Mazhabi

Mazhabi Sikh
Religions	Sikhism
Languages	Punjabi
Populated states	Punjab, Rajasthan

Mazhabi Sikhs (also spelt as Mazbhabi, Mazbhi, Mazbi, Majhabhi or Majabhi) are members of the low-status Chuhra sweeper caste who have rejected Hinduism in favour of the Sikh faith. The definition of Mazhabi today is somewhat blurred because of the influence of Valmikism. The word Mazhabi is derived from the Urdu term mazhab ("sect"), and can be translated as the faithful. They live mainly in Indian Punjab, Rajasthan and Haryana.

Mazhabis are best known for military service in the Sikh Khalsa Army, British Indian Army and post-independence Indian Army.

When Guru Tegh Bahadur, the ninth Sikh guru, was killed by the Mughals in Delhi, three Chuhras recovered his dismembered body from a Muslim crowd and brought it back to his son, Guru Gobind Singh. In recognition of their act, he admitted the untouchable Chuhra sweepers into the Khalsa (the Sikh faith), giving them the name Mazhabi ("faithful").

Within the present-day Mazhabi community, one group calls itself the Ranghreta and claims a higher status on the grounds that one of their ancestors was Bhai Jaita Ranghreta, who carried the head of Tegh Bahadur from Delhi to Gobind Singh in Anandpur Sahib.

The definition of Mazhabi today is somewhat blurred because of the influence of Valmikism. While Sikhism is in theory an egalitarian faith that takes no notice of caste, gender and other social demarcations, Fenech and Singh note that "there is often a level of hypocrisy between what is taught and what is actually put into practice." Mazhabis are discriminated against by Sikhs whose origins lie with higher-ranked castes and many Chuhras have turned to Valmikism but are still referred to as Mazhabi. While young Valmikis, who accept Valmiki as their guru, increasingly object to being labelled as Sikh, their elders are less concerned. At least one of their organisations, the Valmiki-Mazhabi Sikh Morcha, conflates the terms.

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