Akali movement
Also called: Gurdwara reform movement · Topic: The National Movement: Gandhian Era · NCERT: Beyond NCERT
Meaning
The Akali movement, also called the Gurdwara reform movement, was a Sikh movement from c. 1920 to 1925 in Punjab. Gurdwaras are Sikh places of worship. Many were controlled by hereditary mahants, priests who passed the job down in their families. Many mahants were corrupt and had British support. The Akalis wanted to hand the gurdwaras over to elected Sikh bodies. They were led by the SGPC (Shiromani Gurdwara Prabandhak Committee) and the Akali Dal. They used non-violent protest, at the same time as the Non-Cooperation Movement, which Gandhi praised.
Example
At Nankana Sahib in 1921, a mahant's men killed a large number of peaceful Akali protesters. The Guru ka Bagh morcha (protest campaign) of 1922 followed. The movement ended in success with the Sikh Gurdwaras Act of 1925, which put gurdwaras under Sikh control through the SGPC.
Related concepts
- Hind Swaraj
- Swaraj
- Khilafat movement
- Ali brothers
- Caliphate
- Jazirat-ul-Arab
- Mustafa Kemal Ataturk
- Calcutta special session 1920
- Nagpur session 1920
- Non-cooperation movement