ÿþ<HTML><HEAD><TITLE>DH&#362&#256&#7748</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="DHjD"> <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">&#65279 DH&#362&#256&#7748, Punjabi for smoke, is a term which is particularly used for seats of certain monkish orders where a fire is perennially kept alive. In the Sikh context it is employed for the four branches of Ud&#257s&#299 Sikhs established by B&#257b&#257 Gurditt&#257 (1613-38), on whom the headship of the sect was conferred by B&#257b&#257 Sr&#299 Chand, traditionally considered founder of the sect. The <i>dh&#363&#257&#7749s</i> are generally known after their respective heads who were initially assigned to different regions in north India for preaching the tenets of Sikhism as laid down by Gur&#363 N&#257nak. Later, however, each of the four branches spread and established their preaching centres all over the country. The four <i>dh&#363&#257&#7749s</i> were : (1) <i>Dh&#363&#257&#7749</i> Bh&#257&#299 Almast J&#299 K&#257 preaching in the eastern parts with headquarters at N&#257nak Mat&#257 and branches, among several other places, at &#7692h&#257k&#257, Pa&#7789n&#257 and Pur&#299; (2) Dh&#363&#257&#7749 Bh&#257&#299 B&#257l&#363 Hasn&#257 J&#299 K&#257 in western Punjab and Kashm&#299r; (3) Dh&#363&#257&#7749 Bh&#257&#299 Goind or Gond&#257 J&#299 K&#257 in southern Punjab popularly called M&#257lv&#257 region; and (4) Dh&#363&#257&#7749 Bh&#257&#299 Ph&#363l J&#299 K&#257 in Do&#257b&#257, i. e. the tract between the Rivers Be&#257s and Sutlej.</p> <p class="C1">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;<i>See</i> UD&#256S&#298S; ALMAST, BH&#256&#298; B&#256L&#362 HASN&#256; GOIND, BH&#256&#298; and PH&#362L, BH&#256&#298</p> </font> <p class="BIB"> BIBLIOGRAPHY<p class="C1"><ol class="C1"><li class="C1"> Randh&#299r Si&#7749gh, <i>Ud&#257s&#299 Sikh&#257&#7749 d&#299 Vithi&#257</i>. Chandigarh, 1912<BR> <li class="C1"><i>Gurbil&#257s P&#257tsh&#257h&#299 Chhev&#299&#7749</i>. Patiala, 1970<BR> <li class="C1"> Macauliffe, M. A. , <i>The Sikh Religion</i>. Oxford, 1909<BR> </ol><p class="CONT">Major Gurmukh Si&#7749gh (Retd.)<br></p><BR> </font> <img src="counter.aspx" width="1px" height="1px" alt=""> </HTML></BODY>