ÿþ<HTML><HEAD><TITLE>SUNDAR SI&#7748GH SANT GI&#256N&#298 (1883-1930)</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="SUNDAR,SIDGH,SANT,GIN*,Person,Person"> <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">&#65279SUNDAR SI&#7748GH, SANT GI&#256N&#298 (1883-1930), teacher of the sacred texts and exegete from whose seat in his native village the Bhi&#7751&#7693r&#257&#7749v&#257l&#257 school of Sikh learning derived its name, was born on 18 August 1883, the son of <u>Kh</u>az&#257n Si&#7749gh and Mahit&#257b Kaur alias T&#257b Kaur, a devoted couple of Bhi&#7751&#7693ar Kal&#257&#7749, in Z&#299r&#257 <i>tahs&#299l</i> of district F&#299rozpur, in the Punjab. He received his early education at the village <i>gurdw&#257r&#257</i>, and started reading the Gur&#363 Granth S&#257hib at the age of ten. As he grew up, he learnt Sanskrit from a Br&#257hma&#7751 at Dharmko&#7789, 8 km northwest of his native village, and later successively from two Ud&#257s&#299 scholars, Pa&#7751&#7693it Jav&#257l&#257 D&#257s and Pa&#7751&#7693it Bhagat R&#257m. He visited seats of learning in the M&#257lv&#257 region and in the holy city of Amritsar in search of a teacher who could instruct him in Sikh philosophy, and ultimately became the pupil of Sant Bishan Si&#7749gh of village Mur&#257l&#257, in Gujr&#257t district (now in Pakistan). Sundar Si&#7749gh arrived at Mur&#257l&#257, on 8 March 1906 and carried on with his study of the Sikh texts till the death, on 28 January 1908, of his mentor. He now launched on his career of expounding the sacred word and holding special gatherings to administer to the seekers the initiatory rites of the <u>Kh</u>&#257ls&#257. To this end, he travelled extensively in the Punjab, especially in the Po&#7789hoh&#257r, M&#257lv&#257 and Lower Chen&#257b Canal Colony (Ly&#257llpur and Shei<u>kh</u>&#363pur&#257 districts) areas. Twice he went on pilgrimage of principal Sikh shrines outside the Punjab such as N&#257nde&#7693 and Pa&#7789n&#257 S&#257hib. During the summer of 1925, he preached in Kashm&#299r valley.</p> <p class="C1">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Sant Sundar Si&#7749gh also accepted pupils whom he trained in the interpretation of Scripture. At intervals he took out batches of his students with him on his preaching tours which were devoted primarily to delivering <i>kath&#257</i>, i.e. explanatory discourses on the entire Gur&#363 Granth S&#257hib from beginning to end. He conducted 19 such courses during his lifetime, besides two similar full-scale ones on the <i>Dasam Granth</i>. Instruction was similarly provided in the works of Bh&#257&#299 Gurd&#257s and Bh&#257&#299 Santokh Si&#7749gh. Sant Sundar Si&#7749gh also established permanent teaching centres in <i>gurdw&#257r&#257s</i> at several places of which the most important were at his native Bhi&#7751&#7693ar Kal&#257&#7749, at Bop&#257 R&#257i in Ludhi&#257&#7751&#257 district and at Ta<u>kh</u>t&#363pur&#257, in present-day Mog&#257 district. For public instruction, he founded Gur&#363 Te<u>gh</u> Bah&#257dur school at the village of Ro&#7693e, near Mog&#257, since upgraded into a college affiliated to Pañj&#257b University, Cha&#7751&#7693&#299ga&#7771h.</p> <p class="C1">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Besides his world of letters and theology, Sant Sundar Si&#7749gh involved himself in the wider issues of religious and social reform then engaging the attention of the Sikhs. He took part in the Ak&#257l&#299 agitation and helped in having the historical shrines at Muktsar and Hehr&#257&#7749 brought under the control of the reformists. He visited Nank&#257&#7751&#257 S&#257hib soon after the massacre of the Ak&#257l&#299s on 20 February 1921 and participated in Gur&#363 k&#257 B&#257<u>gh</u> <i>morch&#257</i> (1922) and the <i>morch&#257</i> at Jaito (1923-25).</p> <p class="C1">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Sant Gi&#257n&#299 Sundar Si&#7749gh was taken ill with dropsy and died at Bop&#257 R&#257i on 15 February 1930. His work was carried on by his successor, Sant Gurbachan Si&#7749gh <u>Kh</u>&#257ls&#257.</p> </font> <p class="BIB"> BIBLIOGRAPHY<p class="C1"><ol class="C1">Kart&#257r Si&#7749gh <u>Kh</u>&#257ls&#257, <i><u>Kh</u>&#257ls&#257 J&#299van ate Gurmat Rahit Mary&#257d&#257</i>. Mehta, 1977<BR> </ol><p class="CONT">Harbhajan Si&#7749gh Deol<br></p><BR> </font><img src="counter.aspx" width="1px" height="1px" alt=""></HTML></BODY>