ÿþ<HTML><HEAD><TITLE>DAUDHAR &#7692ER&#256</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="DAUDHAR, ER"> <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">&#65279DAUDHAR &#7692ER&#256, a school for training Sikh musicians popularly known as Va&#7693&#7693&#257 &#7692er&#257, was established in 1859 by Sant Suddh Si&#7749gh (d. 1882) at Daudhar, village 22 km southeast of Mog&#257 (30º-48'N, 75º-10'E), in Far&#299dko&#7789 district of the Punjab. Suddh Si&#7749gh was a disciple of &#7788h&#257kur D&#299d&#257r Si&#7749gh, a Nirmal&#257 saint of M&#257&#7751&#363ke, with whom he studied Sikh texts. According to local tradition, a chance meeting with a <i>bair&#257g&#299 s&#257dh&#363</i>, formerly a court musician to a chief in Uttar Pradesh from where he had migrated at the time of the uprising of 1857, led Suddh Si&#7749gh to invite him to his &#7692er&#257 to teach classical music to the inmates. Mahant V&#299r Si&#7749gh (d. 1902), who succeeded Suddh Si&#7749gh as head of the &#7692er&#257, was himself an accomplished musician. He and his equally talented disciple <u>Kh</u>ush&#257l Si&#7749gh trained their pupils in the subtleties of Sikh devotional music, instrumental as well as vocal. The instruments taught were <i>sarand&#257, sit&#257r, t&#257np&#363r&#257, t&#257&#363s, tabl&#257</i> and <i>&#7693holak&#299</i> (drums); cymbals, <i>chim&#7789&#257 kha&#7771t&#257ls</i> (concussion); and harmonium. The next <i>mahant</i> or head priest, Ma&#7749gal Si&#7749gh (c. 1860-1937), himself an adept at playing <i>tabl&#257</i>, not only continued instruction in devotional and classical music but also added to the curriculum lessons in recitation and interpretation of the Gur&#363 Granth S&#257hib, in Gurmukh&#299 calligraphy and in classical Punjabi prosody. He admitted to the &#7692er&#257 the blind, the crippled and the orphans, whose number during his time rose to about 150. Free board and lodging were provided for them. The &#7692er&#257 set up branches at some other villages such as Badhn&#299 <u>Kh</u>urd, Mali&#257&#7751&#257, Bu&#7789&#7789ar and Jagr&#257o&#7749. After the death on 28 July 1937 of Mahant Ma&#7749gal Si&#7749gh the pace of activity slackened somewhat, and yet the daily routine of <i>k&#299rtan</i> in the morning, followed by <i>kath&#257</i> or discourse on <i>gurb&#257&#7751&#299</i>, and <i>chauk&#299</i> or a session of <i>k&#299rtan</i> in the evening continues, with the Gur&#363 k&#257 La&#7749gar catering to the needs of the inmates, casual visitors and travellers. Special congregations mark important days on the Sikh calendar and the death anniversary of Mahant Ma&#7749gal Si&#7749gh.</p> </font> <p class="BIB"> BIBLIOGRAPHY<p class="C1"><ol class="C1">Vis&#257kh&#257 Singh, <i>M&#257lv&#257 Itih&#257s</i>. Kishanpura, 1954<BR> </ol><p class="CONT">Ajmer Si&#7749gh<br></p><BR> </font> <img src="counter.aspx" width="1px" height="1px" alt=""> </HTML></BODY>