Ravidassia

Procession of Ravidassias in Bedford

Guru Ravidas

Guru Ravidas was born on 15 January 1377 CE (Indian calendar Sunday Sukhal Falgin Parvithta 1433) to the Chamar community.[14] [15] His birthplace was a locality known as Seer Govardhan in the city of Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh state, India. The birthplace is now marked by the Shri Guru Ravidass Janam Asthan (Begampura), and is a major place of pilgrimage for the followers of Guru Ravidas today. Ravidassias Sikhs believe that Ravidas died in Benares at the age of 151.[16][17][18]

Ravidas taught the following principles:

• The oneness, omnipresence and omnipotence of God.
• मन चंगा तो कठौती में गंगा.
• The human soul is a particle of God.
• The rejection of the notion that God cannot be met by lower castes.
• To realize God, which is the goal of human life, man should concentrate on God during all rituals of life.
• The only way of meeting with God (moksha) is to free the mind from duality.

The idol of Ravidas in the sanctum of Shri Guru Ravidas Janmsthan Mandir in Varanasi, marking his birthplace.

A Ravidassia place of worship is called a dera, sabha, mandir, gurudwara, or bhawan, sometimes translated as temple.[19][20] It is considered respectful towards Guru Ravidas and generally mandatory to cover one's head and take off one's shoes when entering the place of worship.

Outside the sabha there is always a flag upon which is written the Nishaan, and above it the "Harr" symbol which symbolising enlightenment from Guru Ravidas' teachings. But Guru Ravidass Sabhas in Derby, Walsall, Gravesend, Montreal and Papakura are exceptions, as these Sabhas' official title boards display Ek Onkar and Khanda emblems alongside Harr. The title boards of these sabhas clearly mark the buildings as both Sikh Gurdwaras and Ravidass Temples.[21] Moreover, Derby Sabha's display board mentions it as a Sikh temple[22]

Langar takes place inside the sabha continuously as a practice, and all are free to partake of it.

Ravidassia places of worship contain the holy book Amritbani Guru Ravidass Ji which contains all the hymns by Guru Ravidas. This book contains the following hymns: Raga – Siri (1), Gauri (5), Asa (6), Gujari (1), Sorath (7), Dhanasari (3), Jaitsari (1), Suhi (3), Bilaval (2), Gaund (2), Ramkali (1), Maru (2), Kedara (1), Bhairau (1), Basant (1), and Malhar (3). The book contains 140 shabads, 40 pade, and 231 salok.[23] There are 177 pages in all of the book.

A version of the holy book Amrit Bani containing 240 hymns of Guru Ravidas was installed at the Guru Ravidas temple in Jalandhar, Punjab, on 1 February 2012 on the occasion of birth anniversary of Guru Ravidass. The Dera Sach Khand Ballan religious community had announced the formation of the new Ravidassia religion and separation from Sikhism at Varanasi. The split from Sikhism was triggered after the killing of its deputy head Ramanand Dass in May 2009 at a temple in Vienna by some Sikh radicals. President of newly formed Begumpura Lok Party and a supporter of the new religion, Satish Bharti, said that the copies of the new Bani were put on display during the religious processions in order to assert that the community members are firm believers of the new religion.[24][25]

In the United Kingdom, during the 2011 census, the Office for National Statistics counted Ravidassia as a separate religion from Sikhism. There were 11058 individuals[26][27] who described themselves as Ravidassia in the census. Data shows that around 10% of members of Ravidassias community cited their religion as ’Ravidassia’ – empathically distinct from Sikhs and Hindus. During the census, not even a single Guru Ravidass Gurdwara came into direct support of this separate identity, and till date, all Guru Ravidass Gurdwaras in Britain are practising Sikhism and they do pray and perform all rituals in the presence of Shri Guru Granth Sahib.[21]

Unlike the UK Office for National Statistics, the Indian government and its census department have not accepted the Ravidassias community as a religion. During the 2011 census, the Ravidassia community was counted alongside other groups such as Ramdasia Sikh and Jatav under the title of chamar caste.[28][29]

In Mauritius, for Ravidassias, a different terminology is in use called Ravived[30]. During the initial stage of migration in Mauritius, significant numbers of Chamar people joined the Arya Samaj in the hope that it would help them to be free from the curse of casteism, as it was claimed by the leaders of the Arya Samaj.[31] But later, Upper Caste Arya Samajis started building separate halls for themselves and chamars for prayer within the same shrine to avoid Arya Samaj being labelled as a Chamar religion, which led to the establishment of Arya Ravived Pracharini Sabha in 1935.[32]

The Ravidassia employ the greeting "ਜੈ ਗੁਰੂਦੇਵ" (Jai Gurdev, जय गुरुदेव), meaning “hail the god-like teacher”, the motto of the religion.[33]

Nishan Sahib

The Ravidassia religious symbol is the Khanda , Harr Nishaan and Ik Onkar. The Gurmukhi transliteration of the name Harr is the main symbol of the Ravidassia religion.[34] It is also called as Koumi Nishan.[35]

