The Damdami Taksal is a Sikh educational organisation in India. Its headquarters are located in the town of Mehta Chowk, approximately 25 miles north of the city ofAmritsar. It has been described as a seminary or “moving university” of the Sikh countryside. In 1706, after the Battle of Muktsar, Guru Gobind Singh camped at Sabo Ki Talwandi. The place became known as Damdama i.e. a halting place, this place is now referred to as Damdama Sahib. Damdami Taksal claims to be over 300 years old with direct historical ties to Guru Gobind Singh and Baba Deep Singh.
History
The line of leaders of the Sikh religious institution Damdami Taksal The word taksal refers to an education institute or community of students who associate themselves to a particular sant or prominent spiritual leader. "In 1706..... Gobind Singh...... is said to have founded a distinguished school of exegesis". It was later headed up by Baba Deep Singh According to the Damdami Taksal, it was entrusted with the responsibility of teaching the reading, analysis and recitation of the Sikh scriptures by Guru Gobind Singh. The main center of the present-day Damdami Taksal is located at Gurdwara Gurdarshan Parkash at Mehta in Amritsar district. It is actually a branch of a major school of traditional Sikh learning known as the Bhindran Taksal. Although that Taksal was established by Sant Sundar Singh of Boparai Kalan in 1906, it achieved prominence through its second incumbent, Sant Gurbachan Singh Khalsa of Bhindran Kalan. He devoted his entire life to teaching correct enunciation and intonation in reciting the Sikh scriptures. He trained a large number of “gianis” through his mobile seminary. When he died in 1969 he was succeeded by two contenders, Giani Mohan Singh and Sant Kartar Singh, the former leading the original Malwa branch in Ludhiana district and the latter leading the Majha branch in Amritsar district. During the first part of the 20th century Gurbachan Singh Bhindranwale was a widely prominent Sant teaching a large number of students and today remains an influential figure. The influence of Bhindran Taksal is attested by the fact that its alumni include the head granthi at the Golden Temple, jathedars of various Sikh takhts, and granthis of major gurdwaras of historical significance. The Damdami Taksal also had a history of dispute with the Indian government, as its former head Kartar Singh Khalsa Bhindranwale was a severe critic of the excesses of Indira Gandhi’s Emergency rule. In 1975, a large event to commemorate the 300th anniversary martyrdom of Guru Tegh Bahadur was attended by Indira Gandhi and Kartar Singh Bhindranwale. This was the starting point of tensions between Damdami Taksal and the Indian Congress Government. The dispute was about who was the leader and who had the greater authority over the Sikh people, the Guru Granth Sahib or Indira Gandhi. The Damdami Taksal was brought to wider attention by Jarnail Singh Bhindranwale and the 1978 massacre, the Anandpur Resolution with the Dharm Yudh Morcha of 1982, and later the Khalistan movement.
Leadership
During British Colonial rule, Sunder Singh Bhindranwale set about purging diversity in Sikh doctrine, ritual and practice, hoping to have a uniform Sikh community. Part of this strategy was to have a standardised code of conduct. Sant Kartar Singh established Gurdwara Gurdarshan Parkash at Mehta, Amritsar district. Sant Sunder Singh was succeeded by Sant Gurbachan Singh Bhindranwale in 1930, after whom Sant Kartar Singh Bhindranwale continued his work in 1961. In 1977, after the death of Sant Kartar Singh, Jarnail Singh Bhindranwale became the head of Damdami Taksal. Baba Thakur Singh Bhinderwale took over his Taksal when Jarnail Singh was killed in 1984 by the military assault on Harmander Sahib, referred to as Operation Bluestar. After the death of Baba Thakur Singh, the leadership of Taksal was handed over to Baba Harnam Singh Khalsa Bhindranwale by the senior leadership and members of Taksal.
Beliefs
The Damdami Taksal have their own Sikh Code of Conduct, the Gurmat Rehat Maryada, which differs from the Rehat Maryada published by the Shiromani Gurdwara Prabandhak Committee. Some differences include the reading of Ragmala after Akhand Path and not eating meat, fish, and eggs. Damdami Taksal is somewhat influenced by the Nirmaleschool of thought as the eleventh leader of Damdami Taksal, Sant Baba Bishan Singh Muralewale, studied under Nirmale Sants such as Pundit Tara Singh and Pundit Sadhu Singh during the late 19th century.
