AKALI DAL KHARA SAUDA BAR

AKALI DAL KHARA SAUDA BAR, an organization of Akali reformers working for the liberation of Sikh shrines from the control of conservative Udasi priests or mahants. The organization was originally called Khalsa Diwan Khara Sauda Bar set up in 1912 and comprised volunteers mostly from a cluster of villages inhabited by Virk Jatt Sikhs in the Lower Chenab Canal Colony in Sheikh upura district, now in Pakistan. Canal colonies in West Punjab were usually called bars, lit. semi forests, which these areas really were before the introduction of canal irrigation.

The name Khara Sauda came from the historical Gurdwara Sachcha Sauda, also called Khara Sauda, near Chuharkana town around which the Virk villages were situated.The Diwan was in the beginning purely reformist in its aim, and was engaged in the spread of Sikh religion and education. But with the heightening up of the political tempo after the implementation of Rowlatt Acts and particularly after the Jallianvala Bagh tragedy in April 1919, the Diwan became active politically, too, and came to be called Akali Dal Khara Sauda Bar.

The reorganization took place at a convention held at Gurdwara Maharani Nakain at Sheikhupura on 24 December 1920 when Akali Jatha Khara Sauda Bar was set up with Kartar Singh Jhabbar as itsJathedar.Among other topran king leaders were Teja Singh Chuharkana and Marigal Singh Seroka.The Dal played a leading part in the liberation of several historical gurdwaras, most notable among them being Babe di Ber at Sialkot, Panja Sahib at Hasan Abdal, Janam Asthan at Nankana Sahib, and Gurdwara Sachcha Sauda, Chuharkana, where the Dal had its headquarters.

The Dal was ultimately amalgamated with the Shiromani Akali Dal (q.v.). Akali Dal Khara Sauda Bar worked in close cooperation with the Akali Jatha of Bhai Lachhman Singh of Dharovali, one of the Nankana Sahib martyrs. According to the C.I.D. report of 22 February 1922, the “combined membership of these two jathas of the Sheikhupura district is about 2, 200.”

References :

1. Narain Singh, Akali Morche te Jhabbar. Delhi 1967
2. Pratap Singh, Giani, Gurdwara Sudhar arthat Akali Lahir. Amritsar, 1975
3. Josh, Sohan Singh, Akali Morchian da Itihas. Delhi, 1972