ÿþ<HTML><HEAD><TITLE>BAK&#256PUR D&#298V&#256N</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="BAKPUR,D*VN"> <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">&#65279BAK&#256PUR D&#298V&#256N, a largely attended religious assembly (<i>d&#299v&#257n</i>) of the Sikhs, held on 13-14 June 1903 at Bak&#257pur, a small village 3 km from Phillaur railway station in the Punjab, marked a high point in Si&#7749gh Sabh&#257 resurgence. The occasion was the conversion to Sikhism of Maulaw&#299 Kar&#299m Ba<u>kh</u>sh, born a Muslim, and his family of four sons and a daughter. Some Hindus of that village as well as Sikhs from among the audience were also initiated on that day. The ceremony was marked by considerable fanfare. The sponsors were the Sr&#299 Gur&#363 Si&#7749gh Sabh&#257, Bhasau&#7771, which under the leadership of B&#257b&#363 Tej&#257 Si&#7749gh (1867-1933), then a sub-overseer in the irrigation department of Pa&#7789i&#257l&#257 state, was very active in purifying Sikh ritual and establishing its autonomy. Assertion of self-identity was then the dominating impulse of the Sikh community as a whole. A sweeping religious fervour, a new sense of identity and unity, and a decisive breach with the recent past dominated by customs and practices contrary to the Gur&#363s' teaching were the characteristics of contemporary Sikhism. These were dramatically highlighted at the Bak&#257pur <i> d&#299v&#257n </i>.</p> <p class="C1">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; A Shuddh&#299 Sabh&#257 had been established by Dr Jai Si&#7749gh in Lahore on 17 April 1893 with the object of "reclaiming those Sikhs and Hindus who had apostatized themselves by contracting alliances with Muslim men or women. " The Bhasau&#7771 Si&#7749gh Sabh&#257 cavilled at the limited objective of the Shuddh&#299 Sabh&#257 and questioned its designation. From its very inception, the Bhasau&#7771 Si&#7749gh Sabh&#257 had accepted for conversion Muslims and those from lower Hindu castes. At its first <i> d&#299v&#257n </i> held in 1894, 13 Ja&#7789&#7789s, six Jh&#299vars (water-carriers), two barbers, one Khatr&#299 and one Musalm&#257n (M&#299r&#257&#7749 Ba<u>kh</u>sh of Tahs&#299l Ga&#7771hsha&#7749kar who became Nih&#257l Si&#7749gh) were initiated into the Sikh faith. As reported in the <i><u>Kh</u>&#257ls&#257 A<u>kh</u>b&#257r</i>, 18 September 1896, B&#257b&#363 Tej&#257 Si&#7749gh himself published in the press a report of a subsequent year saying : "By the power of the Word revealed by the Ten Masters and in accord with Ak&#257lpurkh's wish, Sr&#299 Gur&#363 Si&#7749gh Sabh&#257 Bhasau&#7771 has administered the <i>gurmantra</i> and holy <i>amrit</i> to a Muslim woman and ushered her into So&#7693hba&#7749s (the So&#7693h&#299 clan or the family of Gur&#363 Gobind Si&#7749gh). Her Sikh name is Kishan Kaur. A Sikh who had fallen by living with a Muslim woman has been baptized and renamed Ude Si&#7749gh. "</p> <p class="C1">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;The news about the Bak&#257pur family had reached Bhasau&#7771 through Bh&#257&#299 Ta<u>kh</u>t Si&#7749gh of F&#299rozpur, a pioneer of women's education among Sikhs. This was corroborated by some other members of the Si&#7749gh Sabh&#257 who supplied further details of K&#257r&#299m Ba<u>kh</u>sh's interest in Sikhism. The Sabh&#257 decided to make its own investigations. Bh&#257&#299 K&#257hl&#257 Si&#7749gh, a Sikh saint who made a secret visit to Bak&#257pur confirmed the story. This led the Sabh&#257 to offer to convert the Bak&#257pur family at its annual <i>d&#299v&#257n</i> of 1901, but it had to give up the plan owing to the outbreak of the plague epidemic. Kar&#299m Ba<u>kh</u>sh attended the large annual <i>d&#299v&#257n</i> of the Sikhs at Bhasau&#7771 in 1902, but returned empty handed owing to a controversy that had arisen.