Masand

The word masand (Punjabi: ਮਸੰਦ) is an adaptation of the Persian term 'masnad' (Punjabi: ਮਸਨਦ),{{cite book |last1=Singh |first1=Satbir |title=Sāḍā itihāsa: Pañjāba dā itihāsa, Volume 1 |date=1957}} which refers to 'a seat' that is at a lower level than the throne. The Guru was the highest authority while masands were emplaced to spread the message of Sikhism and given the authority to baptize individuals converting to Sikhism. During conversions happening in the absence of the Guru, the new convert would touch the feet of the masand or drink the water they had dipped their toe in, in order to become initiated into the Sikh religion.{{cite book|author1=Lewis R. Rambo|author2=Charles E. Farhadian|title=The Oxford Handbook of Religious Conversion|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=U03gAgAAQBAJ&pg=PA494 |year=2014|publisher=Oxford University Press|isbn=978-0-19-971354-7|pages=494–495}}

It is unclear when the masand system started. It began with Guru Amar Das in some accounts, by Guru Ram Das in other accounts, or Guru Arjan by still other accounts.History of Sikh Gurus Retold: 1469-1606 C.E Volume 1, Surjit Singh Gandhi (2007), Atlantic Publishers & Dist, Page 321 A masand was appointed for each religious administrative unit called the Sikh Manji, a system that was founded by Guru Amar Das.{{cite book|author1=William Owen Cole|author2=Piara Singh Sambhi|title=The Sikhs: Their Religious Beliefs and Practices|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=zIC_MgJ5RMUC&pg=PA22| year=1995| publisher= Sussex Academic Press|isbn=978-1-898723-13-4|pages=20–21}}{{cite book|author1=Louis E. Fenech|author2=W. H. McLeod|title=Historical Dictionary of Sikhism|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=xajcAwAAQBAJ&pg=PA29|year=2014|publisher=Rowman & Littlefield|isbn=978-1-4422-3601-1|pages=29–30}} This system was expanded by later Sikh Gurus.Page 95, Sikhism Origin and Development, Dalbir Singh Dhillon. Atlantic Publishers & Distri

The main responsibility of the masands was collecting dasvandh donations and submitting them to the guru on a regular-basis, procuring receipts of donations against them.{{Cite book |last=Gandhi |first=Surjit Singh |title=History of Sikh Gurus Retold: 1469-1606 C.E |publisher=Atlantic Publishers & Distributors |year=2007 |isbn=9788126908578 |pages=362 |quote=They were also required to collect Daswandh which the Sikhs were enjoined upon to contribute to Guru's treasury (Golak). Daswandh was levied for the maintenance of the Sikh Church and for undertaking works of public beneficence. The Sikhs paid Daswandh to the Masand whose duty it was that he/she should submit the amount thus collected to the Guru regularly and procure a receipt against that.}}

Sikh Gurus had established a Masand system of Sikh representatives who taught and spread the teachings of the Sikh Gurus and also collect monetary offering to maintain armed legion of saint-soldiers. It was comparable in its conception to the diocese and wilayats of Christianity and Sufism. Over time, this system became corrupted.{{Cn|date=May 2023}}The masand system was critical in empowering Sikhism with an independent economic resource pool, that helped pay for gurdwara buildings, for building the Sikh Army and the upkeep of Sikh soldiers, as well routine expenses such as langar (kitchen) which offered a free meal to visitors to the Sikh gurdwaras.{{cite book|author1=Sushil Mittal|author2=Gene Thursby|title=Religions of South Asia: An Introduction|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=MTqDAgAAQBAJ&pg=PT244 |year=2006|publisher=Routledge|isbn=978-1-134-59321-7|pages=244–245}}

The masands were appointed to collect revenue and gifts from the distant dharamsals and congregations for the central Sikh authority, where they were responsible for bringing it to.{{Cite web |last=Dhillon |first=Balwant Singh |date=November 1997 |title=Dharamsala: An Early Sikh Religious Centre |url=https://sikhinstitute.org/gurd_legi/ch_4.htm |website=Institute of Sikh Studies}} The masands from various parishes would congregate with the Sikh guru at his durbar (court) on the occasion of Vaisakhi and present the funds and offerings of the dharamsals under their management to him. They managed distant congregations at a regional and provincial level, such as their finances and inns, and conducted missionary activities. They were assisted in their duties by gumashitas (deputies), which they had the power to appoint. The gumashitas helped manage the group of dharamsals in a province or region, especially ones located in small towns, under the purview of a masand head. Some masands grew in prominence and influence to such a level that even regions falling out of their assigned region were controlled by them, such as in the case of the masands of Patna, Burhanpur and Kabul managing the dharamsals located in Northeast India, South India, and the Pashtun belt region comprising modern-day Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.

