Jhatka

Jhatka () is a method of slaughtering an animal for meat by a single strike of a sword or axe to sever its head within the Sikh and Hindu religions. This kills the animal almost instantly as opposed to other forms of slaughter. This type of slaughter is preferred by most meat-consuming Sikhs. Also within this method of butchering, the animal must not be scared or shaken before the slaughter but given a dignified, painless death.

Etymology

The Punjabi word is derived from the Sanskrit term which means "instantly" or "at once".

Importance in Sikhism

Although not all Sikhs maintain the practice of eating meat butchered in this style, it is well known by most Sikhs to have been mandated by the ten Sikh Gurus:

As stated in the official Khalsa Code of Conduct as well as the Sikh Rehat Maryada, Kutha meat is forbidden, and Sikhs are recommended to eat the jhatka form of meat.

''Jhatka karna'' or ''jhatkaund'' refers to the instant severing of the head of an animal with a single stroke of any weapon, with the underlying intention of killing the animal whilst causing it minimal suffering., Quote: "Jhatka, which comes from the Sanskrit word ''jhatiti'' meaning "at once", is a method of slaughter in which a single rapid jerk or blow to the head is believed to produce the least amount of suffering for the animal. (...) Unlike in Islam, there is no religious ritual that accompanies the killing."

During the British Raj, the Sikhs began to assert their right to slaughter through Jhatka. When jhatka meat was not allowed in jails, and Sikhs detained for their part in the Akali movement resorted to violence and agitations to secure this right. Among the terms in the settlement between the Akalis and the Muslim Unionist government in Punjab in 1942 was that jhatka meat be continued by Sikhs.

On religious Sikh festivals, including Hola Mohalla and Vaisakhi, at the Hazur Sahib Nanded, and many other Sikh Gurdwaras, jhatka meat is offered as "mahaprasad" to all visitors in a Gurdwara.''"The most special occasion of the Chhauni is the festival of Diwali which is celebrated for ten days. This is the only Sikh shrine at Amritsar where Maha Prasad (meat) is served on special occasions in Langar",'' The Sikh review, Volume 35, Issue 409 - Volume 36, Issue 420, Sikh Cultural Centre, 1988 This practice is considered to be unacceptable by modern Sikh sects who believe only lacto-vegetarian langar is supposed to be served inside gurudwaras after the introduction of Colonial-era "Mahants" and " Udasis" into Sikh Gurdwaras.

Opposition

Some Sikh organizations, such as the Akhand Kirtani Jatha, have their own codes of conduct regarding meat consumption. These organizations define kutha meat as any type of slaughtered meat, and eating meat of any type is forbidden aside from that which is slaughtered on religious festivals and individual "Akhand paht" three-day prayers.

In early 1987 '' Kharkus'' issued a moral code banning the sale and consumption of meat and for jhatka shops to be closed. The ban led to much of Punjab being without meat and the closing of jhatka shops. Those who continued to sell or eat meat risked death and commonly would have their businesses destroyed and be killed. One survey found that there were no meat or tobacco shops between Amritsar and Phagwara. In the peak of the militancy, most of Punjab was meatless. Famous restaurants that served meat had removed it from their menu and denied ever serving it. The ban was popular among rural Sikhs. Kharkus justified the ban by saying, "No avatars, Hindu or Sikh, ever did these things. To eat meat is the job of '' rakshasas'' ( demons) and we don't want people to become ''rakshasas''."

Comparison with Kosher and Halal methods

Both methods use sharp knives. In the kosher and halal methods, Shechita and Dhabihah respectively, the animal is slaughtered by one swift, uninterrupted cut severing the trachea, esophagus, carotid arteries, jugular veins, and vagus nerves, leaving the spinal cord intact, followed by a period where the blood of the animal is drained out.Neville Gregory and Temple Grandin (2007), Animal Welfare and Meat Production, CABI, , pages 207-208Amy J Fitzgerald (2015), Animals as Food, Michigan State University Press, In the Jhatka method, a swift uninterrupted cut severs the head and the spine. In both Shechita and Dhabihah, a prayer to God is required at the start of the slaughtering process. In Shechita one prayer is sufficient for the slaughter of multiple animals, so long as there is no interruption between them; in Dhabihah a separate prayer is required before each animal is slaughtered. This prayer, however, prevents the meat from meeting the requirement of jhatka.

Terminology for non-''jhatka'' products

Slaughter by means such as kosher, halal and bali does not meet the requirements of ''jhatka'' and the products of it are referred to as ''kutha'' meat – abstention from which is one of the requirements for a Sikh to be an initiated Khalsa or sahajdhari according to the Rehat Maryada (Sikh code of conduct)., Quote: "The Sikh Rahit Maryada forbids hair cutting, adultery, the use of intoxicants, and the eating of Kutha meat, that is Muslim halal meat, obtained through the slow bleeding or religious sacrifice of animals".

In Sikhism, there are three objections to non-''jhatka'' or ''kutha'' products: the first being the belief that sacrificing an animal in the name of God is ritualism and something to be avoided; the second being the belief that killing an animal with a slow bleeding method is inhumane; and the third being historic opposition of the right of ruling Muslims to impose its practices on non-Muslims. However, ''kutha'' meat doesn't include just Halal or Kosher meat but any meat produced by slow bleeding or the perceived religious sacrifice of animals, including meat from animals slaughtered ritualistically in Hinduism, for instance.

Availability

In Ajmer (Rajasthan, India), there are many jhatka shops, with various bylaws requiring shops to display clearly that they sell jhatka meat.

In the past, there has been little availability of jhatka meat in the United Kingdom, so people have found themselves eating other types of meat, although jhatka has become more widely available.Food safety and quality assurance: foods of animal origin
By William T. Hubbert, Page 254 Wiley-Blackwell, 1996

See also

References

External links

The Politics of Sikh Identity: Understanding Religious Exclusion
Paramjit S. Judge and Manjit Kaur (2010)





{{Sikhism

Ritual slaughter
Sikh practices
Hindu animal sacrifice