&#299 Singh thus moved to Jo&#7771e and joined the business of his foster-father. His work frequently took him to R&#257walpi&#7751&#7693&#299 where he began to attend congregations at the Nira&#7749k&#257r&#299 Darb&#257r established by B&#257b&#257 Day&#257l (1783-1855) and then headed by Bh&#257&#299 S&#257hib Ratt&#257 (d. 1911) whose follower he became. The Nira&#7749k&#257r&#299s were a reformist sect aiming at purifying the prevalent Sikh usage garbled in the rising tide of conservatism during the days of Sikh rule in the Punjab. The Nira&#7749k&#257r&#299s popularized Anand ceremony, i. e. marriage by Sikh rites in the presence of the Gur&#363 Granth S&#257hib. Har&#299 Si&#7749gh fled his own marriage in 1875 when he discovered that it would be solemnized not by Anand rites but in accordance with the old Br&#257hma&#7751ical custom. He quietly slipped away from the bride's village, Barn&#257l&#299, and made his way to Sr&#299 Haz&#363r S&#257hib at N&#257nde&#7693, in the South. From N&#257nde&#7693 he returned to Damdam&#257 S&#257hib, in Ba&#7789hi&#7751&#7693&#257 district, where he devoted himself to the study of Sikh theology. Later, he changed his name to Atar Si&#7749gh and established a <i>&#7693er&#257</i> or preaching centre at Atl&#257 Kal&#257&#7749, near M&#257ns&#257 (29º-59'N, 75º-24'E), where students were trained in scripture-reading and in <i>k&#299rtan</i> or Sikh devotional music. He soon came to be known as Sant Atar Si&#7749gh Atlev&#257le. It was only years later that the members of his family learnt about his whereabouts. Har&#299 Si&#7749gh had made Atl&#257 Kal&#257&#7749 his permanent abode, though he started visiting R&#257walpi&#7751&#7693&#299 to attend ceremonies marking the death anniversary of B&#257b&#257 Day&#257l.</p> <p class="C1">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Sant Atar Si&#7749gh Atlev&#257le died on 18 June 1937. He was succeeded as head of the <i>&#7693er&#257</i> at Atl&#257 Kal&#257&#7749 by his pupil, Sant Lakkh&#257 Si&#7749gh, later, <i>jathed&#257r</i> of Ta<u>kh</u>t Damdam&#257 S&#257hib, Talva&#7751&#7693&#299 S&#257bo.</p> </ol><p class="CONT">M&#257n Si&#7749gh Nira&#7749k&#257r&#299<br></p><BR> </font> <img src="counter.aspx" width="1px" height="1px" alt=""> </HTML></BODY>