Sant Nirmala

Sant Nirmala (Marathi: संत निर्मळा) was a poet in 14th century Maharashtra, India. As the younger sister of Chokhamela, she was deemed equally holy with her brother and thus is also deemed a Hindu saint. Nirmala was married to Banka, an Untouchable Mahar caste. Her writings consist largely of abhangs that describe the injustice and inequalities she suffered as a result of the caste system.

Nirmala regretted worldly married life and reveled in the god of Pandharpur. She never mentions her husband, Banka, in her poems.

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Nirmala

Nirmala may refer to:

Notable people

Others

Nirmala (genus)

Nirmala is a genus of beetles in the family Carabidae, containing the following species:

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Nirmala (sect)

Nirmala is an Indian religious sect of ascetics. The Nirmalas claim origin from the Sikh Gurus.

Origin

The Nirmalas themselves claim to have originated from Guru Nanak, the first Sikh Guru . One legend claims that the distinct Nirmala identity was established by a group of scholars, whom Guru Gobind Singh sent to Kashi to learn Sanskrit. After mastering Sanskrit in Kashi, they returned to Anandpur, where they were honoured by the title Nirmala (Sanskrit for "pure" or "unsullied"). After Gobind Singh's evacuation from Anandpur, they spread to different parts of India. W. H. McLeod (1995) doubts the historicity of this legend, arguing that there are very few mentions of Nirmalas before the 19th century. Pashaura Singh and Louis E. Fenech hypothesize that the Nirmalas are descended from the Udasis, who are similar to them in ascetic lifestyle, celibacy and Vedantic interpretation of Sikh philosophy.

History

Patronage from Sikh nobles, especially the rulers of the Phulkian states, helped the Nirmalas become a prominent religious order. Sardar Dhyan Singh of Shahbad willed his estate to Karam Singh Nirmala. In 1766, Sadda Singh of Bahirwala offered seven villages to Bhagat Singh Nirmala, although the latter declined the offer. Sardar Jai Singh's daughter-in-law granted two villages to the Nirmal Dera at Kankhal.