Bhat Vahis

Bhat Vahis (or Bhat Banis) were scrolls or records maintained by Bhatts also known as Bhatra.^[1] The majority of Bhat Sikhs originate from Punjab and were amongst the first followers of Guru Nanak. Bhat tradition and Sikh text states their ancestors came from Punjab, where the Raja Shivnabh and his kingdom became the original 16th century followers of Guru Nanak, the founder of Sikhism. The Raja's grandson Prince Baba Changa earned the title ‘Bhat Rai’ – the ‘Raja of Poets, and then settled himself and his followers all over India as missionaries to spread the word of Guru Nanak, where many northern Indians became Bhat Sikhs. The majority were from the northern Brahmin caste (Bhat clan),(Bhat (surname)) as the Prince Baba Changa shared the Brahmin heritage. The sangat also had many members from different areas of the Sikh caste spectrum, such as the Hindu Rajputs and Hindu Jats who joined due to Bhat Sikh missionary efforts. The Bhats also contributed 123 compositions in the Sri Guru Granth Sahib (pp.1389–1409), known as the "Bhata de Savaiyye". There hereditary occupations consisted of bards, poets, missionaries, astrologists, genealogists, salesmen. ^[2]

^ Singh, Jagraj (2009). "The Bhatts of the Punjab". A complete guide to Sikhism. Chandigarh, India: Unistar Books. pp. 245–46. ISBN 978-81-7142-754-3. OCLC 319683249. The Bhatts are Brahmins, who sang praises of their patrons (Jajmans) and maintained the registers called Vahees, mentioning accounts of various happenings in different parts of the Punjab including birth and death records of their Jajmans, since ancient times. There are two major subdivisions of Brahmins namely Gaur and Sarsut (Saraswat) Brahmins. The Gaur Brahmins lived on the banks of the river Ganges on the eastern side of the Saraswati River (now Ghagar) in the Ganga-Jamna divide, while the Sarsut Brahmins lived on the western side of the Saraswati river in the Punjab. The Bhatts are a sub-sect of the Sarsut Brahmins. In the pre-modem times they inhabited numerous villages in the Punjab along the banks of Saraswati River in and around Pehowa, in Karnal district. Some of the Bhatts came to Guru's Darbar during the pontificate of Guru Arjan Dev soon after the demise of Guru Ram Dass and their hymns are found recorded in Guru Granth Sahib, under the heading, "Bhattan Dey Sawayye". A Bhatt Vahee related with the events in the ...
^ www.DiscoverSikhism.com. The Encyclopedia Of Sikhism - Volume I A-D.

[1] Singh, Jagraj (2009). "The Bhatts of the Punjab". A complete guide to Sikhism. Chandigarh, India: Unistar Books. pp. 245–46. ISBN 978-81-7142-754-3. OCLC 319683249. The Bhatts are Brahmins, who sang praises of their patrons (Jajmans) and maintained the registers called Vahees, mentioning accounts of various happenings in different parts of the Punjab including birth and death records of their Jajmans, since ancient times. There are two major subdivisions of Brahmins namely Gaur and Sarsut (Saraswat) Brahmins. The Gaur Brahmins lived on the banks of the river Ganges on the eastern side of the Saraswati River (now Ghagar) in the Ganga-Jamna divide, while the Sarsut Brahmins lived on the western side of the Saraswati river in the Punjab. The Bhatts are a sub-sect of the Sarsut Brahmins. In the pre-modem times they inhabited numerous villages in the Punjab along the banks of Saraswati River in and around Pehowa, in Karnal district. Some of the Bhatts came to Guru's Darbar during the pontificate of Guru Arjan Dev soon after the demise of Guru Ram Dass and their hymns are found recorded in Guru Granth Sahib, under the heading, "Bhattan Dey Sawayye". A Bhatt Vahee related with the events in the ...

[2] www.DiscoverSikhism.com. The Encyclopedia Of Sikhism - Volume I A-D.

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