Alphabetical Index

GURDIAL SINGH DHILLON (1915-1992), parliamentarian, diplomat and statesman, was a scion of the Bhangi Sardars who had ruled over the central Punjab during the latter half of the eighteenth century. Born at Sarhali, in Jalandhar district of the Punjab, at his ndnke, mother`s village, on 6 August 1915, the son of Sardar Hardit Singh of Parijvar, in Amritsar district, Gurdial Singh was educated at the Khalsa Collegiate School, Amritsar, and at Government College, Lahore, from where he graduated in 1935.

GURDIAL SINGH, JATHEDAR( 1886-1958), also known as Giani Gurdial Singh or Sant Gurdial Singh Bhindranvale, was born in 1886 at Adampur, near Moga, now in Faridkot district of the Punjab. He studied up to matriculation. He enjoyed the patronage of Tikka (later Maharaja) Ripudaman Singh of Nabha, whom he accompanied to England in 1910. On return from abroad in 1912, he joined the seminary at Bhindar Kalan run by Sant Sundar Singh where he studied Sikh theological and historical texts. When the first Shiromam Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee was formed in November 1920, Gurdial Singh was nominated a member.

GURDIT SINGH was a devoted Sikh of the time of Guru Gobind Singh. According to Kuir Singh, Gurbilas Patshahi 10, he was in the retinue of the Guru as his treasurer during his journey to the Deccan in 1708.

GURDIT SINGH MAJITHIA (d. 1853), army general in Sikh times, was son of Amar Singh Majithia. He entered Maharaja Ranjit Singh`s service in 1834, and rose to command 3 infantry battalions and a wing of light artillery. General Gurdit Singh was in command of the Lahore troops at Peshawar in September 1845 when Prince Pashaura Singh had risen in revolt. He rejected the Prince`s call to throw off his allegiance to the Darbar and join him. Gurdit Singh was married to the niece of Diwan Savan Mall, the governor of Multan. He died in 1853.

GURDIT SINGH NALVA (1807-1882), soldier and jdgirddr in Sikh times, was the eldest son of the famous general, Hari Singh Nalva. He received a sum of Rs 2,200 from Maharaja Ranjit Singh as his share out of money left by his father. The British settled upon him an allowance of Rs 480 annually after the annexation of the Punjab. He also inherited in 1877 the jdgir of his brother, Jawahar Singh. Gurdit Singh died in 1882.

GURDIT SINGH SANDHANVALJA, the youngest of the four sons of Thakur Singh Sandharivalia, who led the campaign for the restoration of Maharaja Duleep Singh to the throne of the Punjab and who was prime minister of the Maharaja`s emigre government set up in Pondicherry, was barely in his teens when he crossed over to the French territory with his father. Of the three brothers of Gurdit Singh, Gurbachan Singh had been adopted by his uncle Partap Singh, Bakhshish Singh had been adopted by a collateral Shamsher Singh, and Narendra Singh (married to the daughter of Rao Umrao Singh of Kutesar) lived with his father in law at Meerut and was adopted by Karivar Dharam Singh of Dadri.

GURDIT SINGH, BABA (1861-1954), patriot of Komagata Maru fame, was born in 1861, into a Sandhu Sikh family of Sarhali, a village in Amritsar district. Gurdit Singh`s grandfather had served in the Sikh army as an officer but his father, Hukam Singh, was a small farmer of moderate means. Failing monsoon in 1870 drove Hukam Singh to seek a living away from home. He migrated to Taiping, Malaysia, where he became a small time contractor. His eldest son, Pahilu Singh, joined him there later but Gurdit Singh remained in the village where, in the absence of a regular school, he learned to read and write Gurmukhi at the feet of the custodian of the local dharamsald.

GURDITTA BHATHIARA was, according to tradition, engaged by Chandu Shah to torture Guru Arjan to death. Death by torture had been ordered by Emperor Jaharigir himself and Chandu Shah had, out of personal rancour, taken upon himself the responsibility of carrying out the imperial fiat. Gurditta, a poor bhathidrd or gramparcher by trade, was told to heal up an iron plate placed over a big hearth. Guru Arjan was made to sit on the redhot plate and Gurditta was ordered to pour hot sand over his body. The torture ended in Guru Arjan`s death. Years later, when Jaharigir was reconciled to Guru Arjan`s son and successor, Guru Hargobind, he had Chandu Shah handed over to the Guru to be dealt with according to his deserts.

GURDITTA, BABA (1613-1638), the eldest son of Guru Hargobind (1595-1644), was born on 15 November 1613 to Mata Damodari at Darauli Bhai in present day Faridkot district of the Punjab. He had his training in religious lore and in the martial arts under the supervision of his father. He was married on 17 April 1621 to Ananti alias Natti, daughter of Bhai Rama of Batala, an ancient town in Gurdaspur district. According to Gurbilds Chhevm Pdtshdhi, relations from Darauli, Mandiali, Goindval and Khadur Sahib accompanied the marriage party. Baba Buddha and Bhai Gurdas, however, stayed behind in Amritsar to look after the Harimandar and the Akal Takht.

GURDITTA, BHAI, a devoted Sikh of the time of Guru Arjan. He received instruction from the Guru himself and repeated constantly the name `Vahiguru`. Thus he remained absorbed in God`s remembrance (Varan, XI. 24). BIBLIOGRAPHY 1 Mani Singh, Bhai, Sikhan di Bhagat Maid. Amritsar, 1955 2. Santokh Singh, Bhai, Sri Gur Pratap Suraj Granth. Amritsar, 1927-33 T.S. GURDITTA, BHAI (1625-1675), son of Bhai Jhanda, was a descendant of the venerable Baba Buddha. He was one of those who, after the death of Guru Har Krishan at Delhi in 1664, were especially summoned to Bakala for the anointment of Guru Tcgh Bahadur.

GURDWARA, lit. the Guru\'s portal or the Guru\'s abode, is the name given to a Sikh place of worship. The common translation of the term as temple is not satisfactory for, their faith possessing no sacrificial symbolism, Sikhs have neither idols nor altars in their holy places. They have no sacraments and no priestly order. The essential feature of a gurdwara is the presiding presence in it of Sikh Scripture, the Guru Granth Sahib.

GURMANTRA, Punjabi Gurmantar, is that esoteric formula or term significant of the Supreme Being or the deity which the master or teacher confides to the neophyte to meditate on when initiating him into his spiritual discipline. The concept of mantra goes back to the pre-Vedic non Aryan tradition and to the primitive cults of magic, animism and to temism. It has since been a continuing element one way or another in the religious traditions of the world and traces of it pervade to this day among the most modern of them. The occultist and the tantrist believe that mantras have power over the deity and can make it confer the desired boon or favour.

GURMAT (gurmat, mat, Sanskrit mati, i.e. counsel or tenets of the Guru, more specifically the religious principles laid down by the Guru) is a term which may in its essential sense be taken to be synonymous with Sikhism itself. It covers doctrinal, prescriptive and directional aspects of Sikh faith and praxis. Besides the basic theological structure, doctrine and tenets derived from the teachings of Guru Nanak and his nine successors, it refers to the whole Sikh way of life both in its individual and social expressions evolved over the centuries. Guidance received by Sikhs in their day today affairs from institutions established by the Gurus and by the community nurtured upon their teachings will also fall within the frame of gurmat.

GURMAT GRANTH PRACHARAK SABHA, an association aiming at propagating Sikh religion through publications, was established at Amritsar on 8 April 1885 by Giani Sardul Singh to continue the work started by his father, Giani Gian Singh (d. 30 March 1884), the first secretary of Sri Guru Singh Sabha, Amritsar, established in 1873. Agia Singh Hakim of Amritsar was elected secretary of the Gurmat Granth Pracharak Sabha. On his death in April 1887, his son. Manna Singh Hakim, succeeded him as its secretary. The Sabha undertook to sponsor research and publish authentic texts of the Gurus` compositions and of other works such as Janam Sakhis and Gurpranalis.

GURMAT MARTAND, by Bhai Kahn Singh, is a glossary in two volumes of terms bearing on different aspects of Sikh religion, theology and belief. The author undertook this work, arranged topically as well as alphabetically, with a view to rectifying some of the misconceptions about certain Sikh theological and conceptual doctrines and notions which had crept in as a result of ignorance of some chroniclers and the general inability of Sikhs to comprehend clearly and correctly the meaning of the canonical texts.

GURMAT PRABHAKAR (gurmat = the Guru`s teaching or instruction; prabhdkar= the sun, light, i.e. illuminator or elucidator) is a compendium of Sikh principles and of the Sikh way of life arranged topic wise and alphabetically by the celebrated Sikh theologian and lexicographer Bhai Kahn Singh of Nabha. First published in 1898, the book is dedicated by the author to "Panth Akali" who is vowed to the welfare of the people and the country. The purpose of the author was to enable the reader locate in the voluminous Guru Granth Sahib verses relevant to any special occasion or to his requirements.