ABSTRACT
In short, it was during 'foundation-laying period' that the Nirankaris developed a certain pattern of collective life which has endured up to the present. This pattern evolved within a specific religious context under the leadership of three gurus: Baba Dayal, Baba Darbara Singh, and Sahib Rattaji. In 1861 the Rev. James Orbison reported that Baba Dayal had died four to five years earlier, thus supporting the Nirankari contention that he died in 1855 rather than in 1870, as reported in the census. The purpose of the specific recommendations on ceremonies was to free the Sikhs from ritualism, to centre their ceremonial life around the Adi Granth, and to direct it towards those goals laid down in the Adi Granth. The Nirankari marriage ceremony described earlier bears a strong resemblance to the anand marriage ceremony. The Bill served Nirankari interests well as it legalized marriages performed according to the rite laid down in the Hukamnama.
