Sarbat Khalsa and gurmata
Also called: Gurmata · Topic: Regional Resistance: Rajputs, Ahoms, Sikhs · NCERT: Beyond NCERT
Meaning
The Sarbat Khalsa was the general assembly of the whole Sikh community in the 18th century. It met at the Akal Takht in Amritsar, usually at Baisakhi and Diwali. A gurmata, meaning "the Guru's decision", was a resolution passed by this assembly in the name of the Guru. Every Sikh and every misl (Sikh band) had to follow it. This system let the separate Sikh misls act together against common enemies.
Example
In 1748, a Sarbat Khalsa gathering at Amritsar passed a gurmata. It united the Sikh bands into the Dal Khalsa, a combined army, under Jassa Singh Ahluwalia.
Don't confuse with
- Khalsa: the Khalsa was the martial brotherhood that Guru Gobind Singh founded in 1699. The Sarbat Khalsa was a later assembly of the whole community, which met to take joint decisions.
Related concepts
- Guru Har Rai and Guru Har Krishan
- Guru Tegh Bahadur
- Gurudwara Sis Ganj Sahib
- Guru Gobind Singh
- Khalsa
- Panj Pyare and Five Ks
- Dasam Granth
- Veer Baal Diwas
- Banda Singh Bahadur
- Sikh misls