Udasi

Udasi, monastic followers of Srichand (1494–1612?), the elder son of Nanak (1469–1539), the first Guru and the founder of Sikhism. The authoritative text of the Udasi movement is the Matra (“Discipline”), a hymn of 78 verses attributed to Srichand. The Matra emphasizes the need for spiritual elevation, to be attained by living a life of celibacy and detachment from the world. The Udasis wear their hair matted and have the icon of Srichand as the central object of worship in their temples.

After Nanak’s death, Srichand established a dehra (“centre”) in his father’s name, and his movement started from there. By the middle of the 18th century, there were 25 Udasi centres in the Punjab, and their number grew to more than 100 with the coming of Sikh political dominance in the area.

The relationship between Sikhs and Udasis is historically complex. Many Udasi beliefs, devotional practices, and modes of living are in clear opposition to mainstream Sikh doctrine, reflecting ascetic and iconic dispositions that are generally identified as Hindu. Indeed, Srichand remained in fierce competition with Nanak’s nominated successors. Yet the fact that he was Nanak’s son meant that he enjoyed a degree of respect in the eyes of Nanak’s successors and their followers. Moreover, while many Sikhs harboured a marked distaste for celibacy, others accepted the complementary relationship between householders and ascetics that characterizes many Indian religious traditions. Thus, it was not unseemly that Udasis took custody of some gurdwaras (Sikh places of worship) during the period of Sikh persecution by the Mughal dynasty in the 18th century or that, as part of his liberal policy toward religious establishments, Maharaja Ranjit Singh (1780–1839) gave revenue-free land grants to the Udasi centres. At the beginning of the 20th century, however, lines of religious definition became increasingly firm in the Punjab, and the Udasis came to view themselves as an ascetic group within the larger Hindu—not Sikh—fold. Their largest centre is in Haridwar.