Ghasidas (18 December 1756 – 1850), also known as Guru Ghasidas, was

guru Guru ( sa, गुरु, IAST: ''guru;'' Pali'': garu'') is a Sanskrit term for a "mentor, guide, expert, or master" of certain knowledge or field. In pan-Indian traditions, a guru is more than a teacher: traditionally, the guru is a reverentia ...

(teacher) of the

Satnampanth Satnampanth, also called Satnami Samaj, Satnami movement, or Sadhanpanth, This sect is thought to be an offshoot of the Ravidassia sect (sampradaya) founded by Bir Bhan (1543-1620 AD), of Narnaul district. His guru was Udhodas, the pupil of Sain ...

in the early 19th century. It was Guru Ghasidas who decided to start treating everyone the same in a deep forested part of

Malwa Region Malwa is a historical region of west-central India occupying a plateau of volcanic origin. Geologically, the Malwa Plateau generally refers to the volcanic upland north of the Vindhya Range. Politically and administratively, it is also syno ...

. Ghasidas was born on 16 February 1756 at Girodpuri village of

Nagpur Nagpur (pronunciation: Help:IPA/Marathi, aːɡpuːɾ is the third largest city and the winter capital of the Indian state of Maharashtra. It is the 13th largest city in India by population and according to an Oxford's Economics report, Nag ...

(present-day

Giraudpuri Giraudpuri is a village in the Baloda Bazar district of Chhattisgarh, India. Located beside the Jonk River, it is the birthplace of the Satnami sect's founder Ghasidas, and a pilgrimage centre for the Satnamis. History The village is notable ...

Baloda Bazar Baloda Bazar is a nagar palika parishad in Baloda Bazar district in the Indian state of Chhattisgarh. Its PIN code is 493332. On 15 August 2011, it was declared as a district. Baloda Bazar is also called ''Cement hub of Chhattisgarh'' because ...

Chhattisgarh Chhattisgarh (, ) is a landlocked state in Central India. It is the ninth largest state by area, and with a population of roughly 30 million, the seventeenth most populous. It borders seven states – Uttar Pradesh to the north, Madhya Prade ...

) into a

Chamar Chamar is a Dalit community classified as a Scheduled Caste under modern India's system of affirmative action. Historically subject to untouchability, they were traditionally outside the Hindu ritual ranking system of castes known as varna. ...

family. Guru Ghasidas was the son of Mangu Das and Amrauti Mata. Ghasidas preached Satnam particularly for the people of

Malwa Malwa is a historical region of west-central India occupying a plateau of volcanic origin. Geologically, the Malwa Plateau generally refers to the volcanic upland north of the Vindhya Range. Politically and administratively, it is also syno ...

. After Guru Ghasidas, his teachings were carried on by his son,

Guru Balakdas Guru Balakdas (18 August 1805 — 17 March 1860) was son of the founder of the Satnampanth Satnampanth, also called Satnami Samaj, Satnami movement, or Sadhanpanth, This sect is thought to be an offshoot of the Ravidassia sect ( sampradaya) fo ...

. Guru Ghasidas was the founder of the

Satnami The Sadh, also known as Satnami, is a minority Bhakti-era Hindu sect in India. It is a monotheistic Hindu sect where its followers believe in a formless and supreme god called Satnam Satpurush. According to M. A. Sherring, he may have been i ...

community in Malwa. During his lifetime, the political atmosphere in India was one of exploitation. Ghasidas experienced the evils of the caste system at an early age, which helped him to understand the social dynamics in a caste-ridden society and reject social inequality. To find solutions, he travelled extensively across Malwa. Guru Ghasidas established Satnami community in Malwa based on "

Satnam Satnam (Gurmukhi: ਸਤਿ ਨਾਮੁ) is the main word that appears in the Sikh sacred scripture called the Guru Granth Sahib. It is part of the Gurbani shabad called Mool Mantra which is repeated daily by Sikhs. This word succeeds the word ...

" (meaning "Truth") and equality. The Guru's teachings and philosophy is similar to sikhism. Guru Ghasidas created a symbol of truth called "jaitkhambh" – a white painted log of wood, with a white flag on the top. The structure indicates a white man who follows the truth "satnam" is always steadfast and is the ''pillar of truth'' (''satya ka stambh''). The white flag indicates peace.

Monuments

The Government of Chhattisgarh renamed a part of

Sanjay-Dubri Tiger Reserve Sanjay National Park (Guru Ghasidas National Park) is a national park in Koriya district of Chhattisgarh and Sidhi, Singrauli districts of Madhya Pradesh state, India. It covers an area of and is a part of the Sanjay-Dubri Tiger Reserve. It i ...

after him, that is

Guru Ghasidas National Park Sanjay National Park (Guru Ghasidas National Park) is a national park in Koriya district of Chhattisgarh and Sidhi, Singrauli districts of Madhya Pradesh state, India. It covers an area of and is a part of the Sanjay-Dubri Tiger Reserve. It i ...

. They also opened a Central University called "

Guru Ghasidas Vishwavidyalaya Guru Ghasidas Vishwavidyalaya is a central university located in Bilaspur, Chhattisgarh, India. It is one of the largest and oldest institution of higher education of Chhattisgarh. Established under Central Universities Act 2009, No. 25 o ...

References

{{Authority control Satnami 1756 births Scholars from Chhattisgarh 1850 deaths People from Raipur district 18th-century Hindu religious leaders 19th-century Hindu religious leaders Dalit Hindu saints Dalit saints