MAHITAB SINGH, MAHANT (1811-1871), founder Sri Mahant (head) of Sri Nirmal Panchaiti Akhara, at Patiala, was born in 1811 in a Jatt Sikh family of the village of Lehal Kalan, now in Sangrur district in the Punjab. He learnt to read Punjabi in his village and gained fluency in

MANOHAR DAS, a nineteenth century saint of Sangat Sahib Ke sect of the Udasi Sikhs, usually stayed at Kankhal, near Haridvar, where he collaborated with some other sadhus under the leadership of Santokh Das to establish a separate Udasi body called Sri Gur Naya Akhara Udasin, popularly known as

NIRMAL PANCHAITI AKHARA is a seminary of the Nirmala sect of the Sikhs established in 1862 at Patiala. Akhdrd, lit. arena, signifies a monastery or seminary with facilities for board, lodging and education of sadhus of a particular sect or cult. Sannyasi and Bairagi sadhus had their respective akhdrds, also

PAKKA KALAN, village 24 km south of Bathinda (30° 14`N, 74° 59`E), is sacred to Guru Gobind Singh, who broke journey here on his way from Jassi to Talvandi Sabo in 1706. The original shrine to the southeast of the village together with its landed properly passed into private possession

PAKKHOKE RANDHAVE, a village in the east of Dera Baba Nanak (32° 2`N, 75° 2`E) in Gurdaspur district of the Punjab, is the place where Guru Nanak`s wife and children stayed with his fatherinlaw during the Guru`s absence on udasis or preaching journeys. The village has a historical shrine

TAHILPURA, a small village in the interior of Fatehgarh Sahib district was visited by Guru Tegh Bahadur in the course of one of his journeys through the Malva region. A small raised platform marked the spot where he had put up. Later some Nirmala sadhus established a place of worship

TARA SINGH NAROTAM, PANDIT (1822-1891), a renowned scholar of the Nirmala school, was born in the village of Kalma, near Qadian, in Gurdaspur district of the Punjab. Very little is known about his early life except that, under the influence of his father, who was a devout Sikh, he

BASANT SINGH, PANDIT (1868-1941). eminent Nirmala scholar which status is betokened by the prefix Pandit (meaning a man of surpassing learning) added to his name, was born on 26 June 1868, the son of Bhai Kala Singh of a Jatt Sikh family of Dhingarian village, 3 km north of