Udasi

Udasis (Gurmukhi: ਉਦਾਸੀ ਸੰਪਰਦਾ; udāsī saparadā) (Devanagari: उदासी संप्रदाय), also spelt as Udasins, also known as Nanak Putras (meaning "sons of Nanak"), are a religious sect of ascetic sadhus centred in northern India who follow a tradition known as Udasipanth. The Udasis are a type of Sehajdhari or Sanatan Sikh, rather than orthodox Khalsa Sikhs. Similar Sikh sects to the Udasis include the Nirmalas and Sewapanthis. They were historically one of the first missionary traditions of Sikhism. Becoming custodians of Sikh shrines in the 18th century, they were notable interpreters and spreaders of the Sikh philosophy during that time. They alongside the Nirmalas were responsible for the spreading of Sanatan Sikhism during the 19th century and were a key component in the indigenous, pre-colonial education system. However, their religious practices border on a syncretism of Sikhism and Hinduism, and they did not conform to the Khalsa standards as ordained by Guru Gobind Singh. When the Lahore Singh Sabha reformers, dominated by Tat Khalsa Sikhs, would hold them responsible for indulging in ritual practices antithetical to Sikhism, as well as personal vices and corruption, the Udasi mahants were expelled from the Sikh shrines.