The religion is also represented by a flag, with the insignia "Har" which, states Ronki Ram, includes:[35]

• A bigger circle with 40 rays of sunlight signifying forty hymns of Guru Ravidas;
• Inside the big circle is a small circle, inside which is written "Har" in Gurmukhi language (ਹਰਿ) with a flame on top of it;
• The flame represents the Naam (word) that would illuminate the entire world, and reaches the outer circle;
• Between the two circles is written a couplet composed by Ravidas: ਨਾਮ ਤੇਰੇ ਕਿ ਜੋਤੀ ਲਗਾਈ, ਭੇਈਓ ਓ ਭਵਣ ਸਗਲਈ (Naam tere kee jot lagayi, Bhaio Ujiaaro Bhawan saglaare, "Your Name is the flame I light; it has illuminated the entire world")

The insignia Har, states Ram, represents the "very being of Ravidass and his teachings".[35] It is chosen after the name of their Guru, as ravi means "illumination" and dass "servant of god".

Festival of Shri Guru Ravidass at Arzignano, Italy

Majority of Ravidasias practicing Sikhism and having faith in Shri Guru Granth Sahib.This branch of Ravidasias are mainly residing in Malwa (Punjab). Most of the Guru Ravidass Gurdwaras are staunch follower of Shri Guru Granth Sahib and first and oldest shrine on Fiji Island constructed by Ravidassia community is also known as Nasinu Sikh Temple. This Gurdwara was constructed by Ravidasias migrants from Doaba in 1939.[36]

"Ramdasia is a term used in general for Sikhs whose ancestors belonged Chamar caste. Originally they are followers of Guru Ravidass ji who belongs to Chamar community ".[37] Both the words Ramdasia and Ravidasia are also used inter changeably while these also have regional context. In Puadh and Malwa, largely Ramdasia in used while Ravidasia is predominantly used in Doaba.[38]

Ramdasia Sikhs are enlisted as scheduled caste by Department of Social justice, Empowerment and Minorities- Government of Punjab. On Department's list of Scheduled Caste, this caste is listed on serial number 9 along with other Chamar caste synonymous such as Ravidasia, Ramdasia and so on.[39]

Ad-Dharmis of Chamar sect are followers of Guru Ravidas ,[40] and incorporate elements of Sikhism[41] as they regard Shri Guru Granth Sahib as their religious text.[42]

Devotees at 635th Anniversary of Guru Ravidas at Sri Guru Ravidass Janamsthan Mandir, Varanasi

The birthday of Ravidas is celebrated every year at the Seer Gowardhanpur village temple in Varanasi the state of Uttar Pradesh in January or February and the government of India has declared it a gazetted holiday.[43]

Every year more than 1 million devotees from India and abroad visit the Seer Goverdhanpur temple. In India, devotees pour in from Punjab, Haryana, Gujarat, MP, Bihar, UP and Uttarakhand while foreign devotees from the US, Canada and UK throng the village.

On the day there is a Path of Amritbani Guru Ravidas read, the Harr Nishaan Sahib is changed ceremonially, and there is a special Ravidassia Arti and a Nagar Kirtan procession bearing Shri Guru Ravidas' portrait to the accompaniment of music through the streets of the temple locality.

Special pilgrim trains have been run to and from Varanasi for the last 12 years on the occasion of Parkash Ustav of Guru Ravi Dass. A special train has been run from Jalandhar to Varanasi and back every year on Guru Ravidass Jyanti Purb for the convenience of the pilgrims, since 2000.

Ravidasia Sikh diaspora emigrated from India and Pakistan is significant. There are Ravidasia Sikh settlers in Europe, as well as a sizable Ravidasia Sikh population in North America, primarily in the United States and Canada. Mahiya Ram Mehmi and Mahey were the very first people who landed in British Columbia in 1906.[44] They were both also involved in the foundation of the first Canadian Gurdwara, the Khalsa Diwan Society, Vancouver. There is a sizeable population of Ravidasia Sikhs in Oceania too. Ravidassias from Doaba established the second gurdwara in the Oceania region in Nasinu on Fiji Island in 1939.[45] A Classical Study by W.H. Briggs in his book Punjabis in New Zealand, Briggs penned down the precise number of Ravidassias in New Zealand during the very first wave of immigration.[46] Today they have presence in every major city of world where they have also established Guru Ravidass Gurdwaras and Sikh Temples.

Gurdwara Guru Ravidass, Nasinu, Fiji Established in 1939

Gurdwara Guru Ravidass Bhavan, Birmingham

Gurdwara Guru Ravidass Sabha, Southall

Gurdwara Guru Ravidass Temple, Auckland

Shri Guru Ravidass Temple in the UK

Gurdwara Guru Ravidass Temple, Pittsburg, California

Gurdwara Guru Ravidass Sabha, Oostende

• Dera Sach Khand
• Sant Mat
• Bhakti movement
• Ramdasia Sikhs
• Jatav
• Ravived
• Chambhar