Dadupanth

Dadupanth
Dadu Dham in Naraina, Rajasthan, India
Type	Panth
Classification	Hinduism
Scripture	Dadu Vani
Headquarters	Dadu Dham in Naraina, Rajasthan, India
Founder	Dadu Dayal
Branched from	Sant Mat

Dādūpanth (meaning "path of Dādū") is a religious tradition or panth derived from the teachings of Dadu Dayal (1545? –8 May 1603). The religious tradition is based in Naraina, Rajasthan and is mostly found in Rajasthan.

History

Dadu Dayal

Further information: Dadu Dayal

Dadu was a figure of the later Sant Mat movement who was active in Rajasthan who was influenced by both Hinduism and Islam. He was born perhaps in around 1544–1545 into the caste of cotton carders (Piñjārā, Dhuniyā). As per one hagiography, he was born in Ahmedabad in Gujrat. In 1573, Dadu moved to Sambhar in Rajasthan. Dadu had four children, two sons, Garībdās and Maskīndās, and two daughters, Havā and Bāī, all of whom were active in the early Dadupanth, with their father being viewed later as a sādhu, despite Dadu having the life of a house-holder with a family.

Dadu was influenced by the Sant Mat (especially by Kabir), the Nāthyoga, and Nizārī Ismāʿīlī traditions. In a similar manner to other Sants of the Sant Mat, Dadu challenged prevailing orthodox views and advocated for a "middle away" although not rejecting alternative traditions while doing so but rather restoring what he believed had been their original intent. Dadu did not consider himself a Hindu or Muslim, instead he advocated for the middle-path known as madhya. Dadu criticized six existing schools of religion in his hymns, which are known as the six darshanas, namely Yogis, Jangamas, Jains, Buddhists, Sanyasis, and Shaykhs:

jogī jaṃgama sevaṛe, bauddha saṃnyāsī śekha
ṣaddarśana Dādū rāma binā, sabai kapaṭa ke bhekha. (33.1//7)[7]

Yogis, jangamas, sevaras (Jains), Buddhists, sanyasis and shaykhs—
Unless they have the name of Ram, the [proponents of the] six doctrines wear false religious costumes.

Dadu differed from the other Sants as while they were part of the guru-shishya tradition, Dadu is believed to not have had a human guru. Rather, hagiography claims Dadu had a divine vision of a mystical guru twice in his life which revealed revelation, when he was 11-years-old and when he was 18-years-old, with this mystical guru being called bābā būḍhāu (Old Bābā). A first-hand account by Dadu of this mystical revelation is found in the first couplets of the Dādūvāṇī. As per W. G. Orr, this guru was possibly the Qādirīya Sufi figure Šayḫ Buḍḍhan. Another view is that Dadu was a Nizārī Ismā῾īlī from Gujarat related to the cult of Rāmdev Pīr. Dadu rejected many aspects of the orthodox society, such as social divisions like castes, which brought him into conflict with some sections of the contemporary society he lived in. Despite this, the Sant movement was mature by the time Dadu lived and his teachings were similar to his predecessors and thus were more readily received by the populace as a result. Dadu rejected the Vedas, the caste system, pilgrimages, and visiting temples. Dadu also rejected idolatry, varṇāśrama rituals, austerities (tapas), and wearing religious signs on the body or religious garments. He emphasized repetition of the divine's name (japa) and believed that the human soul was the bride of God. The Dadupanthis had a strong tradition of asceticism, with them being vegetarians and teetotlers. Dadu considered the lifestyle of a sadhu to be superior to a house-holder, as he promoted the rejection of a worldly-life, viewing it as a hinderance to higher spirituality. Thus, he was seen as being detached from his family. Dadu and his followers likely practiced Nāth yoga, thus the Dadupanthis share some similarities with the Naths.

In 1579, Dadu shifted to Amber (Amer) which was under the control of the Kachvaha raja Bhagavantdās. As per the Dadupanthi tradition, Dadu in 1585 met Mughal emperor Akbar under the recommendation of Bhagavantdās, which had an impact on Dadu. Dadu remained at Amber until 1593, with him moving to Karaṛālā (present-day Kalyanpur). In 1602, he moved to Naraina where he was given land by a Kachvaha astriocrat, with Dadu dying there on 8 May 1603.

Immediate successors of Dadu (first three generations of leaders)

The immediate successors and early leaders of the sect came from the family of Dadu, such as his children. People from all religious and caste backgrounds became followers of Dadu. Dadu's follower Bakhnā (died before 1637) was the first to use the term Dadupanthi to describe the followers whilst Rāghavdās' Bhaktmāl uses the term Dadupanth to describe the sect generally. Fifty-two chief disciples of Dadu are especially remembered by the sect (sometimes including Dadu's two daughters, as per the Bhaktmal), who are as follows along with the thambha (thāmbhās, meaning "settlements" or "cantonments") they founded:

1. Garib Das (Naraina)
2. Miskin Das (Naraina)
3. Sundar Das (Ghatra)
4. Sundar Das (Fatehpur)
5. Rajjab (Sanganer)
6. Dayal Das
7. Mohan (Marot, Marwar)
8. Mohan (Asom, Marwar)
9. Mohan
10. Mohan (Motiwara, Alwar)
11. Jag Jiwan (Dausa)
12. Jaggannath (Amber)
13. Gopal
14. Gopal
15. Gopal
16. Garib Das (Andhi)
17. Durjan Das (Idwa, Marwar)
18. Gharsi Das (Karail, Ajmer)
19. Jai Mal (Sambhar)
20. Jai Mal (Kalar, Marwar)
21. Tejanand (Jodhpur, Marwar)
22. Paramanand (Indogli, Marwar)
23. Banwari Das (Ratiya, Hissar)
24. Hari Das (Ranila, Hissar)
25. Sadhu Ram (Mandota, Punjab)
26. Hari Das
27. Kapil Muni (Gundor)
28. Chaturbhuj (Rampur, Bareilly)
29. Chatur Das (Kaladera)
30. Chatur Das (Singrawat, Marwar)
31. Charan Das (Chhaondiya)
32. Prayag Das (Didwana, Marwar)
33. Chain Ram (Kanota)
34. Chain Ram
35. Prahlad Das (Ghatra, Alwar)
36. Bakhna (tomb of Naraina)
37. Jagga (Broach)
38. Lal Das (Pranpitan, Gujarat)
39. Makhu Das (Gangaicha, Kotah)
40. Tila (Phumphliya)
41. Chanda (Naraina)
42. Hari Singh (Vidyad, Marwar)
43. Narayan Das (Nagal)
44. Jasa
45. Jhanjhu (Jotwara)
46. Banjhu (Jotwara)
47. Sant Das
48. Tiku Das (Nagal)
49. Shyam Das (Jalana)
50. Madhu Das (Gular, Marwar)
51. Nagar (Tahatra)
52. Nizam (Tahatra)

There first three generations of leaders of the Dadupanthis came from Dadu's immediate family. Gharib Das succeeded his father Dadu, with his installation as leader at Naraina likely being accepted by all lineages of the Dadupanthis at other places as well. A fore-head mark (tilak) was applied to Gharib Das to mark his succession. Since Naraina was the last place that Dadu lived and Gharib Das was installed as leader there, it became more esteemed than the other localities tied to the Dadupanthis. Gharib Das was given patronage by the Mughal emperor Jahangir. Gharib Das died in 1637, with the leadership of the sect being contested after his death. Gharib Das had nominated Kevalrām to succeed him but he was deposed as leader after a short term of four years by the younger brother of Gharib Das, Maskīndās. Thus, the sect experienced a fissure, with the followers who remained loyal to Kevalrām being known as the Garībdāsot lineage. Dadu's two daughters also forfeited their power to their brother Maskīndās. Maskīndās died in 1648, which caused another succession controversy but was ultimately succeeded by his son Fakīrdās. Fakīrdās died in 1693, ending the leaders who were descended from Dadu. This caused issues as there was no worthy successor from among Dadu's descendants and some lineages had gone astray from the central seat in Naraina, instead venerating local sādhus. According to Monika Horstmann, whilst the first-generation of Dadupanthi disciples venerated Dadu, the second-generation of disciples often venerated instead their guru of the first-generation rather than Dadu himself and may have not necessarily considered themselves as Dadupanthis as a result. This is due to the fluid and porous nature of the Sant sects of the era.

Fourth generation of leadership and beyond

Painting of a Dadupanthi, Tashrih al-aqvam, 1825

The fourth leader of the sect, the first whom was not related to Dadu, was a Brahmin celibate named Jaitrām (d. 1732), who became leader in 1693. His elevation was marked by a change where holders of the leadership of the sect were only sādhus rather than house-holders, as had been the case before amongst Dadu's relatives. In the early 18th century, the Kachvaha ruler Savāī Jaisingh mandated a rule that leaders of the sect could only be a celibate Brahmin, a rule which was observed until the early 21st century. The cohesive structure of the sect took shape and solidified under Jaitrām's tenure as leader. To ensure Naraina remained the prime seat of the sect, all the other monastic branches based elsewhere paid loyalty to the Naraina seat during the annual melās of the sect. The term Dādūpanth became synonymous with the monastic sub-tradition of the Dadupanthis. The arti practice of the Dadupanthis toward their scripture, the Dadu Vani, developed in the late 17th century. In 1827, a wealthy doctor of the Uttarādhā monastic tradition constructed the central temple complex at Naraina.

The 400th anniversary of Dadu was celebrated in 1945. In 2001, Gopāldās became the leader of the sect. He is the first leader of the sect in centuries to not belong to the Brahmin caste as he is a Jat.

Beliefs and practices

The essence of the Dadupanthi tradition's teaching is expressed in the second sakhi found within the Dadu Vani: "The supreme being, immanent and transcendent, is my God Nirañjana, Without form, pure – Dādū makes reverence to him." (DāVā. 1.2). Thus, the Dadupanthis believe that the human soul (atman) is the same essence as the supreme being. God, who can take human-shape, is referred to by the monikers Rām, Hari, Nirañjana, or satguru. If a person shifts their focus away from the temporal world and realizes the truth that their inner-being is the same as the divine, that is bhakti, which is only achieved through divine-grace rather than rituals. Any person can experience this inner truth if they attempt to do so and it is not limited to only some. Being together in a community of like-minded fellows with a similar aim (satsaṅg) can assist one trying to perform bhakti, which needs to be developed as a skill both individually and communally. The end-result is that a person achieves fully attains a state a bhakti, being completely united with the divine, and ends their rebirth cycle (saṃsāra). Unity can be experienced while alive but irreversible unity can only be achieved after death. Dadupanthis can be divided into two basic categories: renouncers (clergy) and householders (laity). The renunciates blame the birth-death-rebirth cycle on women.

Painting of a Dadupanthi, Fuqara'-i Hind, circa early 19th century

Amongst rituals, Dadu rejected many of them during his life but some ritualized practices have been adopted or developed by the Dadupanth. Some rituals followed are the bhajan, katha or pravachan (discourses or sermons), and communal meals. The scripture of the sect, the Dādūvāṇi, is venerated at temples or homes through the performance of an ārtī. The codex of the Dadu Vani kept at the central Nariana site is taken out on processions. The cenotaphs of past gurus of the sect are venerated with veneration of them believed to have healing, wish-making, fertility-inducing, and miraculous properties. The veneration of cenotaphs may be due to Sufi influence. Similar to how meditation in caves was practiced by the Sants and Nath yogis, Dadupanthi cenotaphs may have a basement-chamber for that purpose. The past gurus of the sect are remembered in the form of a bas-relief of their feet on an inscribed slab. However, recently statues of the past gurus have been made as the Dadupanthi laity may engage in idolatry, which is not explicity criticized by the mahants but the clergy do not engage in the practice.

Festival

The sect has an annual festival lasting from January-February to February-March, which begins in Amber on vasantpañcamī and ends in Naraina on the occasion of Dadu's birthday on the eighth bright day of phālguna (known as the phāg day), lasting a few weeks. Pilgrimages are conducted at the five sites associated with Dadu's life during this period. The festival is influenced by the Rajasthani holī celebration. Another Dadupanthi festival falling in May-June is held on the date of Dadu's death on the eighth day of the dark half of the month of jyeṣṭha.

Monastic order

Mural of a Dadupanthi ascetic from Udaipur jamāt, Shekhawati, Rajasthan, India

The ideal lifestyle in the sect is that of a nomadic renunciate. There are four monastic branches associated with the sect but all have diminished in influence in recent-times:

• Viraktas (renouncers)
• Uttarādhās (“northerners”)
• Nāgās
• Tapasvīs (ascetics) or khākī viraktas (ash-smeared)

Painting depicting Dadupanthi sadhu ascetics from Mohabat Singh's chatri, circa 18th century.

The different leaders of the sub-orders were arranged specifically for sectarian feasts and gatherings in a set-seating pattern. Dadupanthis of a monastic lineage associated with the central seat at Naraina are known as khālsā (derived from the Arabic word khāliṣa, which was used by the Mughals as a revenue term to refer to "crown-land"), which is not to be confused with the Sikh term. Amongst the Dadupanthi renunciates, male monks are known as a sādhu or nāgās while female monks are known as sādhvī. The renunciates are associated with a particular maṭh (monastery). However, the monastic order of the Dadupanthis has been shrinking demographically while the number of house-holding Dadupanthis increases. Their numbers have shrunk from 15,000 nāgās in 1875, 5,499 in 1929; and between 3,000–4,000 sādhus in 1945, with there being around 150 sādhus today and some sādhvīs. Some sādhus have made claims on the property of the monastic sub-orders, leading to internal conflict within the Dadupanth. With the decline of the monastic order, the Dadupanthi laity are becoming increasingly prevalent and influential in the community.

Viraktas

The Viraktas are nomadic monks and nuns that may live alone or as part of a community of monks that are based around a (mahā)maṇḍaleśvar responsible for a certain geographical area. They perform preaching and hold discourses for the general Dadupanthi laity.

Uttarādhās

The Uttarādhās are a comparatively wealthy section of the Dadupanthis founded by Dadu's disciple Bābā Banvārīdās who settled in Ratia, Hissar district, Haryana, with the branches of the group being based in the region around Ratia. A unique aspect of this lineage is that it consists of gharbārī sādhus who work and live in their own residences. In the local area of Narnaul, married sādhus can be found. They later made a back-migration from the north back to other parts of northern and central India, such as Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh.

Nāgās

They are Rajputised martial sādhus who adopted Rajput customs as seen in their literature, that were institutionalized in 1755. They were organized into various military units, known as jamāts (regiments) and thāmbhās (settlements, cantonments), based numerically upon the Vaiṣṇava nāgās (bairāgīs) and saṃnyāsīnāgās. Their martial prowess allowed them to earn wealth, which they used for cultural, musical, literary, artistic, and architectural projects. They claim to originate from a supposed contemporary figure of Dadu named Sundardās the Elder, who was a member of the Bikaner dynasty. Some early figures of the sub-tradition were Prahlāddās of Ghatra and Hāpojī (who was related to the Kachvahas of Amber). They initially did not recognize the authority of the central Dadupanthi seat of Nariana but under Jaitram's tenure as the mahant of Nariana, the Dadupanthi nāgās started accepting its authority after it Rajputised. However, they later tried to remove Jaitram as mahant of Nariana and install their own pick. They had loose-connections with the Vaiṣṇava nāgās, such as the Rāmānandīs, Rādhāvallabas, Gauḍīyas, and Nimbārkas. They were especially influenal during the decline of the Mughal empire in the 18th century. They served the Kachvaha kings of Jaipur, with them being responsible for manning outposts, quelling rebellions by tributaries, collecting tax, and other administrative functions. In 1938, the nāgā battallion of Jaipur State was disbanded.

Tapasvīs or khākī viraktas

They live the idealized lifestyle of a solitary ascetic. They segregate themselves from the other Dadupanthis when at gatherings of the sect. They use cannabis as they believe it allows them to further their spiritual development and obtain spiritual insights. They maintain a sacred-fire, known as a dhūnī, whose ash they smear upon their body.

Geographic distribution

Rajasthan is the Dadupanthi homeland but the sect's followers can also be found in culturally and linguistically contiguous areas of neighbouring areas and regions, such as Gujarat, but also in Punjab, Madhya Pradesh, and Bengal.

Sites

The five places where Dadu lived, namely Sambhar, Amber, Kalyanpur, Bhairana, and Naraina, are considered sacred by the Dadupanthis and are incorporated in the sect's annual festive cycle. The Naraina site is held as the most esteemed amongst the five sites. The head of the Naraina site chooses the successors for the leadership of the other monastic sites but cannot interfere in their local operation or claim their property. Amongst the monastic order, there are various monasteries (known as a maṭh), which vary in-size and grandness. The monastic tradition is especially strong in the Marwar region of Rajasthan, which are supported by daily begging tours to the surrounding localities. The monasteries have a resident mahant and some staff and are usually mostly empty throughout the year except during sectarian celebrations. The monasteries used to be renowned for their kitchen, where food was prepared for visitors in a tradition known as sadāvrat.

