The Ad-Dharmi is a sect in the state of Punjab, in

India India, officially the Republic of India, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, seventh-largest country by area; the List of countries by population (United Nations), most populous country since ...

and is an alternative term for the Ravidasia religion, meaning Primal Spiritual Path. The term Ad-Dharm came into popular usage in the early part of the 20th century, when many followers of Guru Ravidas converted to Sikhism and were severely discriminated against due to their low caste status (even though the Sikh religion is strictly against the caste system). Many of these converts stopped attending Sikh Gurdwaras controlled by Jat Sikhs and built their own shrines upon arrival in the UK, Canada, and Fiji Island. Ad-Dharmis comprise 11.48% of the total of Scheduled Caste communities in Punjab.

Origin

The Ad-Dharm movement was started in the 1920s with the aim of establishing a distinct religious identity. The founders of the Ad-Dharm Movement were Mangu Ram Mugowalia (a founding member of the Ghadar Party), Master Gurbanta Singh (a senior Congress leader), B. L. Gherra, and Pandit Hari Ram (Pandori Bibi), who served as the organization's secretary. The movement projected Guru Ravidas, the 14th century Bhakti Movement saint, as their spiritual guru and adopted a sacred book called ''Ad Parkash'' for their separate ritual traditions. The Ad-Dharmi Dalits unified as a faith in 1925 during British rule in India. In the 1931 census, over 450,000 individuals registered themselves as members of the new indigenous faith called ''Ad Dharam'' (or ''Original Religion''). However, this faith and movement gradually declined after India gained independence due to the leaders' increasing involvement in state politics and the government's reservation policy, which focused only on providing reservations for low-caste individuals from Hindu, Sikh and Buddhist communities.

Religion

The Ad-Dharmi follow Guru Ravidas (''now associated with the Ravidassia religion''), and incorporate elements of

Sikhism Sikhism is an Indian religion and Indian philosophy, philosophy that originated in the Punjab region of the Indian subcontinent around the end of the 15th century CE. It is one of the most recently founded major religious groups, major religio ...

such as regarding the Shri Guru Granth Sahib as their

religious text Religious texts, including scripture, are texts which various religions consider to be of central importance to their religious tradition. They often feature a compilation or discussion of beliefs, ritual practices, moral commandments and ...

. A turning point occurred after the killing of Ramananda Dass in Vienna, which deeply affected the community and led to the development of separate scriptures (Amritbani) and distinct religious customs. Each of their settlements typically contains gurdwaras and Ravidas Bhawans, which serve as centres of worship and as focal points for the local community.

Ad-Dharmi Diaspora

The Ad-Dharmi Diaspora has flourished on Fiji Island, Canada, and in the United Kingdom since 1905. From 1905, when the Union Steam Ship Company of New Zealand began a regular service from Calcutta to Fiji, there was a regular flow of Ravidassia people from Punjab to Fiji. The first Shri Guru Ravidass Gurudwara outside India was established in 1939 in Nasinu on Fiji Island, and this Gurdwara was registered under the banner of the Addharm-Punjab Association.

Demographics

Notable people

* Mangu Ram Mugowalia, founding member of Ghadar Movement and Ad Dharm movement in Punjab * Master Gurbanta Singh - Tallest Dalit leader of Punjab, educator and key person of Ad Dharm movement. * Seth Kishan Dass - was a leather trader, propagator of the Ad-Dharm movement, and a politician. * Chaudhary Sadhu Ram - Elected Member of Parliament for five time.

References