Begampura (Ravidas)

Begampura ("sorrowless city") was a spiritual concept developed by Ravidas, a radical Bhakti saint, which is narrated in one of his hymns.^{[note 1]}^[1]^[2] The concept was adopted by Sikhism.^[3] The idea was of a taxless, property-less, and casteless society in the future, where people formerly divided by caste could have the opportunity to become true friends. However, Ravidas was unable to establish it practically in the real-world, while Guru Nanak had started his own concept of it at Kartarpur.^[4]

Philosophy

The hymn is contained in the Amritbani Granth of the Ravidassia religion.^[1] Begampura was envisioned as future, casteless utopia where everyone would be in bliss.^[1] All divisions of humanity are united into a single group, erasing any divisions.^[5] This unity allows the arising of genuine fraternity between people, allowing formerly divided people to have the chance to become real friends, which wouldn't be possible if adhering to the social distances on caste mandated by the Indian society.^[5] Furthermore, there are no taxes and property.^[5] Ravidas shared the concept in the city of Varanasi, which would have been very provocative, as Varanasi is viewed as one of the most sacred cities in Hinduism.^[5] The concept was adopted by Guru Nanak, who developed the idea further.^[6] Guru Nanak established the settlement of Kartarpur based on three fundamental principles, his own version of Begampura.^[4] Kabir had an analogous concept of Premnagar ("city of love").^[3] Ambedkar would later write literature on themes reminiscent of the concept of Begampura, with his vision of Begampura being realized in the Indian constitution, which was to work toward the future.^[2] A similar idea was espoused by Martin Luther King Jr. as the Promised Land.^[3]

Etymology

Begampura is derived from be-gahm, meaning "without sorrow" and pura meaning "city".^[2]^[5]

Hymns

The verses that the concept is derived from is as follows:^[5]

Begam pura sahar ko naao,
dukh andohu nahi tihi thaao.
Nan tasvis khiraj na maal.
khauf na khataa na taras javaal.
Ab mohi khub vatan gah pai,
uhaan khair sadaa mere bhai.
Kaim daim sadaa paatisahi,
dom na sem ek so aahi.
[...]
Kahe Ravidas khalaas chamaaraa,
jo ham sahri so mit hamaaraa.

— Ravidas

Begampura is the name of the city,
a place without grief or anxiety.
No worry about taxes or property,
no fear of mistakes or downfall.
Now I have found this most excellent place,
where there is lasting safety my companions.
Divine sovereignty is stable and eternal,
none are second or third-all are equal.
[...]
Says Ravidas, the emancipated tanner,
those living in this city are my friends.

— Gill (2024)

Dera Sachkhand Ballan

The concept was adopted and developed by the Dera Sachkhand Ballan, who founded a temple at Varanasi to serve as the location to establish Begumpura in 1965.^[7]

Notes

[1]
Also spelt as 'Begumpura'.

References

[1]
Bochkovskaya, Anna; Gupta, Sanjukta Das; Prakash, Amit (Dec 18, 2024). "Words of Ravidas: Bringing Together the Past and the Future". Interrogating Marginalities across Disciplinary Boundaries: Colonial and Post-Colonial India. Taylor & Francis. ISBN 978-1-040-27087-5.
[2]
Puri, Bindu (Feb 22, 2022). The Ambedkar–Gandhi Debate: On Identity, Community and Justice. Springer Nature. pp. 43–44. ISBN 978-981-16-8686-3.
[3]
Kaur, Valarie (10 September 2024). Sage Warrior: Wake to Oneness, Practice Pleasure, Choose Courage, Become Victory. Random House. pp. 343–344. ISBN 978-0-593-44845-8. In Sikh imagination, there is a place called Begampura, sings the sage-poet Ravidas. He was born an "untouchable," yet he imagined a world beyond the one he knew. Begampura means city without sorrow. It is a place without caste, poverty, or injustice. The sage Kabir called it Premnagar, city of love.
[4]
Singh, Pashaura; Mandair, Arvind-Pal Singh (May 1, 2023). The Sikh World. Taylor & Francis. ISBN 978-0-429-84838-4. Guru Nanak names his final resting place "Kartarpur," as Creator's abode where all are equal, and where he preached "kirt karo, nam japo, vand chhako (work, worship and share)" as the path to liberation. It was neither a monastic order involved in ascetic life, nor any Sufi khanqah established on revenue free land (madad-i-mash) granted by rulers. With his organizational skills, Guru Nanak was able to establish the Begampura ("city of joy"), unlike other poet-saints, like Ravidas
[5]
Gill, Navyug (Jan 16, 2024). "Turning Caste Upside Down". Labors of Division: Global Capitalism and the Emergence of the Peasant in Colonial Panjab. Stanford University Press. ISBN 978-1-5036-3750-4.
[6]
Kalsi, Sewa Singh (1992). The Evolution of a Sikh Community in Britain: Religious and Social Change Among the Sikhs of Leeds and Bradford (PDF). Community Religions Project Department of Theology and Religious Studies, University of Leeds. p. 135. ISBN 978-1-871363-03-6. In his compositions, Ravidas takes great pride in being a Chamar. He preached the establishment of begumpura (a casteless society in which everyone enjoys life without worries). The concept of begumpura was further developed by Guru Nanak in his celebrated hymn "sabhey sanjhiwal sadayan koi na disey bahra leo" which expresses the powerful idea that everyone will enjoy equal status and nobody will be regarded as an outsider.
[7]
Duggal, Koonal (Apr 1, 2025). "Between Blasphemy and Martyrdom: The Formation of the Ravidassia Religion in Punjab". In Rawat, Ramnarayan S.; Satyanarayana, K.; Mohan, P. Sanal (eds.). Dalit Journeys for Dignity: Religion, Freedom, and Caste. State University of New York Press. ISBN 9798855802634.

Begampura (Ravidas)

Philosophy

Etymology

Hymns

Dera Sachkhand Ballan

See also

Notes

References

Related Articles

Timelines

Top Qs

Fact Checks