The Multifarious Faces of Sikhism
throughout Sikh History
Page 1 of 4
Sanatan
Singh Sabhias
Time of origin: 1873
As British annexed Punjab in 1849, they opened
the floodgate to Christian missionaries, who
poured into the Punjab to gain Christian converts.
This rocked the ‘Sanatan’
(traditional) Sikh world. C. W Forman and John
Newton lead the Ludhiana Mission’s surge
into the Majha region of Punjab.
They set up their center in Lahore, and began
coordinating the Christian proselytizing activities.
English and vernacular schools, as well as hospitals
and orphanages, were quickly established in
the Punjab. The Society for the Propagation
of the Gospel, Methodists, Moravians, Episcopalians,
Salvation Army etc. all vied with each other
in gaining converts to Christianity.
Lahore Railway Church
Established during the British Raj, circa 1871
(printed by Raphael Tuck & Sons, 1905)
When the Church of England sent it’s
two missionaries to the Punjab, on their departure
from England they were instructed thus:
‘Though the
Brahman religion still sways the minds of
a large proportion of the population of
the Punjab, the Mohammedan of another, the
dominant religion and power for the last
century has been the Sikh religion, a species
of pure theism, formed in the first instance
by the dissenting sect from Hinduism.
A few hopeful incidents lead us to believe
that the Sikhs may prove more accessible
to scriptural truth than Hindus and Mohammedans.’ ‘Stories
from Sikh History Book IX’, by Kartar
Singh and Gurdial Singh Dhillon, Pa. 73-74
Thus, Christian missionaries began to single
out Sikhs, and it was not until 1873, when four
young Sikh students of Amritsar Mission School
decided to convert to Christianity that the
Sanatan Sikh elders within the community decided
to consider this movement a threat. These elders
began to meet in gatherings that came to known
as ‘Singh Sabhas’
(meaning ‘a meeting of Singhs). The first
official Singh Sabha came into existence in
1873 in Amritsar.
Amritsar
A view of Baba Atal Gurdwara, Amritsar, circa
late 19th century
It was headed by the Udasis, Nirmalas and Bedi
Sikhs, and was founded by Baba Thakur
Singh Sandhanwalia, a Sikh aristocrat.
Sandhanwalia’s family had close ties to
Maharaja Ranjit Singh’s family for he
was the cousin of the deposed and exiled King,
Maharaja Duleep Singh.
Baba Thakur Singh Sandhanwalia
Born in 1837, and was only 12 years old when
Maharaja Duleep Singh lost his empire to the
British
Another leading figure of this Sabha was Baba
Khem Singh Bedi, who was the grandson
of the famous Sikh holy man, Baba Sahib
Singh Bedi. The secretary of the Singh
Sabha was the noted historian, Giani
Gian Singh Nirmala. Raja Bikram
Singh of Faridkot was the patron of
the Sanatan Singh Sabha. In addition to the
four, many other Nirmala, Udasi and even Akali
Nihang Singhs contributed to the success of
this Sabha. The four youths at the Amritsar
Mission School were persuaded by the Singh Sabha
from converting to Christianity.
Damdama Sahib Singh Bedi
The mausoleum of Baba Sahib Singh Bedi, circa
1910
