Bhai Kahn Singh Nabha’s Assertion of Sikh Identity

In the closing years of the nineteenth century, a single phrase challenged how an entire community understood itself: Hum Hindu Nahin, or “We are not Hindus.” It was the title of a book written by Bhai Kahn Singh Nabha, a Sikh scholar from the princely state of Nabha in Punjab. At a time when the line between Sikhs and Hindus had grown increasingly blurred, this work made a forceful argument that Sikhism was a complete and independent religion, not a branch of any other faith. To understand why such a statement was necessary, and why it mattered so much, we need to look at the world Kahn Singh lived in.

The colonial backdrop and a crisis of identity 🔗

After the British annexed Punjab in 1849, the region underwent rapid changes. The colonial administration introduced new systems of education, law, and bureaucracy, and it actively encouraged the spread of Christian missionary activity. Missionaries openly worked to convert Sikhs to Christianity, while Hindu reform organisations sought to absorb them into the Hindu fold. In this competitive religious atmosphere, the distinct identity of the Sikh community came under pressure from multiple directions.

Part of the confusion came from within. Many Sikhs at the time practised a mix of rituals that included idol worship and Brahminical customs that had crept into their religious life over generations. Even at the Harmandir Sahib in Amritsar, Brahmin priests sat in the parikrama with their idols. To many outside observers, and even to some Sikhs, this made Sikhism look like just another sect within the broad expanse of Hinduism. Sikhism, which began in the fifteenth century with the teachings of Guru Nanak, was frequently described as a reform movement that had emerged out of Hinduism rather than as a separate path.

The Arya Samaj and the shuddhi challenge 🔗

The most direct trigger for Kahn Singh’s intervention was the activity of the Arya Samaj, a Hindu reform movement founded by Swami Dayananda Saraswati. The Arya Samaj launched the shuddhi movement, a campaign of “purification” aimed at bringing people, including Sikhs, into the Hindu fold. Some Arya Samaj leaders also made disparaging remarks about Sikhism and its Gurus, which provoked deep anger among Sikh intellectuals. Sikh scholars responded by setting up debates and publishing literature defending the independence and dignity of their faith.

The Singh Sabha movement 🔗

Kahn Singh Nabha’s work did not appear in isolation. It was part of a much larger effort known as the Singh Sabha movement, a Sikh reform and revival movement that took shape in the 1870s. The first Singh Sabha was founded in Amritsar in 1873, followed soon after by a more assertive branch in Lahore. Their aims were to revive the original teachings of the Sikh Gurus, produce religious literature in Punjabi, promote education, and combat illiteracy and superstition.

The two branches of the movement differed in emphasis. The Amritsar group was more conservative and included members who continued to identify partly with Hindu traditions. The Lahore Singh Sabha, by contrast, took a sharper position and stressed firmly that Sikhs were not Hindus. By the end of the nineteenth century, the number of Singh Sabhas across Punjab had grown to over a hundred. Writers and thinkers like Bhai Vir Singh, Giani Dit Singh, Giani Gurmukh Singh, and Kahn Singh Nabha emerged from this movement, producing a body of work that helped reshape how the community saw itself.

Who was Bhai Kahn Singh Nabha? 🔗

Born in 1861 in Nabha, Bhai Kahn Singh was one of the most learned figures in modern Sikh scholarship. His education combined traditional Sikh learning with exposure to Western ideas, which gave him a rare ability to engage with religious questions in a rigorous and analytical way. He served in the court of the rulers of Nabha and Patiala, and he wrote extensively throughout his life.

His greatest achievement is widely considered to be the Mahan Kosh, a monumental encyclopaedia of Sikh literature that took him fourteen years to complete. Published in 1930 with the patronage of Maharaja Bhupendra Singh of Patiala, it remains a standard reference text and is regarded as an authentic interpretation of Sikh thought. But it was an earlier and far slimmer book that placed him at the centre of one of the most important debates of his era.

Hum Hindu Nahin: the book and its argument 🔗

Published in 1898, Hum Hindu Nahin set out the Singh Sabha position on Sikh identity with great force. The title itself was a declaration: a clear, unambiguous statement that Sikhs were not Hindus. The book was written as a polemic, but a scholarly one. Kahn Singh drew heavily on original Sikh scriptures and presented his case as a rational, comparative study of religions rather than as mere assertion. Interestingly, in the early editions the author signed only with the initials “HB,” and his full name began appearing on the book only from 1907 onward.

