The Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC) has condemned the release of a booklet titled ‘Sri Kashi Vishwanath Dham Ka Gauravshali Itihas’ by Prime Minister Narendra Modi at the inauguration of the Vishwanath Dham Corridor and demanded a ban on it.
In the book, the history of the Sikh faith has been distorted and misrepresented by relating it to Kashi, said SGPC.
“The booklet states that the Panj Piaras (five beloved ones) through whom the Khalsa Panth was founded by Guru Gobind Singh (10th Guru) were first sent to Kashi, so that they may attain the full knowledge of the Sanatan Dharm and be ready for its protection. The booklet also states that Sikh faith was established to protect the Sanatan Dharm from the Mughals. Both these statements are devoid of facts, with illusory intentions and lack of knowledge about the mission of the Sikh faith,” SGPC media secretary Kulwinder Singh Ramdas said.
He went on to say: “In fact, Khalsa Panth was formed to protect religious values and human rights against oppression, tyranny, and injustice and not to protect the Sanatan Dharm. Secondly, the five Sikhs sent to Kashi are totally different from the Panj Piaras who offered heads at the time of the formation of the Khalsa at Sri Anandpur Sahib.”
“The factual information about the Sikh history related to Kashi is that, at Paonta Sahib, when Pandit Raghunath refused to teach Dev Bhasha Sanskrit to some Sikh students belonging to so-called Shudra class, Guru Gobind Singh had then sent five Sikhs belonging to different castes to Kashi with the purpose of learning Sanskrit language and not for the purpose of taking knowledge of Sanatan Dharm. The five Sikhs sent to Kashi have no connection with the Panj Piaras (Bhai Daya Singh, Bhai Dharam Singh, Bhai Himmat Singh, Bhai Mohkam Singh and Bhai Sahib Singh) who offered their heads at the time of Khalsa formation,” Ramdas added.
