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The Hub Of Sikhism
Brigadier Jagjit Singh Ahuja (Retd) Consultant HRD
HYDERABAD - THE HUB OF SIKHISM (SIKHI, SIKH ROAD , SIKH VILLAGE , SIKH CHOWNI)
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There may be only one place on our planet which can boast a conglomeration of these four elements of Sikhism and their holy places , the Gurudwaras . This place is Hyderabad and its twin city of Secunderabad, the capital of Telangana State. Many people may not be aware of these facts. There has been a long history of Sikhs coming to South India in general and to Hyderabad in particular. The historical records in print show that Sikhism struck roots in this part of the world with the arrival of around 300 Sikhs from Punjab at Nanded in 1708 alongwith Guru Gobind Singh ji. Nanded , now in Maharashtra State was then part of princely state of Nizam of Hyderabad. Then around 1830, Maharaja Ranjit Singh sent 150 men for the construction of Gurdwara Takht Sachkhand Sri Hazur Sahib Abchalnagar at Nanded in the memory of Guru Gobind Singh who breathed list last in Nanded on 7th October 1708. While some of these Sikhs went back to their native place on completion of the Gurudwara , many of them stayed back and settled in and around Hyderabad.Those who settled in Hyderabad married local women, raised Sikh families, and built Gurudwaras wherever they were living in sufficient numbers. Their descendents started performing marriages within the budding Sikh community, mostly concentrated in towns such as Hyderabad/Secunderabad, Nanded, Aurangabad, Nizamabad, Karimnagar and Warangal. The total population of Sikhs as per 1911 census rose to 4,637. They came to be known as Dakkhani (Southern) Sikhs , preserving their religious and cultural identity, observing the sanctity of five Ks as the true Sikhs of Guru Gobind Singh Ji. Several Sikhs found employment in the irregular forces of the Nizam. The real influx of Sikhs here started especially in Hyderabad /Secunderabad , when they were uprooted from Pakistan after independence to find new abode for settlement . They were mostly traders. They started calling their uprooted relatives looking for a place with congenial environment for their...
settlement , as they were deeply influenced the way of life of the Dakkhani Sikhs. Their population started increasing manifold rising to 30,998 as per 2001 Census .
SIKH ROAD AND SIKH VILLAGE
With the large migration of Sikhs to South India in general and to the areas mentioned above in particular, two prominent areas by name Sikh Village and Sikh Chovni came up during different periods . The book “Sikhs in the Deccan and North-East India” by S. Birinder Pal Singh highlights to great extent the evolution of these two areas connected with the Sikhs . This scholarly work provided a major intervention in the understanding of the dynamics of the migrations of Sikhs to Hyderabad and Nanded in earlier periods . It traces the historical roots of certain migrant Sikh communities to the South and examines the socio-economic conditions of Sikhs , believed to be the descendants of the soldiers in Maharaja Ranjit Singh's army who were dispatched to Hyderabad and Nanded in the early nineteenth century. The Secunderabad area, then a small suburb of Hyderabad and at present the capital of Telangana State , where these Sikhs were made to camp initially , came to be known as Sikhul Thota , and later as Sikh Village . As per records, the name has been attributed to some of the Nizam's troops of Sikh community being settled here a century ago. The landscape of the Sikh village was largely lush green fields of fruits and vegetables hence the name Thota, was prefixed . The road abetting this village came to be known as Sikh Road .There is a Gurudwara and a Temple , a unique combination under the same roof in this village. In pre-Partition India, Hyderabad Deccan was qualified as the abode of the Dakhani Sikhs and other Sikh communities in the South . These three place are shown in the map and satellite imagery below-
Part of map of Hyderabad Secunderabad
Currently there are many Sikhs in this area with flourishing business as contractors, transporters, industrialists, educationists, lawyers and farming . They have now become part of the main stream forming an important element in the States of Telangana and Andhra Pradesh . Their combined population in Telangana and Andhra Pradesh. Was 40,244 as per 2011 Census. A large number of defence officers , mostly from the army , have been settling here in Hyderabad / Secunderabad after retirement from Corps of EME and Ordinance , where they have a number of Training Centers and their units . Their number has been rising and may reach one lakh by 2021 . There are 41 Gurudwaras in and around the twin cities of Hyderabad – Secunderabad. The most prominent of them are at Secunderabad , Afzalganj , Ameerpet , Autonagar ,Gowligudda , Ballanagar ... ,Alwal ,Manovikasnagari,j Rehmatnagar ,Seetaphalmandi ,Asha Singh Bagh and Barambala Attapur also known as Sikh Chowni. The Gurudwara in the Sikh Chowni is the largest gurudwara in Telangana State with a capacity to accommodate around 10,000 persons . They have also made arrangements in their premises to respectfully give farewell to old gutakas (holy books/booklets) and non-usable copies of Sri Guru Granth Sahib . In addition, there are army run unit Gurudwaras of Army Ordnance Corps , Artillery Center , and of Corps of Electrical Mechanical Engineers (EME) . The layout of EME Gurudwara and its building are magnificent . This Gurudwara has become a land mark of attraction for visitors coming to Hyderabad. All gurupurabs are celebrated with gaiety , pump and show. The major gurupurabs are also celebrated at other gurudwaras .
