Sikh titles

Sikh titles are positions or honorifics appended to the names of members of the Sikh community. Their form may be prefixes or suffixes to names, or the title may be used alone, in place of the name. They may denote social status or relationship, occupational field, or religious standing. When used as a form of address, they are often intended to convey respect.

History

After the formation of the Sikh Confederacy in 1748, the title Jathedar began to fall into disuse from that point onwards, as leaders of Sikh misls preferred the term Sardar to refer to themselves, due to Afghan influence.^[2] In 1883, Richard Carnac Temple noted that descendants of the Sikh gurus prefixed the titles Bedi, Bawa, and Sodhi to their names to mark their lineage.^[3]

List of Sikh titles and honorifics

Unisex

Sri or Shri
Halwai, 'chef'
Haqeem or Ḥakīm, 'doctor'

Males

Baba
Bhagat 'devotee': Bhagat Puran Singh
Bhai, 'brother': Bhai Gurdas, Bhai Santokh (Suraj Parkash)
Bhai Sahab
Choudhary
Das, a surname regularly encountered among Sikhs, which has also been applied as a title, signifying "devotee" or "votary" (in the context of religion); also, Dasa^[4]
Guru 'revered teacher (of a disciple)', 'enlightener': Sikh gurus
Gyani or Giani 'philosopher': Giani Sant Singh Maskeen
Jathedar, 'General', 'leader'
Kunwar
Maharaja
Ragi
Raja
Rai
Rana
Rao
Sant, 'enlightened' or 'holy': Sant Fateh Singh
Sardar, male honorific attached to names as a prefix.^[5]
Sahib
Shaheed, 'martyr': Baba Deep Singh, Bhai Mani Singh
Singh
Swargwasi, 'deceased [male]' ('late' in English)
Thakur
Ustad, 'Master' (teacher)
Yuvraj
Zamindar

Females

Bibi, in English 'Miss'
Bhehen ji
Jathedarni, 'General', 'leader'
Kaur
Maharani
Masterani, in English teacher
Rani
Saheba
Sardarni, female equivalent of sardar.^[5] Used as a prefix attached to the female's name.^[5]
Swargwasi 'deceased [female]'/'late' in English)
Yuvrani
Thakurani
Zamindarni

References

↑ Hardip Singh Syan (2013). Sikh Militancy in the Seventeenth Century: Religious Violence in Mughal and Early Modern India. I.B.Tauris. pp. 52–54. ISBN 978-1-78076-250-0. https://books.google.com/books?id=9RzzxcEL4C0C&pg=PA52.
↑ Singh, Harbans. The Encyclopedia of Sikhism. 2: E-L. Punjabi University, Patiala. pp. 362–3.
↑ Temple, Richard Carnac (1883). A Dissertation on the Proper Names of Panjâbîs: With Special Reference to the Proper Names of Villagers in the Eastern Panjâb. Education Society. pp. 68. "In a similar manner, in the Panjab, the descendants of the Sikh Gurus have special names. These are–– Bawa: Descendant of the 2nd Guru Angad, Bedi: Descended from Guru Nanak's caste, Bhai: Descendant of the Sikh Saints, Guru: Descendant of Guru Nanak, Sodhi: Descendant of the 4th Guru Ram Das. They are prefixed to the name, as Bhai Pheru, Bawa Gharib Singh, Sodhi Man Singh. Bhai is also a common title of Sikh saints or holy men. So is Bawa of wandering village faqirs, as Bawa Ram Das from the Census tables. Bawa, too, by an odd change in calling and occupation often now means a 'woodseller.'"
↑ Talbot, Cynthia (2001). Precolonial India in practice: Society, region, and identity in medieval Andhra. Oxford: Oxford University Press. p. 81. ISBN 0-19-513661-6.
↑ ^5.0 ^5.1 ^5.2 Singh, Jagraj (2009). "2: Practical Sikhism: Sikh Names". A Complete Guide to Sikhism. Unistar Books. pp. 73–74. ISBN 9788171427543.

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[Syan2013p52-1] Hardip Singh Syan (2013). Sikh Militancy in the Seventeenth Century: Religious Violence in Mughal and Early Modern India. I.B.Tauris. pp. 52–54. ISBN 978-1-78076-250-0. https://books.google.com/books?id=9RzzxcEL4C0C&pg=PA52.

[:02-2] Singh, Harbans. The Encyclopedia of Sikhism. 2: E-L. Punjabi University, Patiala. pp. 362–3.

[:6-3] Temple, Richard Carnac (1883). A Dissertation on the Proper Names of Panjâbîs: With Special Reference to the Proper Names of Villagers in the Eastern Panjâb. Education Society. pp. 68. "In a similar manner, in the Panjab, the descendants of the Sikh Gurus have special names. These are–– Bawa: Descendant of the 2nd Guru Angad, Bedi: Descended from Guru Nanak's caste, Bhai: Descendant of the Sikh Saints, Guru: Descendant of Guru Nanak, Sodhi: Descendant of the 4th Guru Ram Das. They are prefixed to the name, as Bhai Pheru, Bawa Gharib Singh, Sodhi Man Singh. Bhai is also a common title of Sikh saints or holy men. So is Bawa of wandering village faqirs, as Bawa Ram Das from the Census tables. Bawa, too, by an odd change in calling and occupation often now means a 'woodseller.'"

[4] Talbot, Cynthia (2001). Precolonial India in practice: Society, region, and identity in medieval Andhra. Oxford: Oxford University Press. p. 81. ISBN 0-19-513661-6.

[:0-5] 5.0 ^5.1 ^5.2 Singh, Jagraj (2009). "2: Practical Sikhism: Sikh Names". A Complete Guide to Sikhism. Unistar Books. pp. 73–74. ISBN 9788171427543.

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