In news- Recently Former Uttarakhand chief minister Harish Rawat apologised for comparing Punjab Congress chief Navjot Sidhu and his four advisers to the Panj Piare.
About Panj Piara-
- ‘Panj Piare’ is a concept and tradition founded by 10th Sikh Guru Gobind Singh.
- He established the institution while founding the Khalsa on the day of Baisakhi in 1699.
- Addressing a large gathering, he asked for five heads for sacrifice.
- Five men responded to his call and the Guru baptised them and called them Panj Piare.
- Since then, every group of five baptised Sikhs is called Panj Piare and accorded the respect enjoyed by the first five Sikhs.
- They were from different castes and states of India. While Bhai Daya Ram hailed from Lahore, Bhai Dharam Rai was from Hastinapur in Uttar Pradesh, Bhai Himmat Rai came from Jagannath in Odisha, Bhai Mohkam Rai from Gujarat and Bhai Sahib Chand was from Bidar, Karnataka.
- In return, Guru Gobind Singh made them drink Amrit (sweet water prepared by reciting Gurbani) from one utensil and suffixed Singh with their names and renamed them Bhai Daya Singh, Bhai Dharam Singh, Bhai Himmat Singh, Bhai Mohkam Singh and Bhai Sahib Singh.
- He himself got baptised from them at the same stage to tell the Sikhs that Panj Piaras have higher authority and decision making power than anyone in the community.
- Any baptised Sikh can become a Panj Piare.
- The unanimous decision taken by Panj Piare has to be followed by everyone in the community.
Source: Indian Express
