Akali Sahib Singh Kaladhari

Akali Sahib Singh Kaladhari (1876-1942) was a Nihang Singh and 11th Jathedar of Shiromani Panth Akali Buddha Dal. He was educated at Lahore according to the colonial curriculum. Soon,he became revenue collector of Patiala. When he met the Buddha Dal, he resigned and joined them. He was cleaning the iron utensils and in return for his service, he gained powers and the name ´Kaladhari"(talented). After Baba Teja Singh died, Baba Sahib Singh was given leadership of the Buddha Dal by the Khalsa. He protected the old Khalsa traditions from the SGPC, other religious missionaries and the British. He also kept up the tradition of worshiping weapons. As a result, he was sent to jail. That was when he prophesied, ` Foreigners, you can do your worst to ban our limbs,our weaponry but later on, we will establish ourselves in your country!’.

Scared of the Nihangs’ control over all Gurdwaras, The British created the SGPC to replace them. The SGPC then, attacked the Akal Takht and arrested Akali Ji. Next, they took some women to attack the Nihangs. Although they lost their authority and got their bodies damaged, they didn’t hurt the women.