Namdharis/Kookeh cont'd

Namdharis today substantiate the fact that their Guru, Ram Singh, is incarnation of Akali Nihang Guru Gobind Singh through three main written sources - 'Sau Sakhis', 'Siri Gurind Nama', and 'Naveen Panth Prakash'.

1. Sau Sakhis
These are mainly a collection of anecdotes taken from the lives of Sikh Gurus in particular Akali Nihang Guru Gobind Singh. Amongst these stories are dispersed a number of tales depicting future events such as establishment of Khalsa Raj.

Akali Nihang Guru Gobind Singh Ji Maharaj
Painting of the tenth Sikh Guru from an illustrated 'Zafar Nama' manuscript, circa 1872

These ‘prediction’ Sau Sakhis first appeared during the years of life and death struggle of the Akali Nihang Singh Khalsa in the 18th century. According to the martial tradition held within the Akali Nihang Baba Darbara Singh Akhara, these predictions were only a means of propaganda to keep the Akali Nihang Singh Khalsa morale alive in these desperate times when the Khalsa was facing extinction while facing a constant state of war. In time as Khalsa Raj lost out to the British, new prediction Sakhis surfaced forecasting the end of British Raj and establishment of Maharaj Duleep Singh’s Raj.

Maharaja Duleep Singh
The youngest son of Sher-e-Punjab Maharaja Ranjit Singh, and the last ruler of the Kingdom of Punjab (1838-1893)

In same manner the Akali Nihangs and Nirmala Khalsa created new Sakhis in order to prop their anti-British Raj cause. The Namdharis also created their own tales to boost their cause and no doubt there surfaced a new series of prediction Sakhis. It has to be appreciated the British also propagated their own ‘Sau Sakhi’ predictions to counter Nihang and Namdhari anti-British propaganda. If all the predictions in Sau Sakhis are to be accepted literally (as some Namdharis suggest), then logic would imply that all predictions in the Sau Sakhis should have now come to pass. However, this is not the case. The significance of Sau Sakhi predictions can only be appreciated as a tool for propaganda, serving a particular purpose at a particular juncture in Sikh history - and not as literal truth. Therefore, one can conclude that the Sau Sakhis which speak of Ram Singh as an incarnation of Akali Nihang Guru Gobind Singh, have no credibility.

Nishan Sahib
Two captured Sikh battle standards (19th century) from the Dalhousie
Collection depicting 'Surya' (the Sun demigod), 'Durga' (warrior Goddess) and 'Hanuman'

Ironically, the Sau Sakhis also contain tales that praise ‘Neela Baana’ (blue Nihang uniform) and recommend the consuming of meat by Sikhs, yet these are rejected by present-day Namdhari Sikhs. Even the Namdharis must concede that the credibility of the Sau Sakhis is not irrefutable as they claim.