Ravidassi Dera parts ways with Sikhism
JALANDHAR: Even as debate is on whether it is just a marginal fringe element from the Ravidassia sect or a widespread feeling among that caste, the fact remains that a wedge has been drived. First, they did not bother about the respect due to Sri Guru Granth Sahib ji, then they got into an altercation, and after the Vienna incident, mounted violence against the Sikhs and then led a consistent movement to move out the Sikh scriptures from their shrines.
Last week, the Dera Sach Khand Ballan of the Ravidassia sect which has been patronized by Parkash Singh Badal and his minions to no end, announced a formal and complete move away from Sikhism.
In an almost surreptitious manner, the dera leadership gathered at Seer Gowardhanpur in Banaras, birth place of Bhagat Ravidass — on the occasion of 633rd birth anniversary of the leading Sant of the Bhakti movement whose compositions were included by the Sikh Gurus in Sri Guru Granth Sahib.
The Dera leaders announced that from now onwards, they belong to a different religion, called “Ravidasia Dharm” and the Ravidassias will have their own separate religious book “Amrit Bani Guru Ravidass” which contains 240 hymns of Ravidass, whom they preferred to call “Guru” instead of “Bhagat”.
In the statement that marked the parting of ways, the sect said, “Our guru will be Satguru Ravidas Maharaj ji, our religious symbol will be different and will have the word ‘Hari’ in it, our salutation will be ‘Jai Gurudev’ and our ‘ultimate place of pilgrimage’ will be ‘Shri Guru Ravidass Janam Asthan Mandir Seer Goverdhanpur Varanasi (UP)’”…..