Masands who were unable to attend the meeting with the Sikh Guru at his durbar would present their collections and offerings in the form of a hundi (bill of exchange).

The manji and masand system of revenue collection for gurdwaras and other purposes was a source of major dispute between the Sikh Gurus and the Mughal emperors. For example, Aurangzeb seized the tithe collections by the masands for use by the Mughal treasury, and demolished gurdwaras throughout Punjab to emphasize the Islamic character of the Mughal Empire.{{cite book|author=Arvind-Pal Singh Mandair|title=Sikhism: A Guide for the Perplexed|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=vdhLAQAAQBAJ&pg=PA53|date=8 August 2013|publisher=Bloomsbury Academic|isbn=978-1-4411-0231-7|pages=52–53}}

Positions of local masands was not dynastic nor inheritable and it was not a professional duty as they still had to live the life of a householder.{{Cite web |last=Dhillon |first=Balwant Singh |date=November 1997 |title=Dharamsala: An Early Sikh Religious Centre |url=https://sikhinstitute.org/gurd_legi/ch_4.htm |website=Institute of Sikh Studies}} They were not allowed to claim divine status for themselves.

Masands should not be confused with manjidars.{{Cite web |last=Dhillon |first=Balwant Singh |date=November 1997 |title=Dharamsala: An Early Sikh Religious Centre |url=https://sikhinstitute.org/gurd_legi/ch_4.htm |website=Institute of Sikh Studies}}

The masands would also act as a representative of the Sikh guru when initiating new members into the religion.{{Cite book |last=Grewal |first=J. S. |title=Guru Gobind Singh (1666–1708): Master of the White Hawk |date=25 July 2019 |publisher=Oxford University Press |isbn=9780190990381 |chapter=Appendix 7A.1: Significance of the Term 'Khalsa'}} According to the Dabestan-e Mazaheb, the 'sahlang' term referred to person(s) initiated into the Sikh religion by a masand, who acted as representatives on behalf of the Sikh gurus. Such Sikhs were termed as meli or masandia, and were differentiated from Sikhs who had received their initiation rites directly from a Sikh guru, whom were termed as Khalsa. If the guru was not present in a certain area, water would be poured over the toes of the masand or sangatia responsible for the area of that particular manji (early Sikh religious administrative unit) and the initiates would drink that water instead, a practice known as charan-amrit.{{Cite book |last=Singh |first=Harbans |title=The Encyclopaedia of Sikhism |publisher=Punjabi University (Patiala) |year=1992 |isbn=9788173803499 |volume=3: M-R |pages=263–266}} If neither the guru or a local religious head is present, such as in a distant or tiny community of Sikhs, then the initiate would dip their toe in water and the local congregation would drink it.{{Cite book |last=Rambo |first=Lewis Ray |title=The Oxford Handbook of Religious Conversion |last2=Farhadian |first2=Charles E. |last3=Mann |first3=Gurinder Singh |date=2014 |publisher=Oxford University Press |isbn=978-0-19-533852-2 |series=Oxford handbooks series |location=Oxford New York |pages=494 |quote=During this time, the ceremony of pahul mentioned in the Janam Sakhi developed along three distinct lines. In the presence of the Guru, the pahul represented the water that was touched by his toe (charan pahul); in large congregations where the Guru was not present, the ceremony involved the touching of the toe of the local leaders (the holders of the manji, or seat of authority, who came to be called the masand); and in small and distant congregations, we have references to pahul created from the touching of a new entrant's toe and the congregation that he joined drinking it.}} This initiation ceremony finds mention in the Vaaran authored by Bhai Gurdas. The ceremony was a way of showing the humbleness of initiates to the faith.{{Cite book |last=Dahiya |first=Amardeep S. |title=Founder of the Khalsa: The Life and Times of Guru Gobind Singh |publisher=Hay House |year=2014 |isbn=9789381398616 |quote=Ever since Guru Nanak's time it had been a custom among Sikhs to partake of 'charan pahul', whenever they visited the guru: By drinking the water which had washed the feet of the guru, the Sikhs showed their humility which was the ultimate virtue that would take them through the portals of heaven.}} This practice continued until 1699, when it was replaced by Guru Gobind Singh's innovation.{{Cite book |last=Singha |first=H. S. |title=The Encyclopedia of Sikhism: Over 1000 Entries |date=2005 |publisher=Hemkunt Publishers |year=2005 |isbn=978-81-7010-301-1 |edition=2nd |location=New Delhi |pages=44 |quote=CHARAN AMRIT: Literally charan amrit is water in which the Guru's feet have been bathed. It was used as a part of the Sikh initiation ceremony called charan pahul during the days of the first nine Gurus and till the time Guru Gobind Singh changed it to khande-di-pahul. For more details see Baptism.}}{{Cite book |last=Kalsi |first=Sewa Singh |title=Sikhism - Simple Guides |publisher=Kuperard |year=2007 |isbn=9781857336344 |edition=2nd |series=Simple Guides |quote=Amrit literally means water of immortality, which is used in the Sikh initiation ceremony; it is known as khande di pahul (literally, water of the double-edged sword). Let us go back to the fateful day of Baisakhi in 1699. After the selection of panj pyarey, the guru prepared amrit for the initiation ceremony. He discarded the centuries-old tradition of charan pahul. Before the founding of the Khalsa, the initiation used to be conducted with water touched by a guru's toe, thus the term charan pahul (charan means foot, pahul denotes water). The new-style initiation ceremony was fundamentally different from the traditional mode of initiation. Preparation of amrit is one of the defining factors of the new rite. The guru poured water into a steel bowl and stirred it with a double-edged sword while reciting hymns from the Adi Granth, including some of his own compositions. It is said that the guru's wife added some sugar into the bowl during the preparation of amrit.}}

