Satnami sect

Satnami sect
Religious community in India that challenges political and religious authority by worshiping the supreme god Satnam.

Combining practices from Islam and Hinduism, Satnamis typically reject both the worship of images and the caste system, while retaining an underlying orthodox Vedanta philosophy. Modern Satnamis are confined almost entirely to the low-status Camar caste, and they advocate social equality as well as ethical and dietary self-restraint.

* * *

▪ Indian religion
      any of several groups in India that have challenged political and religious authority by rallying around an understanding of God as satnam (from Sanskrit satyanaman, “he whose name is truth”).

      The earliest Satnamis were a sect of mendicants and householders founded by Birbhan in Narnaul in eastern Punjab in 1657. In 1672 they defied the Mughal (Mughal Dynasty) emperor Aurangzeb and were crushed by his army. Remnants of this sect may have contributed to the formation of another, known as “Sadhs” (i.e., sadhu, “pure”), in the early 19th century, who also designated their deity as satnam. A similar and roughly contemporary group under the leadership of Jagjivandas of Barabanki district, near Lucknow, was said to have been formatively influenced by a disciple of the Sufi (Ṣūfism) mystic Yari Shah (1668–1725). He projected an image of an overarching creator God as nirguna (nirguṇa) (“distinctionless”), devoid of sensible qualities and best worshipped through a regimen of self-discipline and by use of the “true name” alone. Yet Jagjivandas also wrote works about Hindu (Hinduism) deities, and the elimination of caste was not part of his message.

      The most important Satnami group was founded in 1820 in the Chattisgarh region of middle India by Ghasidas, a farm servant and member of the Camar caste (whose hereditary occupation was leather tanning). His Satnam Panth (“Path of the True Name”) succeeded in providing a religious and social identity for large numbers of Chattisgarhi Camars (who formed one-sixth of the total population), in defiance of their derogatory treatment by upper-caste Hindus and their exclusion from Hindu temple worship. Ghasidas is remembered for having thrown images of Hindu gods onto a rubbish heap. He preached a code of ethical and dietary self-restraint and social equality. Connections with the Kabir Panth have been historically important at certain stages, and over time Satnamis have negotiated their place within a wider Hindu order in complex, even contradictory ways.

* * *


Universalium. 2010.

Игры ⚽ Нужно решить контрольную?

Look at other dictionaries:

  • Chamar — (Hindi: चमार, tanner ; from the Sanskrit Charmakara) is a prominent occupational caste in India, Pakistan and Nepal. Chamar is a Dalit sub caste mainly found in the northern states, such as Punjab, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar …   Wikipedia

  • Dalit saints of Hinduism — Dalits who are a section of Hindu society, generally referred as lower castes, have produced several influential saints in Hindu tradition.[1][2][3][4] Some of the most notable Dalit Hindu saints are Ravidas, Kabir, Namdev, Chokha Mela, Sant… …   Wikipedia

  • India — /in dee euh/, n. 1. Hindi, Bharat. a republic in S Asia: a union comprising 25 states and 7 union territories; formerly a British colony; gained independence Aug. 15, 1947; became a republic within the Commonwealth of Nations Jan. 26, 1950.… …   Universalium

  • Banda Singh Bahadur — SikhiBaba Banda Singh Bahadur (1670 1716) (Lachhman Dev) was a Sikh warrior known for his struggle against the Mughal Empire in the early eighteenth century. The title Baba (Elder) in Sikhism denotes respect.Famous for the sack of the Mughal… …   Wikipedia

  • List of Hindu sants — This article lists a number of ancient and medieval Hindu sants, including legendary figures.*Mirabai, famous Bhakta poetess, devotee of Krishna *Sant Dynaneshewar [ [http://hindutva.org/casteprotectors.html Caste Protectors Detailed Article at… …   Wikipedia

  • Satguru Ghasidas — Guru Charann (Feet of Guru) = First the feet of Guru is worshipped. First we worship the feet and Charann Khadaau [Chandan Wooden Shoes of Guru] and the dust particle of feet of Satguru Ghasidas. Introduction Satguru Ghāsidās (1718 ?) is… …   Wikipedia

  • Narnaul — नारनौल   township   …   Wikipedia

  • Aurangzeb — Infobox Monarch name =Aurangzeb title =Al Sultan al Azam wal Khaqan al Mukarram Abul Muzaffar Muhiuddin Muhammad Aurangzeb Bahadur Alamgir I, Padshah Ghazi full name =Abul Muzaffar Muhiuddin Muhammad Aurangzeb Alamgir coronation = date of birth… …   Wikipedia

  • Caste system in India — Caste (Sanskrit: Gyati ज्ञाति , Hindi: Biradari बिरादरी, samaj समाज, jati जाति etc , Urdu Zat ज़ात ) is an endogamous group. Generally a sub caste is divided into Exogamous groups based on same gotras गोत्र. The Indian caste system describes the… …   Wikipedia

  • History of the Indian caste system — The history of the Indian caste system dates back to the Vedic period. Origin The origin of the caste system as it is today is still obscure.A 2001 genetic study, led by Michael Bamshad of the University of Utah, found that the affinity of… …   Wikipedia

Share the article and excerpts

Direct link
Do a right-click on the link above
and select “Copy Link”