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Sau Sakhi (lit. Hundred Anecdotes), also known as Guru Ratan Mal, is a collection of hundred sakhis traditionally attributed to Bhai Ram Kanwar, a descendant of Baba Buddha who had dictated it to scribe Sahib Singh. Sau Sakhi has multiple perspectives, with its authenticity being debated. The text is held high in regard by the Namdhari and the Nihangs.
History
The text was originally titled Panj Sau Sakhi (lit. Five Hundred Anecdotes), but was later divided into five parts with each part being known as Sau Sakhi. The existence of a text called Panj Sau Sakhi was unknown until a manuscript was discovered in 1815 at Thanesar and presented to Amar Singh Singhpuria. The text, a combination of Hindi for prose and Punjabi for verse, was written in c. 1724 – c. 1734. Some parts of the original Sau Sakhi have been lost; the text has been interpolated and corrupted. However, later interpolations were easily decipherable. One version of the text prophesied the rule of the Sikh Empire over the Indian subcontinent about a year after this version was revealed; the Sikh Empire was defeated by the East India Company in the Second Anglo-Sikh War, and the empire ceased to exist. Later versions prophesied an invasion from the Russian Empire, leading to the downfall of the British. Another version prophesizes that Ram Singh Kuka will conquer all of the Punjab and establish Namdhari rule. Sir Attar Singh of Bhadaur translated the book to English in 1873 and published it in Varanasi. Several versions were published after 1890 in Punjabi, with almost all of them contradicting each other. Nihangs look forward to the revival of Khalsa rule and the Namdharis. The British published their own versions during the Revolt of 1857, which prophesied an alliance between Sikhs and the British and both of them capturing Delhi together. The Sikhs were the main component of the British army, which assaulted Delhi.
References
- W. H. McLeod. Sikhs of the Khalsa A History of the Khalsa Rahit. Oxford University Press. p. 139. ISBN 9780195659160.
- Max Arthur Macauliffe. The Sikh Religion Its Gurus, Sacred Writings and Authors. Cambridge University Press. pp. 137, 138. ISBN 9781108055475.
- Harbans Singh. The Encyclopaedia of Sikhism: S-Z. Punjabi University. p. 81. ISBN 9788173805301.
- J. S. Grewal. The Sikhs of the Punjab Volumes 2-3. Cambridge University Press. p. 142.
- Nayyar, G.S., ed., Gur Ratan Mal : Sau Sakhi, Patiala, 1985
- NOT A NICE MAN TO KNOW The Best of Khushwant Singh. Penguin Books Limited. p. 142. ISBN 9789351182788.
- "SAU SAKHI". thesikhencylopedia. Retrieved 1 August 2023.
