The Dadu Panth: Text, Relics, and Tradition
From: Sustaining Faith: Text and Tradition in the Dadu Panth Photograph: Sriram Sabhapathy Curation and captioning: Kartikay Khetarpal Source: Sahapedia
"Dadu Dayal was a 16th-century sant who founded the Dadu panth, a religious tradition, today based largely in Rajasthan. A biographical account of his life is given in the Dadu Janamlila, composed shortly after his death in 1603 by a disciple named Jan Gopal. According to this, Dadu was born in Ahmedabad to a Muslim dhuniya (cotton-carder), found enlightenment at an early age helped by an old master (Baba Buddha), and travelled to various parts of present-day Rajasthan spreading his message of love and devotion and attracting a large body of followers. "
"A typical depiction of Dadu Dayal at the Dadu dham in Naraina."
"The Dadu Vani with an image of Dadu Dayal in the background at the Dadu Vani Temple in Amer (Jaipur). More than any image, it is the text of the Dadu Vani that is revered by the Dadupanthis. It is placed at the centre of all their shrines."
"Mahant Ramchandradas Dadupanthi at the Dadu Vani Temple in Amer (Jaipur) holds a pair of sandals that are believed to have been worn by Dadu Dayal. Objects associated with Dadu Dayal are preserved and worshipped in a few Dadu dwaras."
"The Naraina dham like other Dadu dwaras contains several padukas or symbols of the footprints of Dadu as well as the various leaders of the panth. The padukas are one of the ways in which devotees fulfil the need to have a tangible object to pray to in a tradition that shuns idol worship."
"An underground room in the Naraina dham known as the Bhajan Gufa (literally, meditation cave) contains the padukas and certain other relics associated with Garib Das who was the eldest son and the first successor of Dadu Dayal in terms of heading the panth."
"Women devotees at the Dadu dham in Bhairana. Gathered from his poetry, Dadu’s attitude towards women is ambivalent at best. While Dadu would, like Kabir, often employ the trope of the virahini (an archetype in the mystical poetry of the subcontinent) and speak in the voice of a women pining for her beloved in many his poems, his poetry would also often equate the figure of the woman with maya (illusion) or that which ensnares a person into worldly pursuits taking him away from his spiritual goal. Even in the panth, one only sees women in the role of a devotee and never in any official position."
Dadupanthi ascetics would scribe beautiful manuscripts that they would use for their own reference and later pass on to their disciples. Naraina preserves several such gutkas (manuscripts).
"A miniature copy of the Quran kept at the Naraina dham. Dadu’s Muslim birth, though mentioned in Jan Gopal’s account, has been sought to be suppressed as the panth has increasingly become Vaishanvised over the years. The overall attitude of the panth however, still remains largely non-sectarian."
"A large Dadu Vani manuscript preserved at Naraina. Even the earliest compilers of the Dadu Vani would meticulously classify Dadu’s sakhis (verses written in a particular meter) into different angas (chapters) according to the specific themes that they were addressing. Satgur mahima (glory of the true guru), biraha (separation), maya (illusion) and man (mind) were only some of the prominent themes to feature in these texts. The shabdas or hymns of Dadu would be presented along with the particular raga in which they were to be sung."
"The day ends at the Bhairana dham like at all other Dadu dwaras with an evening aarti. The walls of the main temple at Bhairana have verses from the Dadu Vani written all over it as well as paintings depicting the popular legends associated with Dadu’s life story."