Religious distinctiveness 🔗

The central thread of the book was the religious independence of Sikhism. Kahn Singh argued that Sikhs possess their own sacred scripture, the Guru Granth Sahib, which Sikhs revere as the eternal living Guru. This stands apart from the Vedas and other Hindu scriptures. He pointed to the monotheistic foundation of Sikhism, its firm rejection of the caste system, and its emphasis on the equality of all human beings as features that marked a clear departure from existing religious traditions of the time.

Distinct beliefs and practices 🔗

Beyond scripture, Kahn Singh highlighted the unique beliefs and rituals that defined Sikh life. Sikhism rejected idol worship, an issue close to his heart. He was, in fact, closely associated with the campaign that led to the removal of idols from the precincts of the Harmandir Sahib, condemning the practice as alien to Sikh teaching. Sikh life ceremonies, such as the Anand Karaj marriage rite, and distinct festivals and conventions further set the community apart. By laying these out systematically, the book showed that Sikhism was a self-contained religious system with its own theology, ethics, and social vision.

Historical memory and pride 🔗

Kahn Singh also drew on Sikh history to reinforce a sense of identity and self-respect. By recalling the sacrifices of the Gurus and the struggles of earlier generations to preserve their faith, he aimed to instil pride in Sikhs and remind them of their distinct heritage. The book reminded readers of the long history of debate between Hindus and Sikhs, framing the assertion of Sikh identity as a continuation of an older struggle rather than a sudden new claim.

A message of coexistence, not conflict 🔗

It would be a mistake to read Hum Hindu Nahin as a hostile or divisive text. While its title was sharp and its arguments firm, the underlying purpose was to secure a respectful and equal place for Sikhism among the religions of the subcontinent, not to provoke enmity. The work is often described as one that also encourages religious coexistence in society. Kahn Singh wanted Sikhism to be understood and depicted correctly, on its own terms, and to be taken seriously as an independent faith.

This balance is significant. In an age of intense religious competition, where movements were vying for converts and influence, asserting one’s distinctiveness could easily slide into bitterness. Kahn Singh’s approach instead combined a confident defence of Sikh identity with an openness to living peacefully alongside other communities. His scholarship served a practical purpose, addressing the real concerns of his community while maintaining intellectual integrity.

The lasting impact 🔗

The influence of Hum Hindu Nahin extended well beyond its immediate moment. As the book went through revised and enlarged editions over the following decades, the Sikh position on identity became increasingly well defined and established. The intellectual groundwork laid by the Singh Sabha writers helped shape the next phase of Sikh assertion.

This momentum fed directly into the Gurdwara Reform Movement of the 1920s, which sought to wrest control of Sikh shrines from hereditary mahants and place them under community management. The Akali Dal emerged from this struggle as the political voice of the Sikh community. In this way, a book of religious scholarship became part of a longer chain of events that reshaped Sikh political and social life in the twentieth century.

Kahn Singh Nabha’s contribution also offers a wider lesson for thinking about identity in a diverse society. His work shows how a community can assert its distinctiveness through careful scholarship and reasoned argument rather than through hostility, and how the question “who are we?” can be answered with both pride and generosity toward others. In a country where questions of religious and cultural identity continue to shape public life, his method of combining rigorous study with a commitment to coexistence remains relevant.

Why this debate still matters 🔗

The question Kahn Singh tackled was not merely academic. How a community is classified affects its legal standing, its political representation, and its sense of self. The debate over whether Sikhs constitute a distinct religious community has surfaced repeatedly in legal and constitutional discussions over the years. By articulating the theological and cultural independence of Sikhism so clearly, Kahn Singh provided the intellectual foundation on which later claims to a separate identity could rest.

His example also reminds us that scholarship can be a form of social action. Rather than taking up arms or political slogans, he used the tools of a scholar, quoting from original sources, comparing religious systems, and building a careful argument, to defend his community’s identity. That model of engaged, principled scholarship is part of what makes him an important figure in modern Indian social and political thought.

What do you think? Can a community assert a strong and distinct identity while still embracing peaceful coexistence with others, or do the two pull in opposite directions? And in a diverse society, who should have the authority to decide how a religious community is defined?

References

1. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kahn_Singh_Nabha
2. https://www.britannica.com/topic/Singh-Sabha
3. https://www.sikhnet.com/news/inderjeets-essay-sikh-identity
4. https://www.sikhnet.com/news/genesis-hindu-sikh-divide-critical-evaluation-divide
5. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Singh_Sabha_Movement
6. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mahan_Kosh
7. https://www.jsks.biz/sikhs-we-are-not-hindus
8. https://www.pw.live/upsc/exams/singh-sabha-movement