Joginder Singh, or Baba Joginder Singh is a Nihang Singh and is the 15th Jathedar of

Budha Dal Dal Khalsa was the name of the combined military forces of 11 Sikh misls that operated in the 18th century (1748–1799) in the Punjab region. It was established by Nawab Kapur Singh in late 1740s. History Mughal rule of Punjab The religion o ...

after

Akali Surjit Singh Surjit Singh (1945–2014) or Jathedar Surjeet Singh Akali was a Nihang and the 14th Jathedar of Budha Dal, after Akali Santa Singh. He was born on June 7, 1945, in Murar, Amritsar. Early life Before initiating to become a Singh of the Budh ...

. He was born in Boparai Kalan, Ludhiana.

Personal life

Baba Joginder Singh was born in the Boparai Kalan village of the Ludhiana district. This region of western Ludhiana has been heavily influenced by Sikhi since the times of the travels of Guru Hargobind Sahib and Guru Gobind Singh. Nihang Dals,

Damdami Taksal The Damdamī Ṭaksāl, Jatha Bhindra(n), or Sects of Sikhism, Sampardai Bhindra(n) is an orthodoxy, orthodox Khalsa Sikhism, Sikh cultural and educational organization, based in India. They are known for their teachings of ''Vidya (philosophy ...

, and the Nanaksar Kaleran sect along with other groups have had a great impact in this area. The village of Raqba for instant had been visited by Guru Hargobind Sahib and the specific spot where they had rested had a

Gurdwara A gurdwara or gurudwara () is a place of assembly and place of worship, worship in Sikhism, but its normal meaning is "place of guru" or "home of guru". Sikhism, Sikhs also refer to gurdwaras as ''Gurdwara Sahib''. People from all faiths and rel ...

build on top it. This Gurdwara since has been run Budha Dal to maintain the history. Due to the rich history and the close proximity of the village and

, Baba Joginder Singh would often stay at the gurdwara and do seva for hours while also learning Sikh scriptures. This would lead to the enrolling of Baba Joginder Singh into the

. Baba Ji studied with

under the guidance of Sant Niranjan Singh 'Vaid Ji', a student of Sant Gurbachan Singh Bhindranwale at Gurdwara Sri Sachkhand Sahib, Boparai Kalan. For most of their life, Baba Joginder Singh has been at Gurdwara Damdama Sahib (Raqba) handling the maintenance and doing seva for the sangat.

Jathedari

When

was imprisoned alongside 22 other Nihangs in 2009, Baba Joginder Singh was put in control as an acting Jathedar of the

to handle the Budha Dal while Baba Surjit Singh was in jail. In the September of 2014 when

passed away at the age of 69, Baba Joginder Singh was one of the many prominent names of whom might be chosen as the successor. Baba Surjit Singh is said to have chosen for Baba Joginder Singh to be the next Jathedar after his death. However, Baba Joginder Singh was in the UK during that time. Baba Prem Singh was chosen to be Jathedar at Baba Surjit Singh’s funeral. However, this is disputed by some Nihang Singhs of the Budha Dal.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Singh, Akali Joginder Nihang