 Painting of a Ramraiya ascetic of Varanasi from a folio of a manuscript of theSilsilah-i-Jogiyan, ca.1800 | |
| Founder | |
|---|---|
| Ram Rai | |
| Regions with significant populations | |
| Punjab •Uttarakhand (Dehradun) | |
| Religions | |
| Sikhism | |
| Languages | |
| Punjabi |
Ramraiyas (Gurmukhi: ਰਾਮਰਾਈਆ;rāmarā'ī'ā), also referred to asRam Raiyas, are aSikh sect that followRam Rai, the excommunicated eldest son ofGuru Har Rai (1630–61).[1]
Ram Rai was sent by his father as an emissary to the Mughal emperorAurangzeb in Delhi. Aurangzeb objected to a verse in the Sikh scripture (Asa ki Var) that stated, "the clay from a Musalman's grave is kneaded into potter's lump", considering it an insult to Islam. Baba Ram Rai explained that the text was miscopied and modified it, substituting "Musalman" with "Beiman" (faithless, evil) which Aurangzeb approved.[2][3][4] The willingness to change a word led Guru Har Rai to bar his son from his presence, and name his younger son as his successor. Aurangzeb responded by granting Ram Rai ajagir (fief) in theGarhwal region (Uttarakhand). The area of modern Dehradun was under the rule of KingFateh Shah ofGarhwal Kingdom, who had been commanded by Aurangzeb to facilitate Ram Rai and establish himself in the wilds of the valley, where he established hisDurbar in 1676, with the work on the building finally being completed by his widow, Panjab Kaur, in 1699.[5] The town later came to be known asDehradun, afterDehra, referring to Baba Ram Rai's shrine.[3]
Many followers of Ram Rai settled with Ram Rai, they followed Guru Nanak, but Sikhs have shunned them.[2][6] They were one of the Panj Mel, the five reprobate groups that Sikhs are expected to shun with contempt. The other four are theMinas, theMasands, the Dhirmalias, the Sir-gums (those Sikhs who acceptAmrit baptism but subsequently cut theirhair).[7][8]
After the death of Ram Rai, successivemahants of theDehradun Darbar became the leaders of the sect, who were worshiped by its followers.[citation needed]
| No. | Name (Birth–Death) | Portrait | Leadership term | Reference(s) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | Ram Rai(1645 – 1687) |  | ? – 1687 | [1][9] |
| Mahants | ||||
| 2. | Aud Das[note 1] |  | 1687 – 1741 | [9][10] |
| 3. | Har Prasad | | 1741 – 1766 | [9][10] |
| 4. | Har Sewak | | 1766 – 1818 | [10][11] |
| 5. | Har Swaroop Das | | 1818 – 1842 | [10][11] |
| 6. | Preetam Das | | 1842 – 1854 | [10][11] |
| 7. | Narayan Das | _standing_at_a_half-open_door.jpg) | 1854 – 1885 | [10][11] |
| 8. | Prayag Das |  | 1885 – 1896 | [10][11] |
| 9. | Laxman Das |  | 1896 – 1945 | [10][12] |
| 10. | Indiresh Charan Das (14 November 1919 – 10 June 2000) | | 1945 – 2000 | [10][13] |
| 11. | Davendra Das | | 2000 – present | [10][14] |
