Dhir Mal

Dhir Mal (10 January 1627 – 16 November 1677), also spelt as Dhirmal, was a Sikh sectoral religious leader who was the son of Baba Gurditta and Mata Natti and grandson of Guru Hargobind, making him the nephew of Guru Tegh Bahadur and uncle of Guru Gobind Singh. He attempted to assassinate Guru Tegh Bahadur in his bid for the Sikh guruship. His Sodhi descendants remain in Kartatpur in Jalandhar district, where they claimed to possess the original codex/manuscript of the Ād Granth, known as the Kartarpuri Bir. When Guru Hargobind moved his family to Kiratpur, Dhir Mal remained behind in Kartarpur to take control of the estate, along with the original manuscript/codex of the Ād Granth. Dhir Mal assisted the Pathan general Painde Khan against the Sikhs at the Battle of Kartarpur in 1634. Dhir Mal stole the original codex of the Ād Granth that had been compiled by Guru Arjan and Bhai Gurdas from the house of Guru Hargobind. After the death of his father, Gurditta, the Sikh guru requested that Dhir Mal, residing at Kartarpur, to come to Kiratpur and bring the codex so a prayer could be conducted for his late father using it and for Dhir Mal to be physically present so he could receive his father's turban, which was a mark of succession to his father's property and position. However, Dhir Mal refused the invitation and did not come.

Guru Hargobind lost his eldest son Baba Gurditta in 1638. Shah Jahan attempted political means to undermine the Sikh tradition by dividing and influencing the succession. The Mughal ruler gave land grants to Gurditta's eldest son Dhir Mal, living in Kartarpur, and attempted to encourage Sikhs to recognise Dhir Mal as the rightful successor to Hargobind. Dhir Mal issued statements in favour of the Mughal state and critical of his grandfather. Hargobind died at Kiratpur, Rupnagar, Punjab, on 28 February 1644. Before his death, he rejected his eldest grandson Dhir Mal's politics and nominated Guru Har Rai (Dhir Mal's younger brother) instead to succeed him as the Guru.

The Damdami Taksal claims that Guru Gobind Singh instructed Deep Singh and other Sikhs to visit Dhir Mal to request the original codex, the Kartarpuri Bir, however Dhir Mal is said to have responded by taunting Guru Gobind Singh to prepare a copy of the scripture by memory if he is really the true guru. In-response, the Sikh guru is said to have prepared the Damdami recension of the scripture. After the founding of the Khalsa, Guru Gobind Singh classified the Dhirmalias as one of the Panj Mel, groups which Sikhs are to avoid and shun completely. Dhir Mal is considered a traitor by mainstream Sikhs due to his greed for the guruship, wealth, and power. Guru Gobind Singh forbade his Sikhs from having any relation with Dhirmalias. Dhir Mal's great-grandson, Bikram Singh, would later give up connections to the sect and be baptised into the Khalsa order and become a mainstream Sikh. Vadhbag Singh Sodhi, an 18th-century descendant of the Sikh Gurus, was a prominent figure of the Dhirmalia sect. Vadbhag Singh became worshipped as a banisher of evil spirits, with a cult forming around him. This manuscript is known as the Kartarpur Bir. The Sodhis of Kartarpur claim to be their descendants and have in their possession the manuscript. Maharaja Ranjit Singh took possession of the original codex and had it installed at his personal gurdwara in Lahore Fort. However, after British annexation of the Punjab in 1849, the codex was returned to the Sodhis of Kartarpur led by Sodhi Sadhu Singh in 1850 upon their request for it. It remains with them today and is installed at Gurdwara Thum Sahib. Sadhu Sing had an estate in the Jalandhar Doab worth 63,000 rupees and was restored to his jagir by the British for his support during the 1857 mutiny. In 1877, Sadhu Singh was succeeded by his son Jawahar Singh, who was not regarded well, thus his estate came under the control of the Deputy Commissioner Jalandhar. Jawahar Singh was succeeded in 1882 by Nau Nihal Singh. The current head of the Dhirmalias of Kartarpur is Karamjit Singh, who manages Gurdwara Tham Sahib in Kartarpur and other locations in Punjab and Himachal Pradesh.