ÿþ<HTML><HEAD><TITLE>NIRMAL&#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="NIRMAL"> <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">&#65279NIRMAL&#256, derived from Sanskrit <i>nirmala</i> meaning spotless, unsullied, pure, bright, etc., is the name of a sect of Sikhs primarily engaged in religious study and preaching. The members of the sect are called Nirmal&#257 Sikhs or simply Nirmal&#257s. The sect arose during the time of Gur&#363 Gobind Si&#7749gh (1666-1708), though some, on the authority of a line in the first <i>v&#257r</i> of Bh&#257&#299 Gurd&#257s (d. 1636), claim, like the Ud&#257s&#299s, Gur&#363 N&#257nak (1469-1539) himself to be the founder. Gur&#363 Gobind Si&#7749gh wanted his followers not only to train in soldierly arts but also to cultivate letters. Especially during his stay at P&#257o&#7751&#7789&#257, on the bank of the River Yamun&#257, from 1685 to 1688, he had engaged a number of scholars to translate Sanskrit classics into current Braj or Punjabi, in order to bring them within easy reach of the less educated laity. Gur&#363 Gobind Si&#7749gh once asked one of these scholars, Pa&#7751&#7693it Raghun&#257th, to teach Sikhs Sanskrit. The latter politely excused himself on the plea that Sanskrit was <i>deva</i> <i>bh&#257&#7779&#257</i>, language of the gods, and could not be taught to &#346&#363dras, i.e. members of the low castes. To even this caste bias Gur&#363 Gobind Si&#7749gh sent five of his Sikhs, namely Karam Si&#7749gh, V&#299r Si&#7749gh, Ga&#7751&#7693&#257 Si&#7749gh, Sai&#7751&#257 Si&#7749gh and R&#257m Si&#7749gh, dressed as upper-class students, to V&#257r&#257&#7751as&#299, the centre of Hindu learning. These Sikhs worked diligently for several years and returned to Anandpur as accomplished scholars of classical Indian theology and philosophy. In view of their piety and their sophisticated manner, they and their students came to be known as Nirmal&#257s, and were later recognized as a separate sect. After the evacuation of Anandpur in 1705, the Nirmal&#257 preachers went to different places outside the Punjab, particularly to Haridv&#257r, All&#257h&#257b&#257d and V&#257r&#257&#7749as&#299 where they established centres of learning that exist to this day&#8212Kankhal, near Haridv&#257r, Pakk&#299 Sa&#7749gat at All&#257h&#257b&#257d, and Chetan Ma&#7789h and Chho&#7789&#299 Sa&#7749gat at V&#257r&#257&#7751as&#299. When, during the second half of the eighteenth century, the Sikhs established their sway over the Punjab, some of the Nirmal&#257 saints came back here and founded at different places centres which were liberally endowed by Sikh chiefs.</p> <p class="C1">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; It was customary for Nirmal&#257 scholars to attend, along with their disciples, religious fairs at prominent pilgrimage centres such as Haridv&#257r, All&#257h&#257b&#257d and Gay&#257, where they, like other <i>s&#257dh&#363s</i>, took out <i>sh&#257h&#299s</i> or processions and held philosophical debates with scholars of other religious denominations as a part of their preaching activity. Sometimes these scholastic exercises led to bitter rivalry and even physical confrontation. During the Haridv&#257r Kumbh in 1855, a general meeting of the Nirmal&#257s held in their principal <i>&#7693er&#257</i> at Kankhal took the first concrete step towards setting up a central body by electing Mahit&#257b Si&#7749gh of Rish&#299kesh, reputed scholar of the sect, as their Sr&#299 Mahant or principal priest. Mahit&#257b Si&#7749gh attracted attention of the rulers of Pa&#7789i&#257l&#257, Nabh&#257 and J&#299nd with whose help a <i>pañch&#257it&#299 akh&#257&#7771&#257</i> named Dharam Dhuj&#257 was established at Pa&#7789i&#257l&#257 in 1861. Its formal inauguration took place on 7 August 1862. The headquarters of the sect, however, remained at Kankhal. The sect comprises several <i>samprad&#257yas</i> or sub-sects each with its own <i>&#7693er&#257</i> and its own following.</p> <p class="C1">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; The Nirmal&#257s believe in the Ten Gur&#363s and Gur&#363 Granth S&#257hib. Taking the baptism of the <u>Kh</u>&#257ls&#257 is not compulsory nor common among them. As a distinguishing mark of the sect they don at least one of the garment in ochre colour. They generally practise celibacy and are devoted to scriptural and philosophical study, but by tradition they are inclined towards classical Hindu philosophy especially Ved&#257nta. Their contribution towards the preaching of Sikh doctrine and production of philosophical literature in Sanskrit, Braj, Hindi and Punjabi is considerable. Some of the important works that contributed to Sikh learning in general and the elucidation and regeneration of Sikh principles in particular are as follows: <i>Sa&#7751gam S&#257r Chandrik&#257</i> by Pa&#7751&#7693it Sadd&#257 Si&#7749gh of Chetan Ma&#7789h, V&#257r&#257&#7751as&#299, is commentary on a Sanskrit work on Advait philosophy, <i>Advait Siddhi</i>; Pa&#7751&#7693it T&#257r&#257 Si&#7749gh Narotam (1822-91) wrote several books of which <i>Gurmat Nir&#7751aya S&#257gar</i> (1877) and <i>Guru Gir&#257rath Kosh</i> in two volumes (1889) deal with philosophy of Sikh religion. His <i>Sr&#299 Guru T&#299rath Sa&#7749grahi</i> is a pioneer work on historical Sikh shrines in and outside India. Another famous Nirmal&#257 scholar Pa&#7751&#7693it S&#257dh&#363 Si&#7749gh wrote <i>Shr&#299 Mukh V&#257kya Sidh&#257nt Jyot&#299</i> and <i>Gur&#363 Sikhy&#257 Prabh&#257kar</i> (1893). Gi&#257n&#299 Gi&#257n Si&#7749gh (1822-1921) is known for his contribution to Sikh history. His <i>Panth Prak&#257sh</i> in verse appeared in 1880 and Tw&#257r&#299<u>kh</u> <i>Gur&#363</i> <u>Kh</u>&#257ls&#257 in prose in 1891.</p> </font> <p class="BIB"> BIBLIOGRAPHY<p class="C1"><ol class="C1"><li class="C1"> Gi&#257n Si&#7749gh, Gi&#257n&#299, <i>Sr&#299 Guru Panth Prak&#257sh</i>. (ed., Gi&#257ni Kirp&#257l Si&#7749gh). Amritsar, 1973<BR> <li class="C1"> Har&#299 Si&#7749gh, Mahant, <i>Nirmal Panth d&#257 Sa&#7749khep Itih&#257s</i>. Amritsar, 2018 Bk<BR> <li class="C1"> Dy&#257l Si&#7749gh, Mahant, <i>Nirmal Panth Darshan</i>. Amritsar, 1952<BR> </ol><p class="CONT">Shamsher Si&#7749gh Ashok<br></p><BR> </font><img src="counter.aspx" width="1px" height="1px" alt=""></HTML></BODY>