Scriptures and literature

Dādūvāṇi

Dadu composed poetry that consisted of aphorisms and devotional hymns. His works were compiled in a corpus known as the Bani ("poetic utterances", Dādūvāṇī), which consists of around 5,000 verses, consisting of distichs (sākhīs) and songs (pads). It also known as Anbhaivāṇī ("words of experience"). The works of Dadu started being collected and compiled while he was alive and the Dādūvāṇī was compiled shortly after Dadu's death by his followers (with two direct followers of Dadu attesting to them) utilizing oral traditions from popular verses and by religious singers. The scripture was written in Western Hindi with influences from Rajasthani and other regional lects and also Persian owing to Sufi influences. The earliest manuscript of the scripture is from 1614 while another dates to 1636. The Dādūvāṇī was edited by Rāghavdās and his scribe Mohandās Daftarī by inserting thirty-seven chapters of distichs and 27 chapters of songs into the scripture, with the chapters being assigned a musical mode (rāg). After the song chapters, the scripture closes with the five ārtīs of Dadu to be chanted and not sung included in the rāgdhanāsarī chapter. The work was further edited by Mohandās Daftarī with assistance from Dadu's disciples Rajjab and Jagjīvandās. Mādhavdās of Guler claims the scripture when it was completed was installed and venerated a month after Dadu's death in 1603 but this is likely a claim that arose to rival the Ād Granth (later Guru Granth Sahib) of the Sikhs, which had been installed at Amritsar on 16 August 1604. One of the earliest versions of the Dadupanthi scripture is the Pancvani (Pañcvāṇī, meaning "the words of the five"), which is a collection of the works of Dadu and other sants such as Kabir, Namdev, Ravidas, and Haridas. There exists variant recensions of the Pañcvāṇī. The Dadu Vani is kept at a temple's shrine or in a private home installed on a special niche.

Other texts

Rāghavdās authored a work known as the Bhaktmāl, where he equates Dadu to being among the four founders of the nirguṇa-sampradāyas, namely Nānak, Kabīr, Dādū, and Jagannāth (who was the first mahant of the Nirañjanī sect of Sant Mat, not to be confused with the Daśanāmī Nirañjanīs). Another Dadupanthi writer was Jangopāl. In the late 17th century, the Dadupanth was seen as being degraded and degenerating, thus a series of treatises were written aiming to formulize the monkhood and nunhood.

Artwork

An image of Dadu is usually found near the Dadu Vani at their sites. Most of the current portraits and idealized depictions of Dadu date to the 20th century. Common stories from Dadu's life that are depicted is his encounter with his mystical guru or his meeting with Akbar. The sect creates relief works of footprints to represent its gurus. Recently, statues have been created of past gurus. A depiction of a Dadupanthi can be found in the chapter on Vaishnava sects from the c. 1800 Silsilah-i jogiyān or Fuqarā-yi Hind (BL IO Islamic 3087) by Sītal Singh.

Leaders

Painting of the Dadupanthi mahants Chain Ram (left) and Kishan Dev (centre) together

The mahants (translated to "abbot", also known as a svāmī or ācārya) of the Dadupanthi establishment at Naraina are as follows:

Mahants of Naraina

No.	Name	Date of death (Vikrami and Gregorian)
1.	Garib Das	V.S. 1693 / 1636 C.E.
2.	Miskin Das	V.S. 1705 / 1648 C.E.
3.	Faqir Das	V.S. 1750 / 1693 C.E.
4.	Jait Ram	V.S. 1789 / 1732 C.E.
5.	Kishan Dev	V.S. 1810 / 1753 C.E.
6.	Chain Ram	V.S. 1837 / 1780 C.E.
7.	Nirbhay Ram	V.S. 1871 / 1814 C.E.
8.	Jiwan Das	V.S. 1877 / 1820 C.E.
9.	Dalai Ram	V.S. 1897 / 1840 C.E.
10.	Prem Das	V.S. 1901 / 1844 C.E.
11.	Narayan Das	V.S. 1912 / 1855 C.E.
12.	Udai Ram	V.S. 1931 / 1874 C.E.
13.	Gulab Das	V.S. 1948 / 1891 C.E.
14.	Harji Ram	V.S. 1955 / 1898 C.E.
15.	Daya Ram	V.S. 1988 / 1931 C.E.
16.	Ram Lal	V.S. 2001 / 1944 C.E.
17.	Prakash Das	?
?	Gopal Das	?

See also

• Dadu, Sindh

References

This article "Dadupanth" is from Wikipedia. The list of its authors can be seen in its historical and/or the page Edithistory:Dadupanth. Articles copied from Draft Namespace on Wikipedia could be seen on the Draft Namespace of Wikipedia and not main one.

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