The Sikh Gurdwaras Act, 1925 was a piece of legislation in

British India The provinces of India, earlier presidencies of British India and still earlier, presidency towns, were the administrative divisions of British governance on the Indian subcontinent. Collectively, they have been called British India. In one ...

which legally defined Sikh identity and brought Sikh

gurdwara A gurdwara (sometimes written as gurudwara) (Gurmukhi: ਗੁਰਦੁਆਰਾ ''guradu'ārā'', meaning "Door to the Guru") is a place of assembly and worship for Sikhs. Sikhs also refer to gurdwaras as ''Gurdwara Sahib''. People from all faiths ...

s (houses of worship) under the control of an elected body of orthodox Sikhs.

Gurdwara reform movement

Prior to 1925, a large proportion of the gurdwaras in India were under the control of clergy of the

Udasi Udasi (Gurmukhi: ਉਦਾਸੀ ਸੰਪਰਦਾ; ''udāsī saparadā'') is a religious sect of ascetic ''sadhus'' centred in northern India. Becoming custodians of Sikh shrines in the 18th century, they were notable interpreters and spreade ...

denomination of Sikhism. The Udasi differed from their mainline Sikh congregants, and due to differences in theology (such as

syncretic Syncretism () is the practice of combining different beliefs and various schools of thought. Syncretism involves the merging or assimilation of several originally discrete traditions, especially in the theology and mythology of religion, thu ...

Hindu practices) as well as some instances of malfeasance were seen as allowing or committing behaviours unsuitable for a gurdwara. By the 1920s, resentment of this perceived corruption led to the foundation of the

Akali Movement The Akali movement , also called the Gurdwara Reform Movement, was a campaign to bring reform in the gurdwaras (the Sikh places of worship) in India during the early 1920s. The movement led to the introduction of the Sikh Gurdwara Bill in 1925, w ...

which negotiated or forced Udasi

mahant Mahant () is a religious superior, in particular the chief of a temple or the head of a monastery in Indian religions. James Mallinson, one of the few westerners to be named as a mahant, describes the position of a mahant as a combination of an ...

s (religious heads) out of control of key gurdwaras.

Legislation

Among the issues addressed by the legislation: * Identification as a Sikh was defined by the attestation: ''One who professes the Sikh religion - I solemnly affirm that I am a Sikh, that I believe in the Guru Granth Sahib, that I believe in the Ten Gurus, and that I have no other religion''. This definition was to stand until 1945. * Custody of historic Sikh shrines would pass to the

Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee The Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee ( SGPC; "Supreme Gurdwara Management Committee") is an organization in India responsible for the management of Gurdwaras, Sikh places of worship in states of Punjab and Himachal Pradesh and the union ...

, a Sikh-led committee. * The SGPC, formed in 1920, was defined as consisting of 120 practicing Sikhs, the heads of the

Panj Takht A takht, or taḵẖata ( pa, ਤਖ਼ਤ) literally means a throne or seat of authority and is a spiritual and temporal centre of Sikhism. There are five Takhts, which are five gurudwaras that have a very special significance for the Sikh comm ...

(five primary Sikh gurdwaras), 12 appointees from the

Princely States A princely state (also called native state or Indian state) was a nominally sovereign entity of the British Indian Empire that was not directly governed by the British, but rather by an Indian ruler under a form of indirect rule, subject to ...

, and "14 co-opted members".

References

{{reflist

External links

text of the Sikh Gurdwara Act, 1925
Law about religion in India Law about religion in Pakistan Sikh politics Church and state law Gurdwaras 1925 in law 1925 in India 1925 in the United Kingdom 1925 in religion

Gurdwara reform movement

Legislation

See also

References

External links