W.H. M C Leod
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MCLEOD RELIGION • SIKHISM Historical Dictionaries of Religions, Philosophies, and Movements, No. 59 HISTORICAL DICTIONARY OF “Hew McLeod is the leading scholar of Sikhism in the western world, and this HISTORICAL DICTIONARY OF dictionary provides an authoritative reference work for those interested in the history and development of this important religious movement and the Sikh community.” —Asian Studies Review There is more to Sikhism than the distinctive dress of its adherents: the emergence of Guru Nanak, the founder, and his long line of successors; the precepts, many related to liberation through the divine name or nam; a particularly turbulent SECOND EDITION history in which the Sikhs have fought to affirm their beliefs and resist external domination; and, more recently, the dispersion of Sikhs from the Punjab throughout the rest of India and on to Europe and the Americas. With this emigration, Sikhism has become considerably less exotic but hardly better known to outsiders. The Historical Dictionary of Sikhism provides a brief introduction, a chronology, and a dictionary containing several hundred entries that present the Gurus and other leaders, trace Sikhism’s complex history, expound some of its precepts and concepts, describe many of its rites and rituals, and explain the meaning of numerous Sikh expressions. W. H. McLeod began studying Sikhism in the 1960s in the Punjab and has since produced numerous articles and several books on the topic. Dr. McLeod has also served as professor of history at the University of Otago (Dunedin, New Zealand) and visiting professor of Sikh studies at the University of Toronto. Few have done more to make this religion accessible to outsiders, as well as many Sikhs. SECOND EDITION For orders and information please contact the publisher Scarecrow Press, Inc. A wholly owned subsidiary of The Rowman & Littlefield Publishing Group, Inc. 4501 Forbes Boulevard, Suite 200 • Lanham, Maryland 20706 1-800-462-6420 • fax 717-794-3803 www.scarecrowpress.com W.H. MC LEOD Cover photo by Stephen Huyler, courtesy of the Huntington Archive, Ohio State University. Cover design by Jason Enterline HISTORICAL DICTIONARIES OF RELIGIONS, PHILOSOPHIES, AND MOVEMENTS Jon Woronoff, Series Editor 1. Buddhism, by Charles S. Prebish, 1993 2. Mormonism, by Davis Bitton, 1994. Out of print. See No. 32. 3. Ecumenical Christianity, by Ans Joachim van der Bent, 1994 4. Terrorism, by Sean Anderson and Stephen Sloan, 1995. Out of print. See No. 41. 5. Sikhism, by W. H. McLeod, 1995. Out of print. See No. 59. 6. Feminism, by Janet K. Boles and Diane Long Hoeveler, 1995. Out of print. See No. 52. 7. Olympic Movement, by Ian Buchanan and Bill Mallon, 1995. Out of print. See No. 39. 8. Methodism, by Charles Yrigoyen Jr. and Susan E. Warrick, 1996. Out of Print. See No. 57. 9. Orthodox Church, by Michael Prokurat, Alexander Golitzin, and Michael D. Peterson, 1996 10. Organized Labor, by James C. Docherty, 1996. Out of print. See No. 50. 11. Civil Rights Movement, by Ralph E. Luker, 1997 12. Catholicism, by William J. Collinge, 1997 13. Hinduism, by Bruce M. Sullivan, 1997 14. North American Environmentalism, by Edward R. Wells and Alan M. Schwartz, 1997 15. Welfare State, by Bent Greve, 1998 16. Socialism, by James C. Docherty, 1997 17. Bahá’í Faith, by Hugh C. Adamson and Philip Hainsworth, 1998 18. Taoism, by Julian F. Pas in cooperation with Man Kam Leung, 1998 19. Judaism, by Norman Solomon, 1998 20. Green Movement, by Elim Papadakis, 1998 21. Nietzscheanism, by Carol Diethe, 1999 22. Gay Liberation Movement, by Ronald J. Hunt, 1999 23. Islamic Fundamentalist Movements in the Arab World, Iran, and Turkey, by Ahmad S. Moussalli, 1999 24. Reformed Churches, by Robert Benedetto, Darrell L. Guder, and Donald K. McKim, 1999 25. Baptists, by William H. Brackney, 1999 26. Cooperative Movement, by Jack Shaffer, 1999 27. Reformation and Counter-Reformation, by Hans J. Hillerbrand, 2000 28. Shakers, by Holley Gene Duffield, 2000 29. United States Political Parties, by Harold F. Bass Jr., 2000 30. Heidegger’s Philosophy, by Alfred Denker, 2000 31. Zionism, by Rafael Medoff and Chaim I. Waxman, 2000 32. Mormonism, 2nd ed., by Davis Bitton, 2000 33. Kierkegaard’s Philosophy, by Julia Watkin, 2001 34. Hegelian Philosophy, by John W. Burbidge, 2001 35. Lutheranism, by Günther Gassmann in cooperation with Duane H. Larson and Mark W. Oldenburg, 2001 36. Holiness Movement, by William Kostlevy, 2001 37. Islam, by Ludwig W. Adamec, 2001 38. Shinto, by Stuart D. B. Picken, 2002 39. Olympic Movement, 2nd ed., by Ian Buchanan and Bill Mallon, 2001 40. Slavery and Abolition, by Martin A. Klein, 2002 41. Terrorism, 2nd ed., by Sean Anderson and Stephen Sloan, 2002 42. New Religious Movements, by George D. Chryssides, 2001 43. Prophets in Islam and Judaism, by Scott B. Noegel and Brannon M. Wheeler, 2002 44. The Friends (Quakers), by Margery Post Abbott, Mary Ellen Chi- jioke, Pink Dandelion, and John William Oliver, Jr., 2003 45. Lesbian Liberation Movement: Still the Rage, JoAnne Myers, 2003 46. Descartes and Cartesian Philosophy, by Roger Ariew, Dennis Des Chene, Douglas M. Jesseph, Tad M. Schmaltz, and Theo Verbeek, 2003 47. Witchcraft, by Michael D. Bailey, 2003 48. Unitarian Universalism, by Mark W. Harris, 2004 49. New Age Movements, by Michael York, 2004 50. Organized Labor, 2nd ed., by James C. Docherty, 2004 51. Utopianism, by James M. Morris and Andrea L. Kross, 2004 52. Feminism, 2nd ed., by Janet K. Boles and Diane Long Hoeveler, 2004 53. Jainism, by Kristi L. Wiley, 2004 54. Wittgenstein’s Philosophy, by Duncan Richter, 2004 55. Schopenhauer’s Philosophy, by David E. Cartwright, 2005 56. Seventh-day Adventists, by Gary Land, 2005 57. Methodism, 2nd ed., by Charles Yrigoyen, Jr. and Susan Warrick, 2005 58. Sufism, by John Renard, 2005 59. Sikhism, 2nd ed., by W. H. McLeod, 2005 Historical Dictionary of Sikhism Second Edition W. H. McLeod Historical Dictionaries of Religions, Philosophies, and Movements, No. 59 The Scarecrow Press, Inc. Lanham, Maryland • Toronto • Oxford 2005 SCARECROW PRESS, INC. Published in the United States of America by Scarecrow Press, Inc. A wholly owned subsidiary of The Rowman & Littlefield Publishing Group, Inc. 4501 Forbes Boulevard, Suite 200, Lanham, Maryland 20706 www.scarecrowpress.com PO Box 317 Oxford OX2 9RU, UK Copyright © 2005 by W. H. McLeod All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without the prior permission of the publisher. British Library Cataloguing in Publication Information Available Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data McLeod, W. H. Historical dictionary of Sikhism / W. H. McLeod. — 2nd ed. p. cm. — (Historical dictionaries of religions, philosophies, and movements ; no. 59) Originally published: Lanham, Md. : Scarecrow Press, 1995. Includes bibliographical references. ISBN 0-8108-5088-5 (hardcover : alk. paper) 1. Sikhism—Dictionaries. I. Title. II. Series. BL2017.3.M35 2005 294.6'03—dc22 2004030461 ∞™The paper used in this publication meets the minimum requirements of American National Standard for Information Sciences—Permanence of Paper for Printed Library Materials, ANSI/NISO Z39.48-1992. Manufactured in the United States of America. Contents Editor’s Foreword Jon Woronoff vii Acknowledgments viii Acronyms and Abbreviations ix Map x Chart: The Descendants of Guru Amar Das and Guru Ram Das xi Chronology xii Introduction xvi THE DICTIONARY 1 Bibliography 217 About the Author 297 v Editor’s Foreword Most Sikhs can be recognized by their distinctive dress, not only on the Indian subcontinent, where the largest communities reside, but in every part of the world. Unfortunately, this recognition doesn’t necessarily imply understanding of the basic tenets of Sikhism. Even the Sikhs’ ge- ographical neighbors are often ignorant about their religion, one of the world’s most active and dynamic. This revised and expanded edition of the Historical Dictionary of Sikhism helps fill this gap. It includes a historical overview in the chronology and a broad survey in the introduction. Then the dictionary provides information on the principles, precepts, and practices of the re- ligion, as well as the history, culture, and social arrangements of Sikhism. Numerous entries address the founder, early Gurus, and current Sikh leaders and organizations. Others deal with historical events and conflicts that shaped Sikhism, as well as the current problems and chal- lenges influencing its future direction. A copious bibliography rounds out this complete reference work. Dr. W. H. McLeod, one of the foremost authorities on Sikhism, taught in the Punjab in the 1960s and has studied and written exten- sively on the subject. He is the author of the first edition of the Histor- ical Dictionary of Sikhism, as well as numerous articles and several books, including The Sikhs: History, Religion, and Society. Dr. McLeod has also been professor of history at the University of Otago in New Zealand and visiting professor of Sikh studies at the University of Toronto. This exceptional reference work, updated and amplified, explains long misunderstood aspects of Sikhism. Jon Woronoff Series Editor vii Acknowledgments I would like to thank the following organizations and individuals for as- sistance in compiling the Historical Dictionary of Sikhism: Singh Brothers, Publishers and Booksellers, S.C.O. 98, City Centre, Amritsar; Department of Guru Nanak Studies, Guru Nanak Dev University, Am- ritsar; Guru Gobind Singh, Department of Religious Studies, Punjabi University, Patiala; Professor Pashaura Singh; Amarjit Chandan; Eleanor Nesbitt; and Dr. Doris Jakobsh. S. Gursagar Singh of Singh Brothers went through my bibliography carefully and added several works that I had missed, and Dr. Jakobsh supplied me with a valuable note on Sikh websites. Their assistance is greatly appreciated. I would also like to thank Amrit Kaur Singh and Rabindra Kaur Singh for sug- gesting that the round shape on nineteenth-century nishans was actually a cooking vessel and that this shape later evolved into the quoit of the khanda.