Satnami Revolt of 1672

• The Satnami revolt of 1672 occurred in the reign of the Mughal Emperor Aurangzeb and around what is today’s Mahendragarh district of Haryana.
• The revolt began when a Mughal soldier killed a Satnami and the result was that about 5,000 Satnamis were up in arms.
• They routed the Mughal troops situated in the town, drove away the Mughal administrators and set up their own administration in its place.
• The uprising gained the enthusiasm of Hindus in Agra and Ajmer also, as they were not happy with Aurungzeb’s strict Islamic policies, which included reviving the Jizya tax (poll tax on non-Muslim subjects),Banning music and art, and Destroying Hindu temples.
• When the Satnamis inflicted several defeats on the Mughal forces, Aurungzeb himself took personal command and sent troops with artillery to suppress the revