Miracles of

Satguru Ravidass Ji

Nishan Sahib ofRavidassia Dharam

Publisher :Shri Guru Ravidass Janam Sthan

MandirSeer Goverdhanpur Banaras (U.P.)

Miracles of

Satguru Ravidass Ji

Nishan Sahib ofRavidassia Dharam

Writer : Chain Ram Suman

Price :

Publisher :Shri Guru Ravidass Janam Sthan Mandir

Seer Goverdhanpur Banaras (U.P.)

Printed at : Ravi Parkash Printing Press,Moh. Sunder Nagar, Jalandhar

Nishan Sahib ofRavidassia Dharam

Some Important facts of life JagatGuru Ravidass Majharaj Ji

Date of Birth : Year 1377 AD (Bikrami Samvat-Magh Sudi 15, 1433) Birth Place :

Seer Goverdhanpur, Banaras (U.P.) Name of Mother & Father :

Father, Respected Sh. Santokh Dass Ji Mother, Respected Smt. Kalsi Devi Ji Name of the Grandmother and Grandfather :

Grandfather, Respected Sh. Kalu Ram Ji Name of Grandmother,Respected Smt. Lakhpati Ji, Name of wife & son :

Wief Respected Respected Smt. Lona Ji Son Respected Sh. Vijay Dass Ji Brahamlin :

Harh Di Sangrand 1584 Bikrami Samvat (1528) at Banaras

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BLESSINGS Throughout his life Shri Guru Ravidass

Ji preached for equality, liberty and truthfulness.He exhorted human beings to shun rituals andsuperstitions. He showed right path of worshipof one God. This Dera has made all out effortsto disseminate the teachings of Guru Ji in Indiaand foreign countries through publishing ofbooks, gutkas, pamphlets, weekly Begumpura,documentary films, CDs, and TV programmeand sammelans. This valuable book written byShri Chain Ram Suman is another effort to en-lighten the reader about greatness of Guru Ji andhistory of this Dera. It is hoped that the readerwill be immensely benefited with this humble at-tempt. I feel immense pleasure in presenting thisvaluable book to the readers with all blessings. Sant Niranjan Dass, Gaddi-Nasheen,

Dera Sant Sarwan Dass Ji, Sach Khand Ballan, Vill & P.O. Bal,

District Jalandhar. (PUNJAB, INDIA)

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FOREWORDSatguru Ravidass Ji was born on Magh

Purnima of Samvat 1433 at Seer Govardhanpur,Benaras. He lived for 151 years. He was one ofthe leading saints of Bhakti movement. SatguruKabir Ji has writes in his praise –Saadhan mein Ravidass Sant hain supach rishiso maniaHindu turk duii din bane hain kachh(i) nahipehchania

Guru Arjan Dev Ji writes in his glory as – Uuch te Uuch Namdeo samdarsi Ravidass thakur ban(i) Aaiee

Guru Ji preached equality, liberty, frater-nity and universal brotherhood and worship ofone God. He has given us a unique concept of‘Begumpura’. He has stressed the need of es-tablishment of Begumpura type of governancein the world. In such a state there will be nodiscrimination on the ground of caste, colour,sex, faith, country. All will be equal and therewill be no worry at all. Every citizen will enjoyhuman rights-social, political, cultural, spiritual.

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He laid the foundation of Socialistic DemocraticRepublic.

The United Nations has adopted the con-cept of ‘Begumpura’ of Satguru Ravidass Ji andincorporated in the preamble of its Charter.

The stupendous task of Guru RavidassMission was probably left to a great saint SantSarwan Dass Ji – the pioneer of Dera SantSarwan Dass Ji, Sach Khand Bal, Village & P.O.Bal, district Jalandhar (Panjab) to be undertakaen.A splendid ‘Shri Guru Ravidass Janam AsthanMandir and gamut of other monuments have beenconstructed at Benaras by the saints of DeraBal. As a result of their strenuous efforts GuruRavidass Mission has been spread in India andabroad. And Amar Shaheed Sant Rama Nand Jisacrificed his life on 25-5-2010 while preachingteachings of Guru Ravidass Ji at Vienna.

More than 10 lakhs devotees had as-sembled on 636th Birth Anniversary of GuruRavidass Ji at Varanasi. Ravidassia Dharam wasannounced in their presence by Sant Samaj inconsultation with His Holiness Shri 108 SantNiranjan Dass Ji Gaddin Nasheen. The tenets ofnew religion were read over by me with the

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ashirwaad of His Holiness Shri 108 Sant NiranjanDass Ji.

For sometime past there has been persis-tent demand from foreign countries for a bookon miracles and life-sketch of Satguru RavidassJi including history of Dera and its projects, inEnglish language. This task was entrusted to ShriChain Ram Suman who has completed it withall humility. He had been blessed by naam-daanby Sant Sarwan Dass Ji and is attached with thisDera since then. After his retirement as G.M fromPb. SCFC Chandigarh, he is in the sewa of HisHoliness Shri 108 Sant Niranjan Dass Ji Gaddi-Nasheen of this Dera. With the ashirwaad ofMaharaj Ji he has written this valuable book insimple English.

It is hoped that the reader of thisbook will get immense knowledge on philoso-phy and miracles of Guru Ravidass Ji. He willalso get glimpse of Dera Sant Sarwan Dass Jiand vast areas of its coverage for Guru RavidassMission and human welfare activities.

Sant Surinder Dass Bawa, Dera Sant Sarwan Dass Ji,

Sach Khand, Bal. Jalandhar

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GratitudeAll the miracles of Satguru Ravidass Ji

are not found compiled in one volume. Therehas been persistent demand from foreign coun-tries for sometime past that a book containingall the miracles of Satguru Ravidass Ji and his-tory of Dera Sant Sarwan Dass Ji, Bal should bemade available in simple English for the readers.His Holiness Satguru Niranjan Dass Ji and SantSurinder Dass Bawa Ji were kind enough to en-trust this task to me. The subject was beyondmy comprehension. However, with their bless-ings humble attempt has been made in this re-gard and this small book is in your hands. I hum-bly express my gratitude to the holy saints BabaPipal Dass Ji, Satguru Sarwan Dass Ji, SatguruHari Dass Ji, Satguru Garib Dass Ji, SatguruNiranjan Dass Ji Gaddi-Nasheen, QaumiShaheed Sant Rama Nand Ji and Sant SurinderDass Bawa Ji for showering their mercy on meto enable me to write this book.

Chain Ram Suman, 155, New Lajpat Nagar,

Noorwala Road, Ludhiana.

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Emergence of Dera Sant SarwanDass Ji Sach Khand Bal

&A great spiritual saint-

Sant Pipal Dass JiSatguru Ravidass Ji has said that there is

no difference between saints and Almighty. Saintsbless the astrayed people with NAM-simran.Among such saints, there was one highly spiri-tually enlightened saint named Shri 108 Sant Pi-pal Dass Ji Maharaj. He was born in village GillPatti in Bathinda district. His grandfather haddecided to settle permanently at Gill Patti aftershifting from Kuttiwala and Joganand villages.Sant Pipal Dass Ji’s earlier name was ShriHarnam Dass Ji. The parents of Sant Pipal DassJi were religious minded and Shri Pipal Dass Jiused to chant NAM of God under peepal treesitting in solitude. The villagers had deep regardfor him. He took up farming of his land. He re-ceived education in Gurmukhi. He was a verygood scholar of Punjabi and Amrit Bani. He usedto read the books which contained apathetic and

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renunciatory themes. He was very fondof tree planting. The beri tree planted by himstill exists in the village Gill Patti. He was mar-ried to Bibi Shobhawanti who was a religiousminded lady. He was blessed with NAM bySant Mohan Dass Ji.

They had two sons. The eldest son wasri Sewa Dass Ji and younger was Sarwan DassJi. Sarwan Dass was five year old when hismother Bibi Shobhawanti died. Sant Pipal DassJi was very sad. After some time he left Gill Pattivillage assigning the duty of farming to his el-dest son Sewa Dass Ji. By travelling though vari-ous towns and villages, Sant Pipal Dass Ji ulti-mately, reached village Bal. However, he decidedto settle at village Ballan in Jalandhar district.The scenic beauty and natural surroundings anddake trees of village Bal tempted Sant PipalDass Ji. He decided to settle there. Moreover,the residents of the village showed utmost re-gard to Sant Ji. After some days Sant Pipal DassJi left for Singriwal village along with SarwanDass Ji to bless NAM to the sangat there and tomeet Shri Kaloo Ram Ji. But Sant Sarwan Dass

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Ji asked his father that he had been feel-ing sad and depressed, so please take him backto village Ballan. Both came back and the resi-dents showed them great respect and offered amud house for their permanent stay there. HerePipal Dass Ji continued worshipping Almightyand read out teachings and amritbani of SatguruRavidass Ji to the sangat every morning andevening. There was one peepal tree in the villagewhich was totally dried up. The sangat of thevillage requested Sant Pipal Dass Ji to make itgreen again so that the people might sit under itsshade in the summer. However, Sant Pipal DassJi watered the tree and it became green in courseof time. This incident changed the name fromShri Harnam Dass Ji to Sant Pipal Dass Ji. Markjuergens Meyer in his religious book “Religiousrebels in Punjab” had beautifully described asunder.

“Sant Pipal Dass established the Dera atthat location, near village Ballan, around the turnof century while wandering in search of truth.When he encountered the place, he found apeepal tree which appeared to be dead, but after

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he watered it, it sprang back to life. Pipal Dassunderstood this as a clear indication that truthwas to be obtained on that spot, so he solicitednearby villagers to donate the land and beganconstructing his Dera. It soon became the cen-tre of pilgrimage for lower castes and other vil-lagers from all over central Punjab and from itsinception it was a center for the veneration ofGuru Ravidass.”

It was a worshipping place for the devo-tees of Ravidass Ji Maharaj, Sant Pipal Dass Jiused to meditate in the west of the village Ballanalong with Sarwan Dass Ji during the day in soli-tude SachKhand Ballan has come up at thisplace. A school was also started at Ballan Derawhere Punjabi and Amrit Bani was taught to chil-dren. They were taught the life and mission ofSatguru Ravidass Ji. The sangat brought foodfor him. Sant Ji preached to abstain from in-toxicants, not to believe in rituals and supersti-tions and to respect parents.. When a great so-cial reformer Babu Mangoo Ram Moogowaliawas struggling for the establishment of Ad-Dharam and collecting the historical data of

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Maharishi Balmik Ji, Satguru Namdev Ji,Satguru Ravidass Ji and Satguru Kabir Ji, hecame to meet Baba Pipal Dass Ji collecting lit-erature on teachings and writings of SatguruRavidass Ji Maharaj.

The word spoken by a Sadhu is alwaystruthful. Whatever Sant Pipal Dass Ji utteredproved to by true. Once Sant Pipal Dass Ji vis-ited the house of Baba Shami Ram Ji. He tookpity on their poor financial condition. He toldhim that they get out the required grain from thekothi and it will remain full. He also asked themnot to check up that the kothi is still full or not.They took out grain from the kothi for 13 monthsto see whether it is still full. To their amazementthe kothi was still full of grain. But thereafter thekothi became empty as the grain was taken outfrom it.

Sant Pipal Dass Ji visited Arjanwal villageto the house of Shri Waryama Ram. His wiferequested Sant Ji that she had no child and hermother-in-law always taunted her and threatenedher to compel her to leave the house. Baba PipalDass solaced her and told her that she would be

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blessed with five sons and truly, five sonswere born to her including Giani Joginder SinghJi.

One day when Sant Pipal Dass was goingto the village Bal to have some offerings fromresidents. He was in his own spiritual mood. Hestopped in front of the house of Namberdar PiaraSingh for alms. Smt. Mohan Kaur w/oNamberdar Piara Singh offered the offering toSant Ji and politely requested that you were prideof the lowly, shelter for the poor and hope forthe hopeless. There was no dearth of anythingin my house but I have no child kindly bless mewith this gift. Sant Pipal Dass Ji was moved bythe request of Mohan Kaur and told her that indue course of time Almighty would bless herwith five sons and advised her and her husbandto worship NAM daily. Baba Ji came back toDera. Truly after gap of some years five sonsand a daughter were born to her and all the chil-dren were very nice having good manners. Theentire family always praised all the saints of DeraSach Khand Ballan. Shri Wattan Singh and BibiKesari Devi were living in Muradpur village and

after some time shifted to Alawalpur in Jalandhardistrict. Whenever Baba Pipal Dass Ji visitedtheir residence, he always asked them to pre-pare saltish chapaties. When once Baba Ji wentto their Muradpur house both Bibi Kesari andWattan Singh humbly requested Baba Ji that theyhad no child and politely submitted that he shouldbless the couple with the gift of a son. At thisBaba Ji asked the couple to solve five sweetpatasas in water and then knead the flour withthat water and prepare the food. They did soand prepared the sweet food for Sant Pipal DassJi which he took gladly and thereafter told thecouple that Almighty will bless them with thegift of four children. Truly four sons were bornto the couple. And doing such kind and munifi-cent acts to the needy and poor, the great saintBaba Pipal Dass Ji left for his heavenly abodeon Thursday, first Navrata, in 1928, to be onewith the Almighty. The poet Tota Ram had rightlywritten-Jeewan ke udharne ko paapian de taarne koMoorakh sudharne ko aaye sansar siBachan raseele tap tej de hatheele

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Vishe paanch jin keele shiv shankar murar siUnni sau pachasi bikrami si maheena assuChhabbi din gaye chhad ditti gulzar siVeerwar din pherr time vi swer walaPoorva nachhattara mein pujje mokh dwar si.

Baba Pipal Dass Ji was cremated towardseast of village Ballan where the Smadh Angithawas erected. In the Dera Sach Khand Ballan, aroom having minaret on its top is dedicated tothe memory of the great spiritually enlightenedsaint. He left very rich legacy to his saintly sonSarwan Dass Ji who later established the Dera.The Dera is symbolic of spiritual highness andnoble values. His Barsi is celebrated on firstNaurtatra by holding Bhandara, satsang andhoisting of Dera Nishaan Sahib.

Shri 108 Sant Sarwan Dass JiSant Sarwan Dass Ji was born on 15th

February 1895 in the family of Baba Pipal DassJi and Mata Sobha wanti Ji at Gill Patti Bhatinda.After the joti jot smaye of Baba Pipal Dass Ji,Sant Sarwan Dass Ji took over the Dera. He heldthe sangat in high esteem. He himself was a highlydisciplined saint. Since the days of Baba Pipal

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Dass Ji, he used to come out of the vil-lage to a distant quiet place and meditated therefor longer hours. He attained divine enlighten-ment. He had padam (flower type of symbol) inhis right foot. It signified his predetermined di-vinity. He built a Kutia of mud and sarkanda onone kanal land donated by one Shri Hazara Singhof village Bal. At this place an elegant mandirstands erected . He moulded his life to threenorms SEWA-SATSANG-SIMRAN. He be-came famous and an example for others for noblevalues. He treated patients with free Ayurvedicmedicines and divine blessings. Also he used toteach children. He strongly preached educationamong children in including girls. He liberallydonated funds for schools, technical schools,colleges.

There was one raised platform in front ofthe kutia on which Maharaj Ji always meditatedand held satsang. In course of time, Sant HariDass Ji joined the Dera. Later Sant Garib DassJi and Sant Niranjan Dass Ji dedicated themselvesto the Dera and joined Sant Sarwan Dass Ji. Theyall joined for Sewa of the Sangat under the guid

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ance of Sant Sarwan Dass Ji.The writer has been fortunate enough to

be close to Sant Sarwan Dass. He spent his nightat his place at in village Bal. He always got up at3.00 am. After bath he would sit in Samadhi. Atthe dawn of the day, he would go out for a longwalk. Then he would come to Dera and giveayurvedic medicines to the patients, redressedindividual problems of the devotees. Discussionon divinity were held with the saints and schol-ars. As soon on he was free from these engage-ments, he would start satsang. Then he wouldask one or the other saint or any devotee fromthose present to recite amrit bani. This contin-ued up to lunch. After lunch all devotees wererequested to go to their homes. Maharaj Ji tookrest for some time.

He would again start religious discoursesin the after-noon. A little after sun set, Maharaj Jidaily went to spend his night at village place.There again used to be satsang. Many devoteesfrom the Village Bal used to attend night satsang.After ardas at about 10 pm, Maharaj Ji wouldallow them to go to their homes. This was the

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daily routine. Many devotees and saintsused to recite sacred bani exhorting us to wor-ship God and to do noble deeds. Many sangsoul touching songs in melodious tunes convey-ing the message of Bhakti. There used to be calmand serene atmosphere. Indeed, Sant SarwanDass Ji became successful in creating a cultamong the devotees to do good, to learn, towork hard, to spread love and affection, to makelife meaningful, to do noble deeds, to be pious,to be an ideal and worthy person and above allto always remember God. He vehementlypreached against rituals and superstitions. Fol-lowing the foot prints of Guru Ravidass Ji, helaid stress on equality, fraternity, dignity, broth-erhood. He was very practical. He asked his fol-lowers to discard traditional customs and be-liefs which are inimical to the growth of humanbeings. Sant Sarwan Dass Ji was highly dis-tressed when he ever heard of oppression of theweak. He shouldered the cause of the poor andthe down-trodden and dedicated his life to thewelfare of humanity. He wanted their unity andthat inspired them to struggle for regaining their

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human rights and dignity.In those says there were stray incidents

of opression and insulting the poor on the pre-text of the religion, religions books, religiousplace, bani, Bhagat, Guru and the like. He was agreat visionary saint. As if he had a premonitionof future course of incidents, he held the opin-ion that Ravidassias should have their own su-preme place of worship- the Ultimate Place ofPilgrimage. He shared his views with other lead-ing contemporary saints, scholars, intelligentsia,dignitaries. All supported his opinion. But theyextended moral support only. The onus to builda temple on the birth place of Guru Ravidass Jifell on Sant Sarwan Dass Ji alone. He traced thebirth place of Satguru Ravidass Ji at SeerGovardhanpur, Varanasi. The construction of 7-storey grand temple was completed during hislife-time itself. His dream was fulfilled. Shri GuruRavidass Janam Asthan Mandir, SeerGovardhanpur, Varanasi is the supreme gift hehas given to the humanity. Today pilgrims fromthe world over visit this holy temple and seekblessings of Satguru Ravidass Maharaj Ji.

Sant Sarwan Dass Ji fell ill. In the last

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satsang he held on 11th June 1972, he asked torecite Juggan de jug beet jaange Tainu milni na manas dehi Juggan de jug beet jaange After the satsang he was taken to Ameri-can Hospital at Ludhiana where he left for hisheavenly abode on 11th June 1972 at about 12p.m. Huge number of followers from far andnear attended his cremation on 13-6-1972 in thepremesis of the Dera. His body was placed inpyre. It was lit by Sant Hari Dass Ji and SantGarib Dass Ji. After a short while when the flamesengulfed the pyre, a sudden three four feet highgush of stream of blood flowed from his bodyout of the pyre. It was an unprecedented phe-nomenon. Probably, he conveyed a message forus all for sacrifice for the poor people.

Shri 108 Sant Hari Dass Ji Ravidass bhanai jo jaanai so jaan(u) Sant anant(i) antar nahiSatguru Ravidass Ji says that there is no

difference between an saint and the God. Thesaints enlighten human beings through worship

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of God. They get them rid of rituals and super-stitions. Sant Hari Dass Ji was peace-loving,social reformer, visionary and divinely enlight-ened saint. He was born in 1885 in the family ofrevered father Hukam Chand Ji and mother TaabiJi at village Garha near Jalandhar. His parentswere religious minded. He was still a child whenhis parents expired. He took up occupation ofshoe-making and painting. Since beginning hehad leaning of hearing kirtan, singining kirtan andthe company of Holy persons. He became freefrom worldly responsibilities after the marriageof his sister Bibi Punna Devi at village Chaheru.He cherished to find an enlightened guru. Param paras gur bhetiay purab likhit lilat

He heard fame of Baba Pipal Dass Ji. Hevisited village Bal. In those days Satguru PipalDass Ji was staying in a small kutia. One daywhen Sant Hari Dass Ji visited Dera, Baba PipalDass Ji was not there. Sewadars told him thatBaba Pipal Dass Ji had gone to village Haripur.Sant Hari Dass Ji followed and reached Haripur.At that time Baba Pipal Dass Ji was speaking ina satsang. When he looked at Baba Pipal Dass

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Ji he felt blissful. He felt that he had found anenlightened guru. Sant Hari Dass Ji prayed fornaam-daan. Sant Pipal Dass ji told that he wouldcome to his village a day after and that he wouldbe initiated. Baba Pipal Dass Ji visited villageGarha a day after and blessed Hari Dass Ji withnaam-daan. For most of the time Sant Hari DassJi remained absorbed in meditation. He used tovisit Dera frequently and stayed there for daystogether. He also developed affection and re-gard for Sant Sarwan Dass Ji.

Baba Pipal Dass Ji left for his heavenlyabode on 26 Assu Thursday Bikrami Samvat1985. Sant Hari Dass Ji was very sad. Baba Pi-pal Dass Ji had told Sant Sarwan Dass Ji that hehad blessed Hari Dass Ji with the Naam Daanand that BHEKH be also blessed later. He wouldalso come to Dera permanently. He also proph-esied that Hari Dass Ji will be an enlightenedsaint and that he will enlighten many others. Af-ter some time he organised a Sant Sammelan atvillage GARHA which was attended by SantSarwan Dass Ji, Muslim Faqir Sayyad GhulamJalani and many other saints participated. Sant

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Sarwan Dass Ji exhorted the human beings tochant Name of God to enlighten our souls toavoil pains of Birth and Death. Faqir SayyadGhulam Gilani said in his speech that SantSarwan Dass has the Noor of Allah on his face.Sant Sarwan Dass Ji blessed BHAGWA DRESSto Sant Hari Dass Ji. Since then Sant Hari DassJi freed himself from worldly entanglements andbelongings. He learnt Gurmukhi from SantSarwan Dass Ji. He studied amritbani.

Sant Hari Dass Ji was fond of plantingtrees in the Dera. The mango trees planted andwatered by him increase beauty of the Dera eventoday. He used to teach the children in thePathshala in the Dera. He often used to say thatif ‘Mata shatroo pita vairi jo na balo pathita’.The parents who do not impart education to theirchildren are their enemies. Sant Hari Dass Ji wasplaim speaking. He spoke the language the chil-dren understood. He loved children very much.Sant Hari Dass Ji preached satsangat, BhajanSimran, ekta, smaanta, Bhaichara.

On the direction of Sant Sarwan Dass Ji,he laid foundation stone of Shri Guru Ravidass

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Janam Asthan Mandir, Seer Govardhanpur,Benaras on 14 June 1965. This is a 7-storeytemple today. Devotees from all corners of In-dia and abroad throng to this sacred place. SantHari Dass Ji stayed at Benaras for some daysafter laying the foundation stone. Imli tree underwhich Guru Ravidass Ji used to hold satsangwas dry. Sant Hari Dass Ji watered this sacredtree so long as he remained there. The imli treehas grown up to a big green tree. Pilgrims bowbefore this imli tree also.

After Joti Jot samai of Sant Sarwan DassJi on 11 June 1972 Sant Hari Dass Ji becamethird Gaddi Nasheen of the Dera. He startedconstruction of temple in the sweet memory ofSant Sarwan Dass Ji on 10th August 1972. Itwas completed in short span of period. It wasinaugurated on 11th June 1974. Idol of SantSarwan Dass Ji was installed in the temple onthat day. He used to say that if Sant SarwanDass Ji had survived for 10 more years, he wouldalso have become a saint. He built a 5-stroeytemple in a sweet memory of Sant Sarwan DassJi at Dera Bal. Satsang Hall was also constructed

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in the Dera. He always preached for naam-simranand abstaining from intoxicants. He used to read out to the sangatSangat kariye saadh ki bandion kare khudaLoha kanchan hot hai dekho paras laa.Dekho paras laa su mat kar mano haasaaSabh ban chandan hot hai jahan bawan ka vaasaa.Keh(i) girdhar kavi gai nadi sansei ki tariyeWadde bhaag jab hoi Santan di sangat kariye.

Sant Hari Dass Ji often said that this worldis musafirkhana and mithya.

Jinde meriay ni tera koi nahi, aiwen koorhavelian mallian ni () chhad dena ih des ihmaapian da phir aan na dekhengi galiyan ni ()charkha tand na pavna mile tainu, jadon kant nechithian ghalliyan ni () Tuun vi ronwdi jaawengiaiss shehron jiwen agliyan rondian challian ni ()

Shri Gurnam Chand Judge had 3 daugh-ters. Sant Sarwan Dass Ji blessed. He got 2 sonsalso. He visited Dera in 1973. His 3 daughtersand one son Bobby went to the nearby flowingcanal. In the course of washing hands in the run-ning water in the canal, his son Bobby fell into

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the canal and drowned. After hearing this newsSmt. Gurbachan Kaur fell unconscious. Sant HariDass Ji went to the canal with the devotees tofind out the boy. After search for one hour, theboy was seen floating at a distance of 1km. inthe canal. The boy was dead. The body wasbrought to the temple and placed before the idolof Sant Sarwan Dass Ji. The parents of the boyprayed to Sant Hari Dass Ji to have mercy. SantHari Dass Ji humbly prayed to Sant Sarwan DassJi to help and infuse breath in the boy. The boywas then sent to Dr. Shingara Singh at Jalandhar.The doctor examined the boy. The doctor toldthe boy that the boy was alright. The entire epi-sode was told to the doctor. The doctor toldthem that it was the mercy and blessings of thesaints that the boy is alive even though hedrowned and floated in the canal for one hour.In the meantime, the boy came to senses. Thedoctor asked the boy as to what had happened.The boy told that sant khoondi de naal mainubechaunde si, tun ithe ki karan aya si. In responseto the prayer of Sant Hari Dass Ji, Sant SarwanDass Ji saved the boy.

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Sant Hari Dass Ji left for his heavenlyabode on 6th February, 1982 at 11.00 am. HisBarsi is celebrated on 6th February each yearwith all devotion.

Shri 108 Sant Garib Dass Ji Sant Garib Dass Ji became fourth Gaddi-Nasheen of the Dera. He inherited a rich legacyof spirituality as well as social service to human-ity from his predecessor saints of the Dera. Hewas born in the family of revered father NanakChand Ji and revered mother Har Kaur Ji at vil-lage JALBHEY near Adampur in districtJalandhar in 1925. Sant Niranjan Dass Ji wasappointed as his assistant. He continued the ac-tivities of the Dera, started by Sant Sarwan DassJi, with greater fervour and devotion. He was aqualified vaid. He treated patients. Even thosepatients who were suffering from serious dis-eases were cured. He talked very little and always servedthe sangat. He used to say that speaking toomuch is not necessary in SEWA and SIMRAN.He first visited England in 1985 along with SantRama Nand Ji. The foundation stone of famous

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Guru Ravidass temple at Birmingham (U.K) waslaid by him. It was also inaugurated by him.Foundation stone of many other Guru Ghars inIndia and abroad were laid by him. He blessedlarge number of foreign devotees with naamdaan. He involved younger generation withGuru Ravidass Mission. He visited U.K. sixtimes, America thrice and Canada once only. His greatest contribution to human wel-fare was setting up of Sant Sarwan Dass Chari-table Hospital, at Koopur-Dhaypur (Kathar) indistrict Jalandhar dedicated to the memory ofhis Guru Sant Sarwan Dass Ji. Throughout hislife he served patients. By establishing thehospitsl on 22nd October, 1982, he ensured careof the poor patients even after his death. Start-ing ‘Begumpura Shehar’ weekly was equally agreat step in the direction of spreading GuruRavidass Mission to the masses. He laid foundation stone of Sant SarwanDass Memorial Teaching Block at Guru RavidassITI College, Phagwara. He built a model Saraifor stay of the pilgrims in the Dera. A grand ‘SantSarwan Dass Memorial Gate’ was built jointly

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by Sangat of village BAL and the Dera by himon Jalandhar-Pathankot Road, Bal. He got it in-augurated from Sant Ishar Dass Ji, Gopal Nagar,Jalandhar, on 11th June 1994. On 11th June 1994 (the Barsi Smagamday of Sant Sarwan Dass Ji) he told the sangatthat a big smagam will be held at Shri GuruRavidass Janam Asthan Mandir, Varanasi in theend of June 1994, and that all should accom-pany him. This journey was undertaken by railfrom 16th June to 23rd June 1994 in which manyof his followers from foreign countries also par-ticipated. It was very hot and humid in Varanasi.When the sangat asked Maharaj Ji why he chosesuch a weather to undertake this pilgrimage, hereplied that “I wanted to show you conditionsunder which we worked to construct thistemple.” A hugely attended Dharmik Smagamwas held on this occasion. Those people whowere part of this trip will never forget this pil-grimage. Only one month after returning fromVaranasi, he fell ill. He was admitted in aJalandhar Hospital. He left for his heavenly

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abode on 23rd July 1994 at 2.55 PM. His bodywas kept for “Antim Darshan” in Sant Hari DassSatsang Hall from 23rd to 25th July 1994 whenhe was cremated. Thousands of people badehim tearful farewell.

Shri 108 Sant Niranjan Dass JiSant Niranjan Dass Ji became

gaddinasheen of the Dera on 25-7-1994. He isa visionary, a thinker, steadfast in his convic-tions, divinely emancipated, perfect in simplic-ity, suave, accessible and truly a saint of the com-mon man. His heart beats and soul vibrates withthe sangat. He is dynamic in approach. He em-bodies the rich legacy of Baba Pipal Dass Ji,Swami Sarwan Dass Ji, Sant Hari Dass Ji, SantGarib Dass Ji and his former Wazir Qaum deAmar Shaheed Sant Rama Nand Ji. Whosoeverbows at his feet with purity of mind, he feelshimself exalted. He was born in the family of revered fa-ther Sadhu Ram Ji and mother Rukmani Ji on6th January 1942 at Ramdasspur (near Alawalpur)in district Jalandhar. His parents were devoteesof Baba Pipal Dass Ji and Swami Sarwan Dass

Ji. They often visited this Dera and attendedsatsang. Child Niranjan Dass also used to comewith his parents to the Dera. Swami Sarwan DassJi was very happy to talk with child NiranjanDass. Sant Niranjan Dass Ji started staying withSant Sarwan Dass Ji at the age of 8 years. SantSarwan Dass Ji once asked Shri Sadhu Ram thename of this boy. He told that his name is NiranjanDass but he is very lazy in doing work. SantSarwan Dass Ji said that he has named him asHAWAII GIR. This boy is not lazy but he willbe even faster then wind. Shri Sadu Ram thankedSatguru Ji. Since then when Maharaj Ji calledHawaii Gir, he would come running at once. Years gone by. Hawaii Gir had grownyoung. He had become more responsible now.He was very prompt in doing work. He was look-ing after the arrangements in the Dera himself. Sant Niranjan Dass Ji has visited UK. USA,Canada, Spain, Holland, Italy, France, Germany,Dubai, Greece and a host of other countriesalong with Sant Rama Nand Ji. He laid founda-tions stones of Guru Ghars in all these coun

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tries. As a Gaddi Nasheen, with the assistanceof Sant Rama Nand Ji, he took keen interest indevelopmental work at the Dera, Sant SarwanDass Charitable Hospital, Kathar, Shri GuruRavidass Janam Asthan Mandir, Varanasi,Begumpura Shehar weekly paper, Sant SarwanDass Model School Phagwara, Sant SarwanDass Charitable Eye Hospital, Guru RavidassSatsang Bhawan, Guru Ravidass Mandir atSirsgarh (Haryana), Guru Ravidass Mandir atPuna, Baba Pipal Dass Ji Sadhna Sthal,Gill PattiBhatinda and other social activities. 31 Kalsheswere installed at Guru Ravidass Janam AsthanMandir, Varanasi. Four storey building was con-structed for stay and additional land was pur-chased at Varanasi for the convenience of thepilgrims. Europeans devotees offered a GoldenPalki for Kashi Mandir. Gold Plating of centraldome of the Kashi temple was completed andinaugurated on 30th January, 2010, the auspi-cious occasion of 633th Jayanti of GuruRavidass Ji.

A special train is run from Jalandhar to

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Varanasi and back every year on Jyanti Purb forthe convenience of the pilgrims since 2000. TheSpecial Train Yatra is every body’s wish. It isvery interesting journey.

During all these years, Qaumi ShaheedBrahmleen Sant Rama Nand Ji played key rolein running the affairs of the Dera and comple-tion of the projects under the patronage of SantNiranjan Dass Ji. Sant Surinder Dass Bawa Jihas also been a big help in managing routine dayto day affairs. After the assassination of AmarShaheed Sant Rama Nand Ji, Sant Surinder DassBawa Ji extended whole-hearted support withfervour to Sant Niranjan Dass Ji. Virtually heoccupied the place in the hierarchy of the Derawhich was earlier held by Sant Rama Nand Ji. Itwas the farsightedness and vision of SantNiranjan Dass Ji that in the changed scenario heboldly supported announcement of Ravidassiareligion by the Sant Samaj and installed ‘AmritBani Satguru Ravidass Maharaj Ji’ at supremeRavidassia pilgrimage – Shri Guru RavidassJanam Asthan Mandir, Seer Govardhanpur,Varanasi immediately. The declaration of new

Ravidassia religious has been received by theRavidassia community, wherever they are, withopen arms. This step has created instantly self-respect, liberty and dignity in a Ravidassia. Nowhe is no longer dependent on others for pujapath. His own fearless God whom the poor areso dear is all pervading and all powerful. Neechai uooch karai meraa gobind Kahoo te na darai.

He is as strong as rock in goingahead for Shri Guru Ravidass Mission. EntireRavidassia community is with him.

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Qaum de Amar ShaheedShri 108 Sant Rama Nand Ji

Amar Shaheed Sant Rama Nand Ji wasa unique person of Ravidassia community. Histhoughts were unique, his actions were uniqueand his shahadat was unique. So far there is nonein the history who has spread Guru RavidassMission to the extent he has done. He was cru-sader in taking Guru Ravidass Mission to newheights. He traveled extensively in all major coun-tries of the world with Sant Garib Dass Ji andSant Niranjan Dass Ji. He recited hoarse the baniand teachings of Guru Ravidass Ji. As if he hadmagic powers, when he took his seat on the stage,there was pin-drop silence among the audienceand no one would leave the pandaal till the end.His explanations of inner meanings of amritbani were immensely appealing. Great was thetask of spreading Guru Ravidass Mission in

the world and greater still was his zeal to do it.He was poet, a writer, singer, engineer, agricul-turist, teacher, vaid, administrator, speaker,builder and above all a spiritually enlightenedsaint. He worked tirelessly for uniting masses inthe spirit of satsangat mil raheeye maadho jaise madhup makheera. He valued the writers, orators, singers,and others who made significant contribution infield of Guru Ravidass Mission and Dr.Ambedkar Mission. He honoured more than 51such distinguished persons with gold medals. Sant Rama Nand Ji was born in the fam-ily of his revered father Mehanga Ram andmother Jeet Kaur Ji on 2nd February, 1952 atRamdasspur near Alawalpur in district Jalandhar.He was a tyaag murti since boyhood. He gradu-ated himself from Doaba college Jalandhar in1972. He liked company of the holy persons.Members of his family did not like it. For mostof his time he remained busy in SIMRAN. How-ever, after some time, Sant Hari Dass Ji initiatedhim. He was blessed with Bhekh by Sant Garib

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Dass Ji. Whenever Brahmleen Sant Garib DassJi and Gaddi Nasheen Sant Niranjan Dass Ji vis-ited a foreign country, Sant Rama Nand Ji al-ways accompanied them. He was instrumentalin inspiring foreign Sangat to Naam Simran. Theaudience were, indeed, spell bound while listen-ing his satsang. He was an able administrator. He was thechief executive of the Dera. Under the guidanceof Sant Niranjan Dass Ji, he ran the dera man-agement most efficiently. He himself monitoredthe performance of each project. Sant Rama Nand Ji will be ever remem-bered for his unparallelled contribution is dis-semination of teachings and Bani of GuruRavidass Ji throughout the world. He was a tire-less preacher. He could handle the stage of lacsof audience. He was soft spoken but strict in hisprinciples. He was editor of ‘Begumpura Shehar’weekly and an award was conferred on him byBhartiya Dalit Sahitya Academy for his contri-bution to Dalit Sahitya. He was first in history toread out his speech on Guru Ravidass Ji in Brit

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ish Parliament on 28th May, 2007. He was ascholar of Bani.

The immediate impact of Shihadat ofSant Rama Nand Ji was that the entire Ravidassiaqaum in India was united at one platform. Whenwe make indepth critical study of past historyof Ravidassia community, we find that thesepeople have since beginning been making effortsto regain their lost glory. They had carried outstrong movements as detailed below for theirliberty: State Name of movement Panjab Ad-Dharam Movement Uttar Pradesh Jatav Movement Madhya Pradesh Ahirwal Movement Chhattisgarh Satnami Movement Andhra & Karnatka Madiga Movement

All these movements were started forseparate identity of Ravidassia Qaum. In for-eign countries the Ravidssias have already gotregistered their community as Ravidassia andthey have already got their Har(i) da nishanregistered with the authorities concerned. Therewere massive protests and demonstrations in all

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countries of the world against the assassinationof Sant Rama Nand Ji. Entire world now recog-nizes that there is Ravidassia Qaum.

In this background there was introspec-tion, contemplation and deliberations by theRavidassia community all over the world. Theresult of all this exercise was that RavidassiaReligion and ‘Amritbani Satguru RavidassMaharaj Ji’ as religious book were announcedon 30th January, 2010 by the Sant Samaj in thepresence of more than 10 lakhs of Ravidassiafollowers at Shri Guru Ravidass Janam AsthanMandir, Seer Govardhanpur, Varanasi, on theauspicious occasion of 633rd Jyanti of Shri GuruRavidass Ji. It was vociferously welcomed byall the followers present at the function. Theyshouted loud slogans “Jo bole so nirbhai,Satguru Ravidass Maharaj ki Jai”. Utmost hap-piness prevailed among Ravidassias in the world.‘Amritbani Satguru Ravidass Maharaj Ji’ wasinstalled immediately at Shri Guru Ravidassjanam Asthan Mandir, Seer Govardhanpur,Varanasi. All people could have darshan of Guru

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Ravidass Ji in the full moon on that night. Thisphenomenon was never witnessed before. It is agood omen for announcement of RavidassiaReligion.

Sangeet AcademyAs Amar Shaheed Brahmleen Sant Rama

Nand Ji was expert in Sangeet, he establishedGuru Ravidass Sangeet Academy in the Dera. Itwas inaugurated on 14-12-2008 at 1.00 pm byHis Holiness Sant Niranjan Dass Ji in the pres-ence of Sant Rama Nand Ji. Large number ofchildred and sangeet premis were present. Firstsong sang at the academy was a classical song.It was sung at the instance of Sant Rama NandJi. Regular classes are running in the academyunder the principalship of a highly experiencedmusic teacher. It may be mentioned that chil-dren were taught sangeet in the darbar of SantSarwan Dass Ji during his times. Now the sangeetteaching has been regularized by setting up GuruRavidass Sangeet Academy. He identified mis-sionary singers and writers. They were conferredGold Medals for their contribution to GuruRavidass Mission ‘Amrit Bani Shri Guru

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Ravidass Ji’ and ‘Begumpura Sehar ko naon’programmes prepared in his voice are telecastweekly from Jalandhar Doordarshan. ThisSangeet Academy will go a long way in spread-ing of message of Amritbani. He closely supervised and monitored con-struction of Shri Guru Ravidass Janam AsthanMandir, Seer Govardhanpur, Varanasi, SantSarwan Dass Charitable Hospital Kathar, ShriGuru Ravidass Satsang Bhawan Bal, GuruRavidass Mandir and Sant Sarwan Dass ModelSchool Hadiabad, Phagwara, Sant Sarwan DassCharitable Eye Hospital Bal, Shri Guru RavidassMandir Sirsgarh (Haryana), Karam Sthali BabaPipal Dass Ji and Janam Sthali of Swami SarwanDass Ji, Shri Guru Ravidass Mandir Katraj, Pune.At times he himself would start labour work. Heused to say, “I should do maximum seva of GuruJi. Who knows I may or may not get time after-wards.”“Jihra sama maharaj ji di seva wich lag jaweohi changa hai, ki pata phir sama mile namile”. Sant Niranjan Dass Ji and Sant Rama

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Nand Ji proceeded from Dera Sachkhand Balon 17-4-2009 on tour to European countries asa further step for dissemination of Guru RavidassMission. They traveled as below:Italy 17-4-2009 to 29-4-2009Germany 30-4-2009 to 1-5-2009Greece 2-5-2009 to 7-5-2009France 8-5-2009 to 9-5-2009Spain 9-5-2009 to 12-5-2009Portugal 13-5-2009 to 6-5-2009Germany 17-5-2009 to 22-5-2009Austria 23-5-2009 to 2-6-2009 They spread teachings of Guru RavidassJi and held religious discourses in Italy, Germany,Greece, France, Spain, Portugal. Finally reachedAustria on 23-5-2009. They stayed for the nightwith a devotee Shri Kishan Pal. In the morningon the unfortunate day on 24-5-2009, they tooktea and departed. They took break-fast with someother family. At about noon they reached ShriGuru Ravidass Temple, Vienna where thesmagam was to be held. Shri Guru Granth Sahibwas placed on a raised platform at a high place.Sant Niranjan Dass Ji and Sant Rama Nand Ji

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sat on the floor. The function had hardly startedwhen Sikh militants shot at Sant Rama Nand Jiand Sant Niranjan Dass Ji. Both the saints werewounded seriously. Streams of blood was flow-ing from their bodies. Sant Rama Nand wasslowly chanting Guru Ravidass Naam as if hewanted still more time to propagate the teach-ings of Guru Ravidass Ji. He became silent. Heleft for his heavenly abode on 25-5-2009 at about00.15 a.m. The voice of a great saint who hadspread Guru Ravidass Mission in the entire worldhad been silenced. Sant Niranjan Dass Ji sur-vived. Sant Niranjan Dass Ji along with body ofSant Rama Nand Ji flew from Vienna on 3-6-2009 by a special chartered plane and reachedNew Delhi at 5.00 AM on 4-6-2009. Theyreached Dera Bal in helicopter on 4-6-2009 at8.00 AM. His body was placed near main gateof Shri Guru Ravidass satsang Bhawan for antimdarshan by the public. Lacs of persons fromentire Punjab, HP, Haryana, Madhya Pradesh,UP and foreign countries traveled to Ballan tohave antim darshan of their beloved saint and

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who was so dear to them. They were sobbing,shrieking, and weeping in pain of death of SantRama Nand Ji. Large number of dignitaries hadalso arrived. The body was cremated at 4.00PM. His Angitha Sahib has been erected adja-cent to that of Brahmleen Sant Garib Dass Jinear Shri Guru Ravidass Satsang Bhawan.

He has sacrificed his life for GuruRavidass Mission. He has left a message for usall- ‘sat sangat mil raheeye maadho Jaise madhupmakheera.’

Sant Rama Nand Ji has becomebrahmleen in Vienna attack. The place of his mar-tyrdom - the place where he shed his blood forGuru Ravidass Mission – the place where hewas just to remind the devotees the teachings ofGuru Ravidass Ji- has been raised to a platform.A life size portrait of Qaum de Amar Shaheedhas been placed at that platform. The pilgrimspay their homage to great saint at this holy place.The marks of bullets in the walls have been pre-served to remind the visitors the heinous actionof assassins. Physically he is not with us. But

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his thought and teachings will continue to guideand inspire us to take the caravan to the destina-tion before we sleep.

Sant Surinder Dass Bawa Ji Sant Surinder Dass Bawa Ji is simple, truth-ful, accessible and visionary. He has assimi-lated traditions and legacy of the dera saints.Even in his young age, he displays maturity inhis dealings. After Sant Rama Nand Ji, Bawa Ji,as he is lovingly called, is the Chief Executive ofthe Dera. He oversees all the projects run by theDera. Bawa Ji was born in the family of his re-vered father Gurdas Ram Ji and mother BibiGurbachan Kaur Ji on 14th March 1973 at vil-lage Suchi Pind in district Jalandhar. His parentsare ideal disciples of Sant Sarwan Dass Ji. Once his mother Bibi Gurbachan Kaurfell seriously ill and was admitted in hospital.There was no hope of her survival. Sant SarwanDass Ji visited Bibi Gurbachan Kaur in the hos-pital. Sant Sarwan Dass Ji blessed and told his

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mother “tera jo bacha hai eh mar javega. Tutandrust ho javengi. Baad vich do hor larke paidahonge.” Bibi Ji replied, “Satguru Ji bada larkatuhada hovega.” Thereafter, Bawa Ji was born. He wasoffered to the dera. When he was 5 years oldSant Hari Dass Ji visited their house at SuchiPind. Uhna Bawa Ji nu bhagven kapre pehnaditte. As a student he often visited Dera. SantHari Dass Ji, Sant Garib Dass Ji, Sant NiranjanDass Ji and Sant Rama Nand Ji all blessed andloved him very much. He graduated himself from Doaba col-lege Jalandhar in 1995-96. After his study hejoined Dera. He learnt jaap, indepth meanings ofAmritbani, satsang, writing books from SantRama Nand Ji. When Sant Niranjan Dass Ji andSant Rama Nand Ji went on tour to foreign coun-tries for months together for dissemination ofGuru Ravidass Mission, he managed Dera af-fairs to their satisfaction. After the Martyrdom of Sant Rama NandJi, he successfully filled the void. He is alwaysin the seva of Shri 108 Sant Niranjan Dass Ji and

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the sangat.Ravidassia Dharam

After the martyrdom of Sant Rama NandJi entire Ravidassia community was agitated.They felt leaderless. For many years there wasurge of Ravidassia community for a separateidentity. Sant Rama Nand Ji had already pointedout in his speech delivered in the House of Com-mons, U.K on 28-03-2007 as below;

“Now worldwide there is strong urgeamong Guru Ji’s followers of establishing a sepa-rate identity of their own. But the pre-requisitesfor any people to establish a separate identityare-(i) Common Name, (ii) Common Guru, (ii)Common Place of Pilgrimage, (iv) CommonReligious Book, (v) Common Religious Sym-bol and a (vi) Common method of Salutation.It is for the intellectuals, thinkers and variousreligious institutions to debate over these issuesand take a well considered decision. The earlierit is done, better it will be for the community.”

Now the slogan of separate identity wason everybody’s tongue. All had focused theireyes on Dera Sach Khand Bal. All the Sant Samaj

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was contacted by the Dera. Sant SurinderDass Bawa Ji played a leading role in introduc-ing separate religion and separate religious book.The Sant Samaj decided to launch RavidassiaDharam and instal ‘Amrit Bani Satguru RavidassMaharaj Ji’ as religious book. Accordingly,Ravidassia Dharam, ‘Amrit Bani SatguruRavidass Maharaj Ji’ and Qaumi Nishaan HAR(i)were announced on 30th January 2010 in the pres-ence of more than ten lakhs of devotees, fromIndia and abroad, on the auspicious occasionof 633rd Guru Ravidass Jyanti Day at Shri GuruRavidass Janam Asthan Mandir, SeerGovardhanpur, Varanasi. The entire Ravidassia community inIndia and abroad have welcomed the announce-ment of Ravidassia Religion and ‘Amrit BaniSatguru Ravidass Maharaj Ji’. All are thankfulto the Sant Samaj for taking this historic deci-sion. Liberty and dignity of Ravidassia qaumlies in Ravidassia Religion. Let us all follow ourown religion in its true spirit.

Amritbani Satguru Ravidass Ji

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MaharajThis is the religious book of Ravidass

Religion. I has been formed by the Sant Samajof Ravidassia qaum after thorough research ofGuru Ravidass Bani available at present. It wasannounced by the Sant Samaj to the followersof Guru Ravidass Ji Maharaj throughout theworld on the auspicious occasion of 633rd BirthAnniversary of Guru Ravidass Ji at Shri GuruRavidass Janam Asthan Mandir, SeerGovardhanpur, Varanasi. It may be clarified thisreligious book contains bani of Satguru RavidassJi Maharaj Ji only. On the title page sumbol Har(i)adorns the holy book. It has one photo of GuruRavidass Ji and second photo of Shri GuruRavidass Janam Asthan Mandir, SeerGovardhanpur, Varanasi. Then there is a list ofPrinciples of Ravidassia Religions. Thereafter,there is mention of main particulars of GuruRavidass Ji. It contains 140 shabads, 40 pade,painti akhri, bani haftawar,bani pandran tithi,baran maas updesh,dohra, saand bani,anmolvachan (milni de samen), laawaan,suhagustat,manglachar, 230 salok. There are 177

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pages in all of the book. It has been installed inmajority of the States in India and in major coun-tries of the world. This holy book has beenwidely accepted and owned. Let us all worshipit.

Main Smagams of DeraSachkhand Bal

Maghi 14th JanuaryBarsi of Sant Hari Dass Ji 6th FebruaryShahidi Day of Sant Rama Nand Ji 25th MayBarsi of Sant Sarwan Dass Ji 11th JuneBarsi of Sant Garib Dass Ji 23th JulyFlag hoisting ceremony Pehla naurata

In addition to above functions, Baisakhiand Barsi of Baba Pipal Dass Ji are also cel-ebrated. Special satsang congregations are heldon each Sunday and each Sankranti. MaharajNiranjan Dass Ji blesses the devotees with NaamDaan (Initiation) every Wednesday. On thesedays, large member of devotees pay visit to theDera and seek blessings of His Holiness Sant

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Niranjan Dass Ji.

Shri Guru Ravidass JanamAsthan Mandir

Seer Govardhanpur, Varanasi(U.P.)

Shri Guru Ravidass Ji was born inVaranasi then ‘Kashi’ in the year 1377 AD(Bikrami Samvat-Magh Sudi 15, 1433). But evenafter six centuries of Guru’s Ji’s lifetime, his fol-lowers did not have any central place connectedwith his name till second half of twentieth cen-tury. One of the probable reasons could be thatafter the lifetime of Guru Ji, no one made anyeffort to preserve his legacy.

There is detailed account of the kind ofbeautiful palaces in which Shri Guru Ravidass Jiused to live in the book “Anant Dass kiParchayan” when Rani Jhalanbai came to meetGuru Ji. Anant Dass was the grandson of Sant

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Pipa Ji- a contemporary saint of Guru RavidassJi. Therefore, his account can be believed to bemost authentic. But it is also true that after thelifetime of Guru Ji no trace of any place accred-ited to the memory of Guru Ji was found inBenaras where he is believed to have lived forabout 151 years. This remains a mystery of his-tory.

The sacred task of perpetuating thememory of Guru Ji at Benaras and giving a be-fitting memorial in his name was undertaken bythe spiritual, visionary and revolutionary saint Shri108 Sant Sarwan Dass Ji of Dera Sach KhandBallan. He made strenuous efforts to make Baniof Guru Ravidass Ji popular among the sociallybackward and downtrodden people. He thoughthis job incomplete until the place where GuruRavidass Ji gave the sermon of Begupura wastraced out and a suitable monument built there.Swami Sarwan Dass Ji assigned this task to aselected group of people. The group went toVaranasi and surveyed the area near the BenarasHindu University. The Imlee tree and other indi-cators confirmed a location in a village Seer

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Goverdhanpur, in the outskirts of Varanasi nearBHU, as the birthplace of Guru Ravidass Ji, theplot of land was purchased and no time waslost to start construction of an impressive temple.The foundation stone of this Mandir was laid onMonday the 14th June 1965 on Ashad Sankrantiday by Sant Hari Dass Ji, along with a large num-ber of devotees of Dera Bal, specially deputedby Sant Sarwan Dass Ji for the purpose.

Once the foundation stone was laid, therewas no looking back. A large number of Sewadarsof the Dera were sent to Varanasi under the stew-ardship of Sant Garib Dass Ji to undertake andcomplete the construction. The place was un-developed, without an approach passage and itwas a Herculean task to manually carry construc-tion material to the site from a considerable dis-tance. Notwithstanding, the devotion to the Guru,dedication, the cause and aspiration of theSewadars surmounted all this. In this endeav-our, help came from public at large from withinas well as from outside the country. The Guru’sdevotees residing in U.K. and other foreigncountries were also keen to see the project com

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pleted and contributed according to their respec-tive individual capacities. The first phase of thetemple was completed in the year 1972. Manysaints from various Deras of Punjab and alsosome prominent figures of the community ac-companied Sant Garib Dass Ji to Benaras forthe inauguration ceremony on 22nd February1974. A Murti of Guru Rvidass Ji was installedin the Mandir on this occasion.

