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Question 13 of 17 · Socio-Religious Reform Movements
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Baba Dayal Das, who founded the Nirankari movement in the 19th century and emphasised the worship of God as 'Nirankar' (formless), worked mainly in:

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Answer: Option A — Punjab

Detailed Solution

Baba Dayal Das (1783-1855) founded the Nirankari movement in Punjab, emphasising the worship of God as "Nirankar" (the formless one).

About Baba Dayal Das:

  • He was born in Peshawar, and later settled in Rawalpindi (both now in Pakistan).
  • He was a reformer within the Sikh community.
  • He was concerned that Sikhism had come under the influence of Hindu rituals, idol worship and Brahmanical customs, which went against the teachings of Guru Nanak.

His teachings:

  • God is formless (nirankar), and should be worshipped through remembrance of His name (naam simran), not through idols.
  • He opposed idol worship, the worship of tombs and living saints, and costly rituals.
  • He emphasised simple ceremonies for birth, marriage and death, based on the Sikh scriptures.
  • He introduced the "Anand" form of marriage ceremony, performed in the presence of the Guru Granth Sahib.
  • He opposed drinking, eating meat and lying.

The Nirankari movement:

  • It was one of the earliest reform movements among the Sikhs in the 19th century.
  • It aimed to restore the purity of the teachings of the Sikh Gurus.
  • After Baba Dayal Das, his successors, Baba Darbara Singh and others, continued the movement.
  • It later became known as the "Nirankari" sect.

📌 Remember

The modern "Sant Nirankari Mission", founded in 1929, is a different organisation.

Other Sikh reform movements:

  • Namdhari (Kuka) movement: founded by Baba Ram Singh in 1857; it opposed British rule and cow slaughter.
  • Singh Sabha movement (1873): founded at Amritsar to revive Sikh traditions and promote education.
  • Akali movement (1920s): to free gurdwaras from the control of corrupt mahants.

Why not the other options?

  • ✗Bengal, Maharashtra and Gujarat were not the centre of this movement.

Quick tip

Remember: Nirankari movement = Baba Dayal Das (Punjab; Rawalpindi; worship of the formless God; opposed idol worship); Namdhari = Baba Ram Singh; Singh Sabha = 1873.

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Socio-Religious Reform Movements — Preparation

This question tests your understanding of Socio-Religious Reform Movements, a key topic in the General Knowledge section. The detailed solution above uses a step-by-step approach to show the reasoning, and where available, a shortcut that helps you solve similar questions in under 90 seconds during the actual exam.

In the 19th century, reformers worked to remove social evils and revive Indian society. This topic covers organisations such as the Brahmo Samaj, Arya Samaj, Prarthana Samaj, Ramakrishna Mission, Theosophical Society, Satyashodhak Samaj and the Aligarh Movement, along with their founders and the social reforms they achieved. Questions usually ask who founded an organisation and when, or which reformer is linked to a reform. For example, Raja Ram Mohan Roy founded the Brahmo Samaj and campaigned against sati, Ishwar Chandra Vidyasagar championed widow remarriage, and Jyotiba Phule founded the Satyashodhak Samaj. A table of organisation, founder, year and place covers most questions. Practise the socio-religious reform movements questions below, written in the style of the general awareness sections of exams such as SSC, banking, railways, CUET GAT, MAH CET and CLAT. Each question comes with a detailed explanation that adds related facts, so every question helps you revise more than one point.

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