Pashaura Singh (1928–2008) also known as Santa Singh or to Nihang Sikhs as Jathedar Akali Baba Santa Singh Ji Nihang 96 Crori was the 13th Jathedar of

Budha Dal Dal Khalsa was the name of the combined forces of 12 Sikh misls that operated in the 18th century (1735–1780) in the Punjab region. History Mughal rule of Punjab The religion of Sikhism began at the time of the conquest of Northern India by ...

(Nihang Dal), succeeding

Akali Chet Singh Jathedar Baba Chet Singh (1914–1968) was a Nihang and was 12th Jathedar of Budha Dal after Baba Sahib Ji Kaladhari. He was born in 1914 at Talwandi. His father's name was Gurdit Singh and mother was Pradhan Kaur.Page 24, The Sikh Courier, ...

Early life

He was born as Pashaura Singh in Gujranwala.

History

Sarbloh Granth

The

Sarbloh Granth The Sarbloh Granth or Sarabloh Granth ( pa, ਸਰਬਲੋਹ ਗ੍ਰੰਥ, ', literally 'Scripture of Wrought Iron'), also called Manglacharan Puran or Sri Manglacharan Ji, is a voluminous scripture, composed of more than 6,500 poetic stanza ...

was first published in the mid-20th century by Santa Singh. He had major influence over bringing its teachings to the wider Sikh community.

Reconciliation with the Sikh community

In 2001, Santa Singh accepted the “tankhah” (punishment for religious misconduct) pronounced by Giani Joginder Singh Vedanti, the Jathedar of The Akal Takht. Also in the same year, the followers of Santa Singh have said he had made the choice to reintegrate himself with the Sikh Panth. They asserted that his decision would serve as a source of motivation for Sikhs. Baba Udhe Singh (the nephew of Baba Santa Singh), Maharaj Singh, Baba Partap Singh, and Mr. Prithipal Singh, the personal assistant to Jathedar Vedanti, played pivotal roles in facilitating Santa Singh's reconnection with the Sikh community.

Differences in Sikh religious, social and political views

Political views

Santa Singh was an avid supporter of

Indian National Congress The Indian National Congress (INC), colloquially the Congress Party but often simply the Congress, is a political party in India with widespread roots. Founded in 1885, it was the first modern nationalist movement to emerge in the British Em ...

and was close to many leaders. He had been dubbed by many Sikhs as a "government stooge". In the early 70s Santa Singh became close with India's President

Zail Singh Giani Zail Singh (, born Jarnail Singh; 5 May 1916 – 25 December 1994) was an Indian politician from Punjab who served as the seventh president of India from 1982 to 1987. He was the first Sikh and the first person from a backward caste to bec ...

. Zail Singh even gifted Santa Singh a car. After this Santa and fellow Nihangs regularly attended Congress rallies and blessed

Indira Gandhi Indira Priyadarshini Gandhi (; Given name, ''née'' Nehru; 19 November 1917 – 31 October 1984) was an Indian politician and a central figure of the Indian National Congress. She was elected as third prime minister of India in 1966 ...

before her elections. In the aftermath of

Operation Blue Star Operation Blue Star was the codename of a military operation which was carried out by Indian security forces between 1 and 10 June 1984 in order to remove Damdami Taksal leader Jarnail Singh Bhindranwale and his followers from the buildings of ...

he attended a Congress rally organised by Indira Gandhi. This led to heavy criticism by Sikh leaders. Santa Singh was said to be close with

Home Minister The Minister of Home Affairs (or simply, the Home Minister, short-form HM) is the head of the Ministry of Home Affairs of the Government of India. One of the senior-most officers in the Union Cabinet, the chief responsibility of the Home Minist ...

and Congress leader

Buta Singh Buta Singh (21 March 1934 – 2 January 2021) was an Indian politician and a senior leader of the Indian National Congress. He was the Union Home Minister of India, Governor of Bihar and was chairman of the National Commission for Scheduled Cast ...

Bhang consumption issue

In 2001, Santa Singh along with 20 chiefs of Nihang sects, refused to accept the ban on consumption of ''

bhang Bhang (IAST: ''Bhāṅg'') is an edible preparation made from the leaves of the cannabis plant originating from the Indian subcontinent. It has been used in food and drink as early as 1000 BC in ancient India. Bhang is traditionally distribu ...

'' by the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee. However, there exists a tradition of Nihang Sikhs using edible cannabis, often in the form of the beverage

Akal Takht reconstruction

Santa Singh rebuilt the

Akal Takht The Akal Takht ("Throne of the Timeless One") is one of five takhts (seats of power) of the Sikhs. It is located in the Darbar Sahib (Golden Temple) complex in Amritsar, Punjab, India. The Akal Takht (originally called Akal Bunga) was built by ...

after its damage during

in 1984. The construction work was done by paid workers. This caused controversy with

Damdami Taksal The Damdamī Ṭaksāl is an orthodox Sikh cultural and educational organization, based in India. Its headquarters are located in the town of Mehta Chowk, approximately 40 km north of the city of Amritsar. It has been described as a seminary ...

, Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee and many members of the wider Sikh community. As a result, Santa Singh was excommunicated by SGPC. The Akal Takht, was torn down two years later under the orders of Baba Thakur Singh Ji, the leader of the Damdami Taksal, at the 1986 Sarbat Khalsa.

Views on Sikh separatism

When asked about Khalistan, Santa Singh said, ''"Isn't the President of India a Sikh? There are so many ministers, generals, officers. There is no discrimination. And in which little district will they make their Khalistan?"'' When asked to comment about the

Akali Dal The Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) (translation: ''Supreme Akali Party'') is a centre-right sikh-centric state political party in Punjab, India. The party is the second-oldest in India, after Congress, being founded in 1920. Although there are man ...

claiming they did not oppose Jarnail Singh Bhindranwale out of fear Santa Singh said, ''"Why did they never approach me for help? I would have happily sent in my cavalry. What are all these gallant horsemen for if not for saving the shrines from desecration? It is because they did not ask their own Sikh armies that Mrs. Gandhi had to send in hers"''

SGPC

When asked about why he is upset with the SGPC Santa Singh said, "''They have been messing about for 60 years. They just make a commotion. I call them Khappoo Singhs (Khap means noise in Punjabi). Their movement has failed and now they are running marches, hiding behind women and children. Why didn't they act when Bhindranwale's men were going about defecating and drying underwear on the balconies of the

?''"'''' In 2012, SGPC reversed its initial decision to install Santa Singh portrait in the Central Sikh Museum due to backlash from certain fractions of the community.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Singh, Akali Santa Nihang Cannabis activists Cannabis and Sikhism 1928 births 2008 deaths