Tatt Khalsa

Tthe 'pure' Khalsa, or those of the elect among the Sikhs who adhere to the doctrines of Guru Govind Singh. The term dates back to the time of Baba Banda trusted disciple of that Guru, who, after his death proclaimed himself as the eleventh Guru. Those who accepted his claims came to be known Bandai-Khalsa but others who did not adhere to this and under the guidance of Mata Sundri (wife of Guru Gobind Singh), became 'Tat Khalsa' (pure Khalsa). With the fall of Banda bahaddur, his following gradually melted away and the term Tat Khalsa also fell into disuse. It has been revived recently, by the class known as the Neo-Sikh party (a term disliked by the Sikhs of that class) who are wholly and solely devoted to the tenets of the 10 Gurus and do not like their religion to be corrupted by association with any non-Sikh belief. They are trying to restore the faith to what they consider its pristine purity. The term Tat Khalsa appears to have been taken up by the Hindus who are opposed to the separatist movement of the Sikhs as a nickname and is now resented by the followers of this new reform movement. The members of this group disregard caste and restrictions on eating and drinking, and aim at establishing a universal brotherhood amongst the Sikhs, with views, liberal in some respects and orthodox in others, based mainly upon convenience. The movement is more or less reac-tionary and although averse to fanaticism it enjoins a very strong esprit de corps. The chief centre of the movement is Amritsar. Khalsa means 'the pick' and implies the true followers of Guru Gobind Singh. The term is applied generally to all keshadharis, but has recently acquired a special significance similar to that of Tat Khalsa. Punjab Census Rep./, 1912.