KHALSA BARADARI, a social organization of Sikhs belonging to backward classes, founded in 1914. The moving spirit behind it was BhaT Mahitab Sirigli Bir, whose father, Maulawi Karim Bakhsh had, along with his children, embraced Sikhism in June 1903 and become famous as Sant Lakhmir Singh. BhaT Mahitab Singh convened

MAHITAB KAUR (d. 1813), the first wife of Maharaja Ranjit Singh, was the daughter of Gurbakhsh Singh Kanhaiya and Sada Kaur. Sada Kaur persuaded her father-in-law, Jai Singh Kanhaiya, after her husband had been killed in a show of arms with Maharn Singh Sukkarchakkia, to betroth her daughter to

MAHITAB SINGH MAJITHIA (1811-1865), General in the Sikh army, son of Amar Singh Majithia (junior). Mahitab Singh started his career as a subahdar in the irregular Sikh cavalry of Maharaja Ranjit Singh. In 1831, he was promoted Colonel and posted as commandant of Sikh troops stationed at Amritsar. He

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

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

NISHCHAL SINGH, PANDIT SANT (1882-1978), widely respected holy man, preacher of Sikhism and head of the Sevapanthi sect of the Sikhs (1950-78), was born on 18 April 1882, the son of Bhai Amir Singh and Mat Piar Kaur, a pious couple of Mittha Tiwana in Shahpur (Sargodha) district of

SADA RAUR, SARDARNI (1762-1832); Daughter of Dasaundha Singh Gill was married to Gurbakhsh Singh, son of Jai Singh, leader of the Kanhaiya clan. As the menace of Ahmad Shall Durrani`s incursions receded, conflicts broke out among the Sikh misl chiefs. Mahan Singh Sukkarchakkia, helped by Jassa Singh Ramgarhia and