</p> <p class="C1">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;The Bhasau&#7771 Si&#7749gh Sabh&#257 sent its emissaries - Bh&#257&#299 Tej&#257 Si&#7749gh of Mai&#7749ga&#7751, Sard&#257r Bishan Si&#7749gh and Bh&#257&#299 Ta<u>kh</u>t Si&#7749gh - to visit Bak&#257pur by turns and assure Kar&#299m Ba<u>kh</u>sh that his heart's wish must be fulfilled. Finally, B&#257b&#363 Tej&#257 Si&#7749gh went himself. At Bak&#257pur, he learnt that Kar&#299m Ba<u>kh</u>sh's wife had passed away less than a week earlier and that the last rites had been performed strictly in accordance with the Sikh custom. There was the Gur&#363 Granth S&#257hib kept with true reverence in a room in the house and the Sikh <i>kirtan</i> was performed daily.</p> <p class="C1">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;On return, B&#257b&#363 Tej&#257 Si&#7749gh issued a public notice signifying that a <i>d&#299v&#257n</i> of the <u>Kh</u>&#257ls&#257 would be convened in the village of Bak&#257pur on 13-14 June 1903. The letter was sent on behalf of the Bhasau&#7771 Si&#7749gh Sabh&#257 to all leading Sikh societies and individuals inviting them to participate in the proceedings. The letter included a note on the Bak&#257pur family and its zeal for the Sikh faith.</p> <p class="C1">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;The invitation, widely circulated, evoked a warm response. On the appointed day, batches of Sikhs converged on Bak&#257pur from places such as Lahore, Amritsar, Gujr&#257&#7749w&#257l&#257, Gujjar<u>kh</u>&#257n, K&#257ta&#7751&#299, N&#257ra&#7749gv&#257l and Ludhi&#257&#7751&#257. The elderly uncle of Sard&#257r Sundar Si&#7749gh Maj&#299&#7789h&#299&#257, B&#257b&#257 H&#299r&#257 Si&#7749gh, led a <i>jath&#257</i> from the Amritsar <u>Kh</u>&#257ls&#257 College. The group included Bh&#257&#299 Jodh Si&#7749gh, distinguished Sikh theologian and educationist of modern times, who was then a student of the final B. A. class, T&#257r&#257 Si&#7749gh, who had just joined college and who later became famous as a political leader of the Sikhs, and M&#257n Si&#7749gh who rose to be the president of the judicial committee in the princely state of Far&#299dko&#7789. The youth were asked by B&#257b&#363 Tej&#257 Si&#7749gh to fetch water from the well and scrub the "premises clean of <i>musalm&#257n&#299</i>. "</p> <p class="C1">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;On the morning of the first day of the <i>d&#299v&#257n</i>, Maulaw&#299 Kar&#299m Ba<u>kh</u>sh rose at 2 in the morning, made his ablutions and came to the site of the <i>d&#299v&#257n</i>. He sat in a room rapt in meditation. The <i>&#256s&#257 k&#299 V&#257r</i> was sung after which different <i>jath&#257s</i> took turns at <i>kirtan</i>, hymn-singing. They included the Si&#7749gh Sabh&#257 of Gujjarv&#257l, Basant Si&#7749gh and An&#363p Si&#7749gh of N&#257ra&#7749gv&#257l and