| Sarbat Khalsa ਸਰਬੱਤ ਖ਼ਾਲਸਾ | |
|---|---|
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| Frequency | Biannually Since 1805, then called upon Sikh community request since 1986. |
| Location | Various throughoutPunjab Region |
| Country | Previous (Sikh Raaj and Sikh Empire), Most recent (Punjab, India) |
| Founded | 18th Century |
| Founder | Guru Gobind Singh Ji |
| Most recent | 10 November 2015 |
| Attendance | 500,000 - 600,000 Sikhs |
| Activity | Sikh Religious Affairs, Sikh Activism, Sikh Human Rights, Sikh Separatism (Since 1986) |
Sarbat Khalsa (lit. meaningall theKhalsa;Punjabi:ਸਰਬੱਤ ਖ਼ਾਲਸਾ(Gurmukhi) pronunciation:[sǝɾbǝt̪t̪kʰäːlsäː]),[1] was a biannualdeliberative assembly (on the same lines as aParliament in aDirect democracy) of theSikhs held atAmritsar inPunjab during the 18th century.[2] It literally translates to the "entire SikhNation" but as a political institution it refers to the meetings of theDal Khalsa and the legislature of theSikh Confederacy.
Meetings of the Sarbat Khalsa began with anArdās, aSikh prayer for guidance. The body then chosePanj Piare, or five members, to act as the governing body of themass meeting. To become one of the Panj Piare members would have to be nominated, answer objections from the assembly, and be subject to adirect vote.[3] After their election the Panj Piare sat next to theGuru Granth Sahib on theAkal Takht ofHarmandir Sahib. Members put proposals up for consideration and the Panj Piare intervened in disputes that came up during the assembly. A proposal passed by the Sarbat Khalsa, known as aGurmata (The Guru's decision) binding on all Sikhs.[3]The declaration of the Independence ofKhalistan was conducted in theSarbat Khalsa (1986).
The first Sarbat Khalsa was called by the tenth guru,Guru Gobind Singh before his death in 1708 and the tradition of calling Sarbat Khalsa has continued ever since at times of hardship or conflict. After the demolition of the Mahant System by the Khalsa Panth, S. Kartar Singh Jhabbar called the Sarbat Khalsa in 1920. He was not the Jathedar of the Akal Takht but a Sikh leader. In the resolution of that Sarbat Khalsa, Teja Singh Bhuchhar was announced as the Jathedar of the Akal Takht. The next known meeting of the Sarbat Khalsa took place on the occasion of Divali in 1721 when a clash between Tat Khalsa and the Bandais (owing fealty to Banda Singh Bahadur) was averted and amicably settled through the intervention and wise counsel of Bhai Mani Singh.
The next notable Sarbat Khalsa, which was held soon after the martyrdom ofBhai Tara Singh Wan in 1726, passed aGurmata (the decisions of the Sarbat Khalsa), laying down a threefold plan of action: to plunder government treasures in transit between local and regional offices and the central treasury; to raid government armouries for weapons and government stables for horses and carriages; and to eliminate government informers and lackeys. This Sarbat Khalsa was arranged by theJathedar of the Akal Takht at the time,Baba Darbara Singh.[4]
Another Sarbat Khalsa assembled in 1733 to deliberate upon and accept the government's offer of a Nawabship and jagir to the Panth. Under agurmata of the Sarbat Khalsa on 14 October (Divali day) 1745, the active fighting force of the Sikhs was reorganized into 25 jathas (bands) of about 100 each.
A further reorganization into 11misls (divisions) forming the Dal Khalsa was made by the Sarbat Khalsa on Baisakhi, 29 March 1748. Thus, Sarbat Khalsa became the central body of what J.D. Cunningham, in his book,A history of the Sikhs, terms a "theocratic confederate feudalism" established by the misls.[5] On 29 April 1986, a Sarbat Khalsa at the Golden Temple declared the rebuilding ofAkal Takht.[6]
After the death ofBanda Singh Bahadur in 1716 theKhalsa was in disarray. After 1716, theMughal government began a campaign ofgenocide againstSikhs led byAbdus Samad Khan and later his sonZakariya Khan that was carried out by in the form of a standing army dedicated to eliminating Sikhs, daily public executions, and monetary rewards for the heads of killed Sikhs.[7] TheDal Khalsa "retaliated by killing government functionaries and plundering Mughal posts, arsenals, and treasuries".[8] In 1733, because of the failure of the Mughal government to subdue the Sikhs they were offered ajagir in 1733.Nawab Kapur Singh was appointed head of theDal Khalsa and he reorganized the Sikhs into theTaruna Dal andBudda Dal. The Taruna Dal formed the basis of the Sikh Misls.
Maharaja Ranjit Singh abolished the Sarbat Khalsa in 1805.[9] Prior to its abolition, its last convening was also held in 1805 to discuss the pursuance of the Maratha leaderYashwantrao Holkar by the British military in the Punjab.[10]
The practice of Sarbat Khalsa has recently been revived.[9] In2015, a Sarbat Khalsa was held against the wishes of SGPC and announced 13 resolutions deliberated upon by the Sikh panth and its representatives.
Banda Singh was captured alive and executed in Delhi by the Moghul Government of Hindustan in 1716, after which two most powerful nations of Asia at that time, the Moghul Emperor of Hindustan from Delhi and Ahmad Shah Abdali King of Afghanistan from Kabul vowed to wipe out the Sikhs from the face of the earth. The Sikhs left their homes and hearths and escaped to the safety of jungles, mountains of the Punjab and desert of the adjoining Rajputana, refused to submit and continued their struggle for the independence of the Sikh Nation. They re-organized themselves and first Sarbat Khalsa meeting was held at Akal Takhat Amritsar under the leadership of Jathedar Darbara Singh on the Vaisakhi day in 1726. Thereafter Amritsar became the headquarters of Dal Khalsa, Buddha Dal, Taruna Dal and then 12 Misls.
A gurmatta may only be passed by the Sarbat Khalsa, that is a properly constituted assembly of the Panth which has been publicly announced and to which they have been summoned. In this way it resembles the gatherings of Sikhs in the presence of the human Gurus at Hola Mohalla, Baisakhi, and Diwali, at which such decisions were often made, though, of course, it must be held in the presence of the Guru Granth Sahib. In 1805 Maharaja Ranjit Singh abolished assemblies of the Sarbat Khalsa for this purpose, but the practice has recently been re-established.