Simultaneously, a Murti of Sant SarwanDass Ji was installed as a token of recognitionof his contribution in giving followers of Guru Jian elegant Mandir at the birthplace of Guru Ji.

It has become a mission for the saints ofDera Sachkhand Ballan to develop in every pos-sible way this Janam Sthan Mandir so that it ac-quires the status and magnificence which aMandir at the birthplace of Guru Ravidass Jideserves. The Trust undertook additional con-struction work at the Mandir in the year 1993and the completion of second phase of Mandirculminated in the installation of a golden Kalsh,atop the Mandir dome on 7.4.1994 by BabuKanshi Ram Ji, in the presence of Sant GaribDass Ji, other saints and a large number of devo

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tees.Shri Guru Rvidass Birth Anniversary is

celebrated every year on Magh Purnima at ShriGuru Ravidass Janam Asthan Mandir, SeerGovardhanpur, Varanasi with great pomp andshow. Lacs of devotees from within and out-side the country visit this sacred Mandir to paytheir obeisance. For the convenience of the pil-grims a special train is arranged from JalandharCity to Varanasi every year from 2000 A.D. on-wards.

The followers of Guru Ravidass wish tosee the birth place temple of their Guru to be amagnificent temple. For this purpose they makegenerous donations. As a result of this the façadeof the Mandir was covered with white marble inthe first phase.

Guru Ji’s followers living in all parts ofthe world are sentimentally attached with thisMandir now. In the year 2007, the followers fromEurope expressed a desire to Maharaj Ji that theywished to donate a Swarn Palki (goldenpalanquin) as a token of their love and devotionfor their Guru. Maharaj Ji readily agreed to their

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request. Thus a Swarn Palki was taken in aShobha Yatra (religious procession) whichstarted from Dera Sachkhand Ballan and culmi-nated at Kashi Mandir, receiving overwhelmingresponse from Guru Ji’s followers in all thetowns through which it passed in the states ofPunjab, Haryana, Delhi and U.P.

Then came the historic moment for ourcommunity when Shri 108 sant Niranjan Dass Jiand Sant Rama Nand Ji thought of gold platingthe whole Mandir. Earlier 31 small and big domeshad been decorated with gold Klashes on 625thBirth Anniversary of Guru Ji.

The inaugural ceremony for gold platingthe Mandir had taken place in the year 2008 onthe occasion of Jyanti of Guru Ji. Fulfilling thedream of Sant Rama Nand Ji the top dome ofthe Mandir was bedecked with gold and inaugu-rated on the Jyanti celebrations in the year 2009.

The affairs of the Mandir are managed byShri Guru Ravidass Janam Asthan Mandir Pub-lic Charitable Trust, which makes continuousendeavours to enhance the facilities at the Mandirfor the convenience of the pilgrims. As a result

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of these efforts, a big Langar Hall and a YatriNiwas have been constructed.

Today Shri Guru Ravidass Janam AsthanMandir Varanasi is known worldwide amongfollowers of Guru Ji. It is Mecca for them, asymbol of Dalit Identity and Dalit awakening.

Swaran Palki The sangat of Birmingham had decorated

Shri Guru Ravidass Satsang Bhawan, at DeraSant Sarwan Dass Ji Sachkhand Bal with aGolden Palki. It was brought from Shri GuruRavidass Mandir, Phagwara to Dera SachkhandBal in a well attended procession on 14-2-2007.The sangat from U.K. had also attended this pro-cession. Followers of Guru Ji living in the areasadjoining to the route of the procession wel-comed the sacred Palki devotionally at manyplaces. The sacred Golden Palki was garlandedprofusely by them. The participants in the pro-cession were served tea, snacks, fruits, namkeenand sweets. The sangat has its darshan daily atDera Bal.

Like other followers, the devotees of Eu-rope were also very enthusiastic for decoration

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of Shri Guru Ravidass Janam AsthanMandir, Seer Govardhanpur, Varanasi. Theycherished to adorn Shri Guru Ravidass JanamAsthan Mandir, with a golden palki. A fascinat-ing big golden palki was prepared. Sant RamaNand Ji knew that the sangat has to be moti-vated to donate gold for the Swarn Palki. Hehimself composed an inspiring song addressedto the sadhsangat as below:

Chalo benaras sadhsangat ji,ik itihas rachauna haaiGuru Ravidass de mandir nuusone de vich marhauna hai

Pak pavittar dharti jithe,Guru Ravidass Ji aaye neQaum laii satgur ne jithelakhan kasht uthaii neWaang tarian us dharti da,har chirag chamkauna aye

Kasam assan nuu guru Ravidass desachian sewadaran diKasam assan nuu swami Sarwan Dass de

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par upkaraan diJinna chir kam sire nahin charhda,chain nal nahin sauna ayeKatra katra mil ke jiddan,ik samunder ban jaandaPatti patti jor ke ik,sone da mandir ban jaandaJo bhi banda sarda sabh ne,apna hissa pauna ayeDunian de har kone wichonchal paye sewak piare neGoonj rahe aj chauhin passin,satgur de jaikare neJanam dihara satgur da,garh kaanshi vikhe manauna aye

Jis satgur de duare chalke,khud parmeshar aye siJis satgur ne maya tyagi,paras vi thukraye siUs satgur da jhanda saari,duniya vich lehrauna aye

Swami sarwan dass ji ballan,walian di agwaii ayeSaari duniya de wich phaili,

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The meeting of Shri Guru Ravidass JanamAsthan Public Charitable Trust was held on 15-1-2008 under the Chairmanship of His HolinessShri 108 Sant Niranjan Dass Ji in the CommitteeRoom of Dera Sant Sarwan Dass Ji, SachkhandBal. The manner of transporting sacred GoldenPalki from Dera Bal to Shri Guru Ravidass JanamAsthan Mandir, Seer Govardhanpur, Varanasiwas discussed in detail. Various options wereconsidered. It was felt that maximum number offollowers of Satguru Ravidass Ji should be af-forded an opportunity to have darshan of sa-cred Golden Palki. It was, therefore, resolvedthat the Palki would be taken in a well plannedprocession from Dera Bal to Varanasi. Since itwas unique opportunity, a new unique bus fittedwith transparent glasses be got prepared. Ac-cordingly, a new bus fitted with transparentglasses and suiting to the dimension of the goldenPalki was prepared. On 15-2-2008, the bus wasparked in the open premises near Water Tank inDera Bal. Qaumi Shaheed Bramleen Sant Rama

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Nand Ji himself took keen interest in thedecoration of the bus. He took chair and satthere. It was decorated under his supervision.The entire bus, including the tyres was washedand cleansed. The bus was tastefully decoratedwith flowers, banners, posters, photos. In theevening Sant Rama Nand Ji called His HolinessShri 108 Sant Niranjan Dass Ji and a fewsewadars as the sacred Golden Palki was to beinstalled in the bus. Sant Surinder Dass Bawa Jiwas also present. At the instance of His Holi-ness Shri 108 Sant Niranjan Dass Ji, Sant RamaNand Ji said ardas. At the end of the ardas andshouting jaikaras “ Jo bole so nirbhai, GuruRavidass Maharaj ki jai” the sacred Golden Palkiwas installed in the bus. The entire bus was cov-ered with new cloth. On 15-2-2008, the devo-tees of European countries and other foreigncountries who were to accompany the ShobhaYatra had reached the Dera. Large number ofother yatris who were to go with the processionand still others who were to witness the cer-emony had also arrived. All were in colourfulclothes and gay mood. There was bahut chehal

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pehal in the Dera.On 16-2-2008 at 8.00 in the morning, the

decorated bus was brought to the main gatewherefrom the yatra was to commence. In thepresence of His Holiness Shri 108 Sant NiranjanDass Ji, Qaumi Shaheed Bramleen Sant RamaNand Ji said ardas before commencing theprocession. As the ardas came to close the devo-tees shouted “Jo bole so nirbhai, Guru RavidassMaharaj ki jai” repeatedly. At this moment theconch-shells and naads sounded, the bells rangand nigara was beaten continuously. SantSurinder Dass Bawa Ji and all those presentbowed to the pious Golden Palki in reverence.The driver started the bus. It moved slowly andmajestically. The impressive procession startedunder the lead of His Holiness Shri 108 SantNiranjan Dass Ji. Sant Rama Nand Ji too ac-companied. All other vehicles followed.

Sant Rama Nand Ji composed and re-corded the undermentioned song for playing onSound System throughout the route of SwarnPalki procession from Dera Bal to Benaras:

Son palki

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Son palki ji son palkiKinni sohni sangtan sajai palki

Guru Ravidass kiti kirpa apar jiPremian de dilan ch vasaya kina pyar jiAhnian nuu kardi sujakhe palki

Sangtan nuu jur behna guran samjhaya haiAisi soojh sadke nazara ajj paya haiSabhna nuu vanddi khumari palki

Dhan han europe niwasi guru sangtanCharhaian ne qaum nuu majithi jihna rangtanIho jihi dekhi nahi kade vi palki

Sone dian churian te gal vale har jiWaalian te kante keete Bheta nal pyar jiSach hai gariban di ji jaan palki

Uch koti karigaran laiyyan rijhan poorianDoor kare dilan vichon dilan dian doorianKanshi nuu rawaana hoi yatra son palki

Sach da sroop satgur Niranjan Dass Ji

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Bandgi khazana ditta guru Ravidass JiKarde agwaii Shobha yatra palki

Rame aiwen gallan kar kar na sunaii jaShubh Kaman ivch toon vi hissa kujh paii jaDilan diyan bhukhan aj lahiyan palki.

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The procession passed through Panjab,Haryana, Delhi, and Uttar Pradesh and reachedVaranasi 20-2-2008. The procession stayed fornight on 16-2-2008 at Ambala, on 17-2-2008 atNew Delhi, on 18-2-2008 at Agra, on 19-2-2008at Kanpur and reached Seer Govardhanpur,Varanasi on 20-2-2008. The pious Palki attractedoverwhelming homage from the vibrant sangatthroughout the route. It was so fascinating a jour-ney that only those who participated in it could

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best describe in a befitting manner. Thedevotees of the places enroute bowed to thespecially prepared glass fitted fortunate bus car-rying the sacred Golden Palki for SatguruRavidass Maharaj Ji. They washed it. Theycleansed it with their new clothes. They sprayedincensed liquid and perfume on the bus. Thedevotees were showering flowers and flowerson the fortunate bus. Even the road on whichthe procession passed was fully covered withflowers. Suitable words do not strike me to de-scribe the enthusiasm and devotion of thesangat, piety and beauty of the occasion. Holywas the occasion, holier still was the dedica-tion of the devotees. There was tears of joy intheir eyes. They were so much absorbed in thepious Palki that they forgot their own self. Prob-ably they will never see such a sacred journeyof Guru Ji’s golden Palki passing through theirown areas. It was a memorable event in the his-tory of Shri Guru Ravidass Mission. TheGolden Palki was inaugurated by Ms MayawatiJi, Hon,ble Chief Minister Uttar Pradesh on theauspicious occasion of Guru Ravidass JyantiDay on 21-2-2008. The press and electronic

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media vied each other for coverage of thehistoric event.

It was the dream of Sant Rama Nand Jito gold-plate Shri Guru Ravidass Janam AsthanMandir, Seer Govardhanpur, Varanasi. Firstphase of the project was completed when entirecentral dome of the temple was gold-plated andopening ceremony was performed by His Holi-ness Shri 108 Sant Niranjan Dass Ji on 30th Janu-ary, 2010 in the presence of more than ten lacsof saints and devotees from India and abroad.With this ceremony dream of Qaumi AmarShaheed Sant Rama Nand Ji has been fulfilled.

Shri Guru Ravidass MemorialGate, Lanka Chauraha, Varanasi

Shri 108 Sant Sarwan Dass CharitableTrust (Regd.) U.K. expressed the desire of hav-ing a monumental Gate in the memory of GuruRavidass Ji in Varanasi City at some prominentroad leading to the Mandir so as to perpetuatethe memory of Guru Ji.This project was again undertaken by Mandir

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Trust under the chairmanship of Sant NiranjanDass Ji.The foundation stone of the gate waslaid on 25-05-1997 by Sahib Shri Kanshi Ram JiBSP Supremo in the presence of prominent resi-dents of Varanasi, distinguished persons andsenior bureaucrats. Ms. Mayawati was Hon’bleChief Minister of Uttar Pradesh at that time.

The workers worked day and night. Spe-cially skilled stone layers were engaged fromRajasthan for this project. A huge Gate at LankaCrossing was built in a very short period. It is amatter of great pride for our community that thegate was inaugurated by the then His Excellency,the President of India, Shri K.R. Narayanan on16-7-1998. Shri Suraj Bhan Hon’ble Governorand Shri Kalyan Singh Hon’ble Chief Ministerof Uttar Pradesh and Babu Kanshi Ram werealso present.

At the time of inauguration of the gate,the President looked gay and happy. Disregard-ing the security barriers, he came out to the bar-ricades and shook hands with aam aadmi andsaints. It was so rare and happy moment. Thevisitors raised and waved their hand in his

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honour, applause and gratitude. Largenumber of Guru Ji’s devotees and saints fromPunjab and other states were present on the oc-casion along with Sant Niranjan dass Ji and SantRama Nand Ji. The writer was also fortunate toattend the inauguration ceremony of the gate.

After the inauguration of the gate, HisExcellency the President visited Shri GuruRavidass Janam Asthan Mandir, SeerGovardhanpur, Varanasi. At the instance of ChiefGuest, Qaumi Shahid Sant Rama Nand Ji nar-rated the entire story of research of this site andconstruction of the temple and the problemsfaced in this regard. The President took tea andsnacks with the Hazoor Maharaj Niranjan DassJi, Qaumi Shahid Sant Rama Nand Ji, membersof Shri Guru Ravidass Janam Asthan PublicCharitable Trust and other VVIPs. It is an un-forgettable day in the history of Guru RavidassMission.

The names of the trustees of SantSarwan Dass Charitable Trust (UK), who con-tributed for the construction of the gate, havebeen carved at the gate thereby immortalising

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their gesture of perpetuating the memoryof Satguru Ravidass Ji in the city of his asser-tion.

Yatri Niwas and Langer HallKeeping in view the convenience of pil-

grims to the Mandir, the Trust has acquired anAshram for their stay. Now a new four-storeybuilding has been constructed in this complex-each storey having 11 rooms with attached bath-rooms. The Trust has also built a huge Langarhall, for serving food to visitors to the Mandir.It was inaugurated by Shri 108 Sant NiranjanDass Ji, Chairman Shri Guru Ravidass JanamAsthan Public Charitable Trust (Regd.) on 18thFebruary, 2000 at 11.30 on the auspicious occa-sion of Jyanti Purb of Guru Ravidass Ji Maharaj.The opening ceremony of Second storey of theLanger hall was performed on 26-2-2002.

Shri Guru Ravidass Park &Smark, Shri Guru Ravidass Ghat

& Shri Guru Ravidass Setu

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It was due to the inspiration drawn fromthe activities of and the work carried out by theMandir Trust that the U.P Government alsothought of raising suitable memorials of GuruRavidass Ji in the city of Benaras. It has built abeautiful Shri Guru Ravidass park and smark atNagwa, a prominent place at the river “Ganga”.A spacious Guru Ravidass Ghat has also beenbuilt at the place. The new bridge over Ganganear the Mandir has been named Shri GuruRavidass Setu (bridge). The Janam Sthan Mandir of Guru Ji at SeerGoverdhanpur, Varanasi has now acquired thestatus of “Begumpura” for Guru Ji’s followerswho have started paying obeisance at this Placeof Pilgrimage in large numbers, which is grow-ing day by day. All the followers of GuruRavidass Ji throughout the world will remain in-debted to Sant Sarwan Dass Ji and his succes-sor Saints of Dera Sachkhand Ballan for givingthem this “Ultimate Place of Pilgrimage”.

Sant Sarwan Dass Charitable

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Hospital, Adda KatharAs is well known to the followers of Dera

Sant Sarwan Dass Ji, innumerable people havebeen cured of their physical and mental ailmentsby the Dwa as well as Dua i.e. through medicineand spirituality bestowed upon them by the Saintsof the Dera. This tradition has been continuingin the Dera since the life-time of Sant SarwanDass Ji. The successor Saints also followed thispractice.

To perpetuate the memory of his Guru,Sant Garib Dass Ji thought of starting a hospi-tal. He held consultations with Sh. Beli Ram andSh. Raj Mal for this purpose who offered todonate land for this purpose. Later Bibi Puroand Bibi Bhajno also donated their share of land.Panchayat of village Koopur also donated landfor this noble cause. The foundation stone ofthis hospital was laid by him at Adda Kathar,Distt. Jalandhar on 20-10-1982. A humble be-ginning was made by starting a dispensary on 1-1-1984. With the blessings of all Gaddi-NashinSaints of Dera Sach Khand Ballan this hospitalhas now assumed gigantic proportions runningsix specialilties and having 150 indoor beds.

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The hospital provides patient care by ahighly qualified team of doctors in the depart-ment of General Surgery, Medicine, Eye, ENT,Pediatrics and Gynaecology. Nearly 200 patientsare attended in the OPD daily.

The OPD services are supported by mod-ern diagnostic aids. For this purpose the hospi-tal is equipped with state of the art hospital gradeultra-sound machine, a modern laboratory hav-ing auto-analysers for blood and urine tests, anX-ray machine and a computerized ECG ma-chine etc.

The hospital is known for the general sur-gery being performed here. Appx 200 surgicaloperations are performed every month. The hos-pital has three operation theatres, which areequipped with state of the art machines such asLaparoscope, C-Arm, Boyle’s apparatus, fullyremote controlled OT tables and pulseoxymeters etc. All the sterilization needs of theOT’s and wards are met by the central horizon-tal autoclave.

Very nominal fee is charged for the hos-pital services to partially meet the hospital ex-penditure which is approximately 1.5 crores per

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year. The poor patients are not charges even thenominal fee and their expenditure is met byMaharaj Ji.

The management of the hospital is runthrough a Trust. Shri 108 Sant Niranjan Dass Jiis the Chairman of the Trust and he is assistedby a dedicated team of Trustees who alwaysthink of new ways for the improvement of hos-pital services & introduction of new infrastruc-ture in the hospital.Sant Sarwan Dass Charitable Eye

Hospital, Dera BalIn order to serve the elderly people, an

exclusive eye hospital has been established bythe Dera adjoining the Dera itself under the aegiesof Sant Sarwan Dass Charitable Hospital Trust.Shri Swarn Dass Bangar, Bibi Resham Kaur ofVillage Bal (U.K.) and their family became themotivating force behind the construction of thishospital. Since mid sixties they had been hold-ing an annual eye camp at the Dera, but due tosome restrictions imposed by the Governmentit became difficult to hold these camps. There-fore they mooted the idea of an exclusive eye

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hospital at the Dera and took the initiatve bydonating the major chunk of the expenditure in-curred on establishing this hospital. A donationof rupees one crore one thousand one hundredeleven was given by them for this project. Thefoundation stone was laid on 10-11-2004 by Shri108 Sant Niranjan Dass Ji. The construction ofthe hospital was completed in record time. Thehospital was inaugurated on 15th February, 2007by Shri 108 Sant Niranjan Dass Ji on the auspi-cious occasion of Birth anniversary of SantSarwan Dass Ji.

Modern machines such as Yag Laser,Phaco Emulsification machine, Carl-Zeiss Mi-croscope, Carl-Zeiss Slit lamp and A Scan etc.have been installed in the hospital.

People from far and wide areas of Punjabavail the facilities of this hospital. Nearly 200eye operations are performed every month.

Sant Sarwan Dass Model SchoolHadiabad, Phagwara

Sant Sarwan Dass Ji was a spiritual leaderof acknowledged acclaim besides being a great

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visionary and a social reformer. As a social re-former he was cast in the mould of all previoussocial reformers devoted to Dalit cause. ShriGuru Ravidass Ji, Mahatma Jotirao Phooley,Smt. Savitri Bai Phooley, Chhatrapati ShahujiMaharaj, Periyar E.V. Ramaswamy Naiker andDr. B.R. Ambedkar worked tirelessly in their ownway for the upliftment of the down-trodden.They laid particular stress on education amongDalits, because they believed that no progressin society was possible without education. SwamiSarwan Dass Ji was fully conscious about thenecessity of education among Dalits. Therefore,he used to collect students of poor people inthe Dera and gave them all facilities for acquir-ing higher education. Ultimately, the presentGaddi Nasheen Sant Niranjan Dass Ji in consul-tation with Sant Rama Nand Ji decided to havea school dedicated to the memory of SantSarwan Dass Ji and he laid the foundation stoneof Sant Sarwan Dass Model School at Hadiabad,Phagwara on 16-4-2002.

The opening ceremony of the School wasperformed on 19-2-2004 by Shri 108 Sant

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Niranjan Dass Ji. Regular studies in the schoolstarted on 5-4-2004.

The school is up to Senior Secondarylevel. The stress is to impart quality educationto the students who are mostly from poorer sec-tions of society. It is an English Medium schoolaffiliated to Central Board of Secondary Educa-tion, New Delhi up to +2 level. Besides humani-ties, medical and non-medical subjects are taughtat the senior secondary level. The Trust is mak-ing efforts to include vocational courses also inthe coming sessions.

The school is housed in a plot of 2.5 acresof land donated by Shri Brij Lal and his wifeBibi Gurdev Kaur, Phagwara (U.K.). It has got33 spacious class rooms, 6 well euipped labo-ratories, 2 general purpose halls, one wellequipped library, one auditorium and an officeblock.

The school has nine buses for carryingthe students to the school.The school has a separate 62.5 KVA diesel gen-erator.

Tuition fee is charged from the students

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is very low as compared to other private schools.Poor students are given further fee concession,criterion for which is the poverty of their par-ents. Scholarships to very poor students aregiven every year to impart them the educationabsolutely free. Some of these scholarships aresponsored by individual donors and the rest aregiven by the Trust.

The school is run under the managementof Sant Sarwan Dass Charitable Hospital TrustAdda Kathar, Distt. Jalandhar. It has got a SchoolManagement Committee under the Chairmanshipof Sant Surinder Dass Bawa Ji

Shri Guru Ravidass MandirHadiabad Phagwara

When a residential colony was being es-tablished in Hadiabad, Phagwara by Sh. Brij Laland Sh. Des Raj of Phagwara, they came upwith an idea to build a Shri Guru RavidassMandir in the colony. They not only donatedland for this purpose, but also bore the entireexpenditure of appx. Rs. 1.5 crores on the con

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struction of the temple. The Mandir houses aSatsang Hall, a Langer Hall and eleven rooms inthe temple.

The mandir was inaugurated on 19th Feb-ruary 2004 by Shri 108 Sant Niranjan Dass Jiwhen it was formally donated to the Dera. As asymbol of handing over the Mandir keys, a puregold key weighing one kilogram brought spe-cifically from UK by Shri Brij Lal was handedover to Shri 108 Sant Niranjan Dass Ji. Shri BrijLal also donated one Tata Safari car to the Dera.

The temple is now under the managementof the Dera.

Shri Guru Ravidass MandirSirsgarh (Haryana)

Dera Sant Sarwan Dass Ji is famous forspreading the philosophy and teachings of GuruRavidass both in India as well as abroad. Withthis end in view the Dera has established severalreligious places for spreading the mission of GuruRavidass Ji.

Knowing this pursuit of the Dera a fol-lower of the Dera Shri Gurbaksh Singh I.F.S. &

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his wife Bibi Raj Rani belonging to Sirsgarh,District Ambala (Haryana) requested Maharaj Jito build a Guru Ravidass Mandir in their village,to which Maharaj Ji agreed. For this purposethey donated a piece of land measuring 4 acres17 marlas Maharaj Ji for. The foundation stoneof the temple was laid on 31-7-2004 by Shri 108Sant Niranjan Dass Ji.

Major portion of the construction is com-plete. A big Satsang hall is under construction.The inaugural day function is held every year on31st July in which devotees from Haryana,Punjab, Uttar Pradesh, Delhi, Chandigarh par-ticipate in large numbers. This temple serves asa source of inspiration for the people of Haryana.

Free boarding and lodging facilities areavailable for all the pilgrims and especially thosepaying pilgrimage to Hardwar from the states ofPunjab & Delhi etc.

The temple is now under the managementof Shri Guru Ravidass Janam Asthan PublicCharitable Trust (Regd.) Varanasi.

Shri Guru Ravidass Mandir

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Katraj, PuneShri Guru Ravidass Mandir Katraj, Pune

is another link in the series of expanding GuruRavidass Mission the world over. One ShriSukhdeo Rangnath Waghmare from Pune hadan intuitional urge for building a suitable monu-ment befitting the stature of Satguru Ravidass JiMaharaj. As if it was preordained, Shri Waghmarehappened to visit Shri Guru Ravidass JanamAsthan Mandir, Seer Govardhanpur, Varanasi.He was wonder struck to see the gamut of monu-ments dedicated to the memory of Shri GuruRavidass Ji Maharaj there. There from, his con-viction became strengthened and real. He vis-ited Dera Sant Sarwan Dass Ji, Sachkhand Bal.With all humility he opened his mind to Shri 108Sant Niranjan Dass Ji and Sant Rama Nand Ji.After two three meetings a lay-out of plan wasunfolded.

A two acre plot was donated by ShriS.R.Waghmare and his wife Bibi Radha onKatraj-Kundwa Road, Pune for building ShriGuru Ravidass temple. The foundation stone ofthe temple was laid on 7th December, 2003 by

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Shri 108 Sant Niranjan Dass Ji. Sant Rama NandJi and several trustees and other distinguishedpersons were also present on the auspiciousoccasion. 85’X35’ double storey temple hassince been completed. A gate and a tower areunder construction. If and when any of GuruJi’s follower from the world over gets a chanceto visit Pune, visit to this sacred temple is es-sentially a part of his/her itinerary.

The sacred temple is also under the man-agement of Shri Guru Ravidass Janam AsthanPublic Charitable Trust (Regd.) Varanasi.

Begumpura Shehar WeeklyMaharaj Garib Dass Ji was a visionary

saint. He also understood the importance of hav-ing such a newspaper, as would serve the causeof the community and propagate the teachingsand philosophy of Guru Ravidass Ji. With thismotive in view he decided to start a religiousweekly named ‘Begumpura’. In the presenceof many saints from Punjab, Sant Garib Dass Jilaid the foundation stone of a building on 23-1-1991 for housing a printing press for giving avoice to the poor people. On 23rd July, 1991

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Begumpura paper was inaugurated at MohallaSunder Nagar, Jalandhar. Its first publication waspublished on 15th August; 1991.The weekly isserving our people till date with a new name‘Begumpura Shehar’. The circulation of thispaper has increased manifold. It has been suc-cessful in conveying to the readers the teach-ings and message of Satguru Ravidass MaharajJi the world over. In addition, it has been on theforefront in raising the issues of the oppressedand down-trodden communities regarding hu-man rights, equality, liberty, fraternity, co-exist-ence, education, cruelty consciousness, awak-ening, identity, dignity, brotherhood, adventure.Above all it has been able to educate its readersin imbibing human values.

Shri Guru Ravidass SatsangBhawan, Dera Bal

Sat sangat mil raheeye maadho Jaise madhup makheera.

It has been the tradition of this Dera to

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hold daily, weekly, monthly and annual gather-ings for holding religious discourses. Baba Pi-pal Dass Ji used to hold small gatherings in vil-lage Bal and inspired the audience to inculcatenoble values in their life and be a valuable mem-ber of society and to worship God. Sant SarwanDass Ji held Satsang daily in the morning andthe evening. Monthly Satsang was held on theSankranti day in the open place of the Dera un-der the trees. Sant Hari Dass Ji also continuedthe tradition of usual religious gatherings. SantGarib Dass Ji was the first saint of the Dera whovisited England for the first time in 1985. QaumiAmar Shaheed Sant Rama Nand Ji also accom-panied him. Thereafter, he visited United Stateof America and Canada several times. QaumiAmar Shaheed Sant Rama Nand Ji always ac-companied Sant Garib Dass Ji to the foreigncountries. In this process the number of follow-ers of this Dera swelled manifold. The numberof devotees in the daily, weekly and monthlySatsangs increased considerably. Need of aSatsang Hall was felt during the period of SantHari Dass Ji.

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A spacious Satsang Hall named Sant HariDass Satsang Hall was built in the Dera premisesin the year 1977. The religious meetings andKirtan were held in this building even up to theyear 2000. As a result of extensive touring bySant Garib Dass Ji and later by Sant NiranjanDass Ji along with Qaumi Amar Shaheed SantRama Nand Ji both in India and abroad forspreading Guru Ravidass Mission, the numberof followers of the Dera increased to a huge num-ber. It was not possible to accommodate thegathering in Sant Hari Dass Satsang Hall. Anunexpected whirlwind, hailstorm and rain dis-turbed many functions. In the interest of smoothcelebration of the functions necessity of a verybig Satsang Bhawan was felt. At the instance ofShri 108 Sant Sarwan Dass Charitable Trust U.K.and many devotees of foreign countries the de-cision to build Satsang Bhawan was finalized.In this process many devotees promised liberaldonations for the purpose. Whenever, there wasmeeting of the Trust and foreign devotees thisissue was again discussed at length. Shri SwaranDass Bangar of village Bal (Chathem kent, U.K.)

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also attended many such meetings.In the concluding years of the twentieth

century, someone proposed the land situatednear the Dera and owned by Shri Swaran DassBangar as the suitable site for the SatsangBhawan. After consultation of members of hisfamily, Shri Swaran Dass Bangar offered to do-nate his 2.5 acres of land and Rs. one lakh forthe proposed Satsang Bhawan. Everybodylauded the offer and expressed thanks to the fam-ily of Shri Swaran Dass Bangar.

The lay-out of the Satsang Bhawan wasprepared and it was finally approved in its presentshape. The name of the Satsang Bhawan wasapproved as Shri Guru Ravidass SatsangBhawan. The foundation of Shri Guru RavidassSatsang Bhawan was laid on 12th March, 2000in the presence of thousands of devotees. Oncethe foundation stone was laid, there was no look-ing back. There was exuberant enthusiasmamongst the followers of Guru Ravidass Ji forconstruction of the Bhawan named after ShriGuru Ravidass Ji. Thousands of devoteesthronged to the site for taking part in the con-struction process. Everyone thought that they

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will be lucky who make manual contribution,whatever little it is, in digging the foundation ofthe sacred building. Qaumi Shaheed BrahmleenSant Rama Nand Ji led the crowd in this task.He folded his dhoti. He was seen digging thefoundation. Soon he was seen lifting the soil. Itwas enough for the devotees. Every body viedwith each other for carrying tokris full of soil tobecome fortunate enough. Some were seen dig-ging the soil. Others were carrying the soil. Itwas, indeed, a memorable scene. It was surpris-ing to note that the foundation of the entire build-ing was dug up in a few days only.

The workforce consisting of engineers,technicians, bar-binders, moulders, shutteringworkers, machine operators, mistries, skilledand unskilled labour, office staff- all worked tire-lessly. Foremen and Project Manager were al-ways on their toe. There were no scheduledworking hours. All were working upto late atnight. The management had struck the deal withproduction factories for supply of the qualitymaterial; that too at the heavy discount rates. Itwas indeed a co