 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] The sect was syncretic, combiningSikh,Mughal, andPahari traditions.[2] It was part of the largerUdasi sect, being classified as audaseen parampara.[2] The followers of Ram Rai are found acrossNorth India.[2] Its principal centre is theGuru Ram Rai Darbar complex inDehradun,Uttarakhand,India.
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.[3][4][5] 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.[6] The town later came to be known asDehradun, afterDehra, referring to Baba Ram Rai's shrine.[4]
Ram Rai was connected to the earlierUdasi sect, being described as an "udaseenfakir".[2] As per one narration, Ram Rai became anudaseen ("dissatisfied one") after being ex-communicated by his father, Guru Har Rai. Ram Rai is believed to have performed seventy-two miracles while he was in Delhi, including conjuring a three-legged goat.[2] As per theMahima Prakash (1776), Aurangzeb was impressed by Ram Rai's mystic powers and bestowed him with the title ofqamil fakir and granted him the village Khera-Chandrawal near Majnu-ka-Tila in Delhi.[2] Ram Rai died in 1689 and the darbar was managed by his widow Panjab Kaur after his death.[2]
Many followers of Ram Rai settled with Ram Rai, they followed Guru Nanak, but Sikhs have shunned them.[3][7] 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).[8][9]
After the death of Ram Rai, successivemahants of theDehradun Darbar became the leaders of the sect, who were worshiped by its followers.[citation needed] The mahants and theirdarbar were patrons ofHindustani classical music in the Gwaliorgharana.[2] TheRamlila tradition was held, with its particular style being known as the Jhanda Bazaar Shivaji Samiti Ramlila of Dehra Dun.[2] After the third mahant, all of the mahants were Garhwal locals. The later mahants (head-priests of the sect) would have theDarbar complex constructed and its walls were decorated with murals.[2] The constructions around the main mausoleum of Ram Rai and his wives were put-up by the mahants, which included samadhis (cenotaphs) of the mahant leaders of the sect.[2] These were built as perSikh architecture.[2] The Jhanda Darwaza was finished in the 1880's, with its murals being mostly painted by Tulsi Ram (1881–1950, also known as Phattu Sah) likely between ca.1885–1896 during the tenure of Mahant Prayag Das.[2] Tulsi Ram's brother, Kitchlu Sah, and their father, probably painted some of the murals as well.[2]
The Jhanda-Ka-Mela (Jhanda Fair) is held five-days after Holi, where thenishan (symbol) is changed and a new one is installed at the gateway.[2]
| No. | Name (Birth–Death) | Portrait | Leadership term | Reference(s) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | Ram Rai(1645 – 1687) |  | ? – 1687 | [1][10] |
| Mahants | ||||
| 2. | Aud Das[note 1] |  | 1687 – 1741 | [10][11] |
| 3. | Har Prasad | | 1741 – 1766 | [10][11] |
| 4. | Har Sewak | | 1766 – 1818 | [11][12] |
| 5. | Har Swaroop Das | | 1818 – 1842 | [11][12] |
| 6. | Preetam Das | | 1842 – 1854 | [11][12] |
| 7. | Narayan Das | _standing_at_a_half-open_door.jpg) | 1854 – 1885 | [11][12] |
| 8. | Prayag Das |  | 1885 – 1896 | [11][12] |
| 9. | Laxman Das |  | 1896 – 1945 | [11][13] |
| 10. | Indiresh Charan Das (14 November 1919 – 10 June 2000) | | 1945 – 2000 | [11][14] |
| 11. | Davendra Das | | 2000 – present | [11][15] |
