Namdhari Appearances

Namdhari Sikhs are easily recognized by their practice of wearing white homespun clothing and by their method of tying the turban horizontally across the forehead. Around their necks they wear a white woolen cord mala, woven as a series of 108 knots and serving as a rosary.

Rituals and Practices

Their distinctive rituals include the fire ceremony Havan and the practice of cirumumbulating a fire during the course of their wedding ceremony.

Beliefs

The orthodox belief that the line of personal Gurus ended with the death of Guru Gobind Singh is denied by the Namdhari Sikhs. They insist that the tenth Guru lived for many years after 1708, eventually bestowing the succession on Guru Balak Singh of Hazro.

The Namdharis are strict vegetarians and vigorous protectors of the cow. They attach equal importance to the Adi Granth and Dasam Granth, and they include the Dasam Granth composition Chandi di Var in their daily Nitnem (daily prayers taken from Sikh scripture).

Their loyalty to Khalsa traditions as they understand them is, however, altogether too obvious to be ignored and only the strictly orthodox would be prepared to place them outside the circle of Sikhs. Faced by their devotion, the Tat Khalsa in general and Principal Teja Singh in particular concluded that even if they were astray on one vital point they were at least potentially aligned with the Panth.......

Namdharis believe that devotion to the Satguru raises their souls towards God more than any other practice.

Namdharis believe that they follow the path of Guru Nanak which is the bedrock of Sikh philosophy i.e. Nam Simran (meditating on God's name), Kirat Karo (Earn thy living), Vand Chako (Share thy wealth). The fundamental core of Namdhari Sikhs religious life is Naam Simran (Meditating the name of God) and the very word Namdhari literally translated means a ‘one who beholds God’s Name'.

They keep alcohol, tobacco products and drugs at arms length. The Namdhari Sikhs lead a very simple, humble and unpretentious life. They don't practice dowry's in any form. Their marriage ceremonies are unostentatious and shorn of all pompousness, in which neither the bride nor the groom wear any jewellery, and no alcohol is served afterwards.

Symbols

The Namdhari flag is white which symbolizes the Sikh Tenets: Truth, Purity, Simplicity, Peace and Unity was hoisted by the 12th Sikh Guru - Sri Satguru Ram Singh Ji Maharaj on the eve of the Baisakhi Festival - 1st Baisakh Samat 1914 (12th April 1857).

External links

• http://www.namdhari-world.com

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