Recently the Election Commission of India (ECI) has postponed the assembly elections due to the importance of Ravidassia community in Punjab.
The state government and political parties expressed concern that many devotees would be debarred from voting in Varanasi (at a memorial temple) due to the celebration of Guru Ravidas’ birth anniversary on February 16.
According to the Hindu lunar calendar, the birth anniversary of Guru Ravidas is celebrated on the full moon day in the month of Magha.
Introduction:
The Ravidasiyas belong to the Dalit community, most of whom live in the Doab region with a population of about 12 lakh.
Dera Sachkhand Ballan which is his largest dera with two million followers worldwide, was established by Baba Sant Pipal Das in the early 20th century.
Despite being closely associated with Sikhism in the past, the dera broke off decades-old ties in 2010 and announced that they would follow the Ravidasia religion.
This announcement was made on the occasion of Ravidas Jayanti in Varanasi.
From the year 2010, Dera Sachkhand Ballan replaced the Guru Granth Sahib in Ravidasiya temples and gurdwaras with its own scripture, the Amritbani, which contained 200 hymns of Guru Ravidass.
Guru Ravidas:
Guru Ravidas was a mystic poet saint of the Bhakti movement of the 15th and 16th centuries and founded the Ravidasia religion.
It is believed that he was born in Varanasi in the family of a cobbler.
He gained fame for his belief in one God and for composing unbiased religious poems.
He devoted his whole life to the abolition of caste system and openly condemned the concept of Brahminical society.
His devotional songs made an instant impact on the Bhakti movement. About 41 of his poems were also included in the Sikh religious text ‘Guru Granth Sahib’.
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