 Painting of a Nirmala Sikh by Kapur Singh, Amritsar, ca.1860–65 | |
| Founder | |
|---|---|
| Bir Singh, Ganda Singh, Karam Singh, Ram Singh, and Saina Singh | |
| Regions with significant populations | |
| Punjab •Gangetic Plains | |
| Religions | |
| Sikhism •Hinduism (specificallyVedanta)syncretism | |
| Scriptures | |
| Guru Granth Sahib •Vedantic texts | |
| Languages | |
| Punjabi •Sanskrit |
Nirmala (Punjabi: ਨਿਰਮਲੇ,lit. "those without blemish") also known asNirmala Saṁpardā or Nirmal Paṅth, is aSikh sect ofascetics.[1] According to the traditional beliefs, the Sanatan Nirmala Sikh tradition was founded byGuru Gobind Singh in late 17th century when he sent five Sikhs toVaranasi to learnSanskrit andVedanta texts.
The origin of the Nirmalas is uncertain. According to Khushwant Singh and other historians, the sect is first mentioned in the Sikh literature during the Guru Gobind Singh era, in the last decade of the 17th century.[2] According toNirmal Panth Pardipka, the Nirmala tradition has roots in the early history of Sikhism.[3] In the 19th century, some Nirmala scholars traced their origin to the period of the first Sikh Guru,Nanak, but some others such as Khushwant Singh state that the Nirmala tradition was founded by the last Sikh Guru,Gobind Singh.[2] The belief that the sect originated in the 17th century, according toW. H. McLeod, is of doubtful historicity because they are "scarcely mentioned" in Sikh literature before the 19th century.[4]
According to the Nirmalas, in 1686, Guru Gobind Singh sent five Sikhs (Bir Singh, Ganda Singh, Karam Singh, Ram Singh and Saina Singh) to Varanasi to learn Sanskrit and classical Hindu literature. This began the Nirmala tradition.[2][5] After they returned to Anandpur, they were honoured by the title Nirmala (Sanskrit for "pure" or "unsullied").[6] The Nirmalas took theAmrit initiation into the Khalsa Panth.[7]
According to another account found in the late 19th-centuryNirmal Panth Pardipika by the Nirmala scholar andTat Khalsa supporterGiani Gian Singh, Guru Gobind Singh met a Sanskrit scholar named Pandit Raghunath in late 17th-century. He asked him to teach Sanskrit to Sikhs. However, Raghunath politely refused to do so, because he did not want to teach Sanskrit to Shudras.[8] So Guru Gobind Singh sent some Sikhs dressed in upper-caste attire to Varanasi, where they became accomplished scholars of Indian theology and philosophy.[8] The Pandit Raghunath-related story of Giani Gian Singh is likely ahistorical fiction.[3]
The historicity of this account has been questioned because there are very few mentions of Nirmalas before the 19th century.[3][9]Pashaura Singh and Louis E. Fenech hypothesise that the Nirmalas originated much later or may have descended from theUdasis, who are similar to them in ascetic lifestyle, celibacy andVedantic interpretation of Sikh philosophy.[10]
Patronage from Sikh nobles, especially the rulers of thePhulkian states, helped the Nirmalas become a prominent religious order.[10] Sardar Dhyan Singh of Shahbad willed his estate to Karam Singh Nirmala. In 1766, Sadda Singh of Bahirwala offered seven villages to Bhagat Singh Nirmala, although the latter declined the offer. Sardar Jai Singh's daughter-in-law granted two villages to the Nirmaldera at Kankhal.[11]
Sardar Ganda Singh ofBhangi Misl offered 13 villages to Jai Singh Nirmala. In 1796, MaharajaRanjit Singh also granted asanad for land to Nihal Singh Nirmala. On both occasions, the Nirmalas passed on the properties to the Udasi akhara of Santokh Das.[11]
Like the Udasis, the Nirmalas interpret the teachings of the Sikh Gurus in context ofVedanta.[10] According to Lynn Teskey Denton, they view the first Sikh Guru,Nanak, as anAdvaita Vedantist, a follower ofShankara, and a defender of theSanatana Dharma.[12] However, the notion that Guru Nanak either followed or admired Adi Shankara is likely not found in any original Nirmala work, nor is this view promoted by any NirmalaDeras. Instead, the 19th century Nirmala scholarTara Singh Narotam's original work states that the gurmat is an amalgamation of the doctrines of Sankara and Ramanuja, with the exception that bhakti preponderates over jnana and action, thereby explicitly rejecting Shankara’s philosophy in part.[13]
Compared to the Udasis, the Nirmalas have shared a closer relationship the mainstreamKhalsa Sikhs. Many prominent Nirmalasants preached mainstream Sikhism in Punjab, and Nirmala akharas have played an important role in training Sikhs. But after theAkali movement, the Khalsa attempts to create a Sikh identity completely distinct from Hindus made the Khalsa-Nirmala relationship fragile.[10]
The Nirmala Sikhs wear ochre-colored/Bhagwa robes (or at least one item) and keepkesh (unshorn hair).[14] They observe the same birth and death rituals as the Hindu ascetics and have anakhara (martial organisation) in Haridwar,[14] and a number ofderas in Punjab (India).[15] They have been one of the procession participants inKumbh Melas.[16][8] They were early missionaries who traveled and spread Sikhism among the masses,[4][8] thus making an important contribution to the growth of Sikhism.[10] They often served as one of themahants in Sikh temples (gurdwaras) during the 18th century.[14] Nirmalas interpret theSikh literature inVedantic terms.[17] During theSingh Sabha Movement of late 19th century and early 20th century, they were condemned by theTat Khalsa faction of Sikhs, and cordially supported by theSanatan Sikhs.[4]
The Sri Nirmal Panchayati Akhada or Sri Panchayati Akhada Nirmal atKankhal, established with grants from the rulers of Phulkian states, has the highest status among all Nirmala chapters.[10] Other major Nirmala centres are located atHaridwar,Allahabad,Ujjain,Trimbak,Kurukshetra andPatna.
As the Nirmalas do not seem to have been adequately mentioned in the Sikh literature before the 19th century, it is difficult to uphold the contention of Giani Gian Singh as historically true, rather it seems highly improbable.
