Dera Sach Khand

For the Sikh term, see Sach Khand.

Dera Sachkhand Ballan
ਡੇਰਾ ਸੱਚ ਖੰਡ ਬੱਲਾਂ
AbbreviationDSB[1]
Formationc. 1900
HeadquartersDera Sach Khand, Punjab, India
Founder
Pipal Dass
Gaddi Nashin (leader)
Niranjan Dass

Dera Sach Khand Ballan (Punjabi: ਡੇਰਾ ਸਚ ਖੰਡ ਬੱਲਾਂ (Gurmukhi); ڈیرہ پالیسیاں کان بالا (Shahmukhi)), also known as Dera Sant Sarwan Dass or Dera Ballan,[2] is a Ravidassia dera[1] based in the village of Ballan near Jalandhar, Punjab, India. It was founded by Pipal Dass soon after 1900, and it played a role in the Ad Dharm movement to popularize the image of Ravidas as a guru. It has since adopted the mission of spreading the teachings of Ravidas and advancing public education and healthcare in India.

For much of its history, Dera Ballan's teaching was based on Sikh scripture including the works of Ravidas.[3] In 2009 in Vienna, Sikh militants attacked a Dera Ballan ceremony, killing a senior official and injuring the then-Gaddi Nashin (leader). In the following year, the Dera formally established a separate religion, Ravidassia Dharm, and they introduced their new religious text, Amritbani Guru Ravidas.

In addition to its headquarters in Ballan, Dera Sach Khand manages the Shri Guru Ravidas Janam Asthan Mandir at Seer Goverdhanpur, the Sarwan Dass Charitable Hospital in Jalandhar district, and the Sarwan Dass Model School in Phagwara.

  1. ^ a b Singh, Gurharpal (2012). "Religious Transnationalism and Development Initiatives: The Dera Sachkhand Ballan". Economic and Political Weekly. 47 (1): 53–59. ISSN 0012-9976. JSTOR 23065577.
  2. ^ Ram, Ronki (2008). "Ravidass Deras and Social Protest: Making Sense of Dalit Consciousness in Punjab (India)". The Journal of Asian Studies. 67 (4): 1341–1364. doi:10.1017/S0021911808001800. ISSN 0021-9118. JSTOR 20203488.
  3. ^ "From Sikh Ambit to Separate Ravidassia Dharam". Hindustan Times. 15 March 2016.