the Youth League of Ludhi&#257&#7751&#257. For a while, a group of women led the <i>kirtan</i>. Chanting of the sacred <i>&#347abdas</i> went on until it was time for Gur&#363 k&#257 La&#7749gar, or community meal. The afternoon <i>d&#299v&#257n</i> was addressed by B&#257b&#363 Tej&#257 Si&#7749gh, who explained the purpose of the convention and sought from the audience names of those who would wish to be initiated into the way of the <u>Kh</u>&#257ls&#257. The first one to volunteer was Basant Si&#7749gh, B. A. , of the village of N&#257ra&#7749gv&#257l, in Ludhi&#257&#7751&#257 district, who, after initiation, was named Ra&#7751dh&#299r Si&#7749gh and who became famous as a revolutionary and, later, as a saintly personage of much sanctity among the Sikhs.</p> <p class="C1">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;To conduct the initiation ceremonies the following day, the five Pi&#257r&#257s (or the Gur&#363's chosen ones) designated were Bh&#257&#299 Tej&#257 Si&#7749gh of R&#257walpi&#7751&#7693&#299, Bh&#257&#299 Ta<u>kh</u>t Si&#7749gh, Zind&#257 Shah&#299d (Living Martyr), of F&#299rozpur, Bh&#257&#299 Basant Si&#7749gh of Bappi&#257&#7751&#257 (Pa&#7789i&#257l&#257 state), Bh&#257&#299 Sohan Si&#7749gh of Gujjarkh&#257n and Bh&#257&#299 Amar Si&#7749gh of R&#257j&#257 Ghuman . Bh&#257&#299 Jodh Si&#7749gh was named <i>granth&#299</i> for the ceremonies.</p> <p class="C1">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;In all, 35 persons received the vows of the <u>Kh</u>&#257ls&#257 the following morning (June 14). Maulaw&#299 Kar&#299m Ba<u>kh</u>sh, 43, was named Lakhb&#299r Si&#7749gh after initiation. His four sons Rukan D&#299n, 15, Fateh D&#299n, 12, <u>Gh</u>ul&#257m Muhammad, 6, and <u>Kh</u>air D&#299n, 4, became Mat&#257b Si&#7749gh, Kirp&#257l Si&#7749gh, Harn&#257m Si&#7749gh and Gurba<u>kh</u>sh Si&#7749gh, respectively. His daughter B&#299b&#299 N&#363r&#257&#7749, 9, was given the Sikh name of Vary&#257m Kaur. Lakhb&#299r Si&#7749gh won wide esteem in the Sikh community as Sant Lakhb&#299r Si&#7749gh. His son, Mat&#257b Si&#7749gh, founded a society called the <u>Kh</u>&#257ls&#257 Bar&#257dar&#299 and played a pioneer role in the Ak&#257l&#299 movement, or the campaign for the reformation of the Sikh sacred places. Mat&#257b Si&#7749gh's son, Gurcharan Si&#7749gh S&#257kh&#299, took his Bachelor's degree at the <u>Kh</u>&#257ls&#257 College, Amritsar, in 1941, and edited, among others, a Sikh religious journal until he died suddenly in the Golden Temple premises in 1973.</p> </font> <p class="BIB"> BIBLIOGRAPHY<p class="C1"><ol class="C1"><li class="C1"> L&#257l Si&#7749gh, <i>Itih&#257s Pañch <u>Kh</u>&#257ls&#257 D&#299v&#257n Sa&#7749bandh&#299 S&#363chn&#257v&#257&#7749</i>. Ludhiana, 1967<BR> <li class="C1"><i>V&#299r Sudh&#257r Pattar : arth&#257t Sr&#299 Gur&#363 Si&#7749gh Sabh&#257 Bhasau&#7771 de a&#7789hme te naume d&#299v&#257n d&#257 si&#7789&#7789&#257</i>. Bhasau&#7771, 1903<BR> <li class="C1"> Jagj&#299t Si&#7749gh, <i>Si&#7749gh Sabh&#257 Lahir</i>. Ludhi&#257&#7751&#257, 1974<BR> <li class="C1"> Harba&#7749s Si&#7749gh, "The Bakapur Diwan and Babu Teja Singh of Bhasaur, " in The Panjab Past and Present. Patiala, October 1975<BR> </ol><p class="CONT">Sard&#257r Si&#7749gh Bh&#257&#7789&#299&#257<br></p><BR> </font> <img src="counter.aspx" width="1px" height="1px" alt=""> </HTML></BODY>