Over time, a few masands became corrupt and started treating themselves as gurus to collect money for their personal motives. Hence, Guru Gobind Singh ordered Sikhs not to recognize those masands as authority figures and prohibited having any type of relationship with them or their deputies.Page 135, The History of Sikh Gurus, Prithi Pal Singh, Lotus Press, Jan 1, 2006 According to early Sikh literature including rehatnamas, the Sikhs, under Guru Gobind's command, punished, beat and killed certain masands whose corruption, exploitation, and greed or inability to deliver sufficient money and resources had affronted the Guru.{{Cite book |last=Grewal |first=J. S. |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=YDLNDwAAQBAJ&pg=PT90 |title=Guru Gobind Singh (1666–1708): Master of the White Hawk |date=2019-07-25 |publisher=Oxford University Press |isbn=978-0-19-099038-1 |pages=88–92 |language=en}}{{Cite book |last=Lorenzen |first=David N. |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=L7nYvxCiAQcC&pg=PA44|title=Bhakti Religion in North India: Community Identity and Political Action|date=1994-11-09 |publisher=State University of New York Press |isbn=9781438411262 |pages=44 |language=en}}

{{Needs expansion|date=December 2022}}

• Bakht Mal (of Kabul){{Cite book |last=Macauliffe |first=Max |title=The Sikh Religion: Its Gurus, Sacred Writings and Authors |publisher=Clarendon Press |year=1909 |edition=1st |volume=3–4 |pages=155}}{{Cite web |last=Singh |first=Inderjeet |date=29 October 2020 |title=Afghan Sikhs – Tracing Their Origins And History |url=https://www.sikhnet.com/news/afghan-sikhs-%E2%80%93-tracing-their-origins-and-history |access-date=23 July 2024 |website=SikhNet}}
• Tara Chand (of Kabul)

• Bidhi Chand
• Ramdas Ugar SainMalhotra, Karamjit K. "Professor J.S. Grewal Prize: IN SEARCH OF EARLY SIKH ART." Proceedings of the Indian History Congress, vol. 71, 2010, pp. 397–408. JSTOR, {{JSTOR|44147507}}. Accessed 12 Dec. 2022.

• Gulaba Chand (of Machhiwara){{Cite book |last=Gandhi |first=Surjit Singh |title=History of Sikh Gurus Retold: 1606-1708 C.E. |publisher=Atlantic Publishers & Dist. |year=2007 |isbn=9788126908585 |volume=2 |pages=833–834}}{{Cite web |last=Jaggi |first=Rattan Singh |date=10 March 2015 |title=ਮਾਛੀਵਾੜਾ |trans-title=Machhiwara |url=https://punjabipedia.org/topic.aspx?txt=%E0%A8%AE%E0%A8%BE%E0%A8%9B%E0%A9%80%E0%A8%B5%E0%A8%BE%E0%A9%9C%E0%A8%BE |access-date=30 July 2024 |website=Punjabipedia – Punjabi University, Patiala (originally published in the 'Sikh Panth Encyclopedia' by Gur Ratan Publishers) |language=pa}}

• Manji system, Sikh missionary administrative organization aimed towards the masses

• Piri system, a sub-system of the Sikh missionary administrative organization aimed towards women

• Sects of Sikhism

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Category:Sikh practices

Category:Sikh politics

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