ÿþ<HTML><HEAD><TITLE>BED&#298</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="BED*"> <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">&#65279BED&#298, a sub-caste of the Khatr&#299s, Pr&#257kritized form of the Sanskrit <i>k&#7779triya</i> which is one of the four caste groups into which the Hindu society is divided. The Khatr&#299s are mainly Hindus though there is among them a Sikh element which is small in number but important historically. There are no Muhammadans in the caste because a Khatr&#299 after conversion into Islam ceases to be a Khatr&#299 and becomes a Khoj&#257. The Khatr&#299s are further divided into four sub-groups - B&#257hr&#299, Khukhrain, Buñj&#257h&#299 and Sar&#299n. B&#257hr&#299s have twelve castes, Khukhrain eight, Buñj&#257h&#299 fifty-two and Sar&#299ns twenty. In Sikhism, the Bed&#299 caste became pre-eminent because of the birth into it of Gur&#363 N&#257nak, founder of the faith. Although the caste acquired sacred character which is enjoyed not only by the descendants of Gur&#363 N&#257nak but by all those born into this caste group, yet this inherited sanctity has not altered the social status of the people within the caste. A legend narrated in <i>Bachitra N&#257&#7789ak</i> by Gur&#363 Gobind Si&#7749gh refers to the Paur&#257&#7751ic division of the K&#7779atriyas into three branches - Solar, Lunar and Agn&#299-kula (Fire race). According to this tradition, the Bed&#299s belong to the Solar race and are descendants of Ku&#347a, the twin brother of Lava and son of Lord R&#257ma. Owing to a misunderstanding, the descendants of Ku&#347a and Lava fought amongst themselves. In this fight, the descendants of Ku&#347a were defeated and they rehabilitated themselves at K&#257sh&#299 (V&#257r&#257&#7751as&#299) where they studied the Vedas and thus came to be called Ved&#299s : in Punjabi 'v' often turns phonetically into a 'b'. Ved&#299s became Bed&#299s.</p> <p class="C1">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Bed&#299s are mostly concentrated in &#7692er&#257 B&#257b&#257 N&#257nak, in Gurd&#257spur district, in the Punjab. Among Sikhs, the Bed&#299 lineage continued after Gur&#363 N&#257nak through his younger son B&#257b&#257 Lakhm&#299 D&#257s. Lakhm&#299 D&#257s's son Dharam D&#257s settled down at &#7692er&#257 B&#257b&#257 N&#257nak. Two other important centres of Bed&#299s in the Punjab were at &#362n&#257, Hoshi&#257rpur district, and Kallar, R&#257walpind&#299 district. Two of the charismatic personalities of later period in the line were S&#257hib Si&#7749gh Bed&#299 (1756-1834), a contemporary of Mah&#257r&#257j&#257 Ra&#7751j&#299t Si&#7749gh and B&#257b&#257 Sir Khem Si&#7749gh Bed&#299 (1832-1905), one of the founders of the Si&#7749gh Sabh&#257 movement in the seventies of the twentieth century.</p> </font> <p class="BIB"> BIBLIOGRAPHY<p class="C1"><ol class="C1"><li class="C1"> Rose, H. A. , <i>A Glossary of the Castes and Tribes of the Punjab and North-West Province</i>. Patiala, 1970<BR> <li class="C1"> N&#257r&#257, &#298shar Si&#7749gh, <i>R&#257j&#257 Jog&#299 arth&#257t J&#299van Itih&#257s Sr&#299 B&#257b&#257 S&#257hib Si&#7749gh j&#299 Bed&#299</i>. Delhi, n. d.<BR> <li class="C1"> Sobh&#257 R&#257m, Bh&#257&#299, <i>Gur-bil&#257s B&#257b&#257 S&#257hib Si&#7749gh Bed&#299</i>. Patiala, 1988<BR> </ol><p class="CONT">S. S. Vañj&#257r&#257 Bed&#299<br></p><BR> </font> <img src="counter.aspx" width="1px" height="1px" alt=""> </HTML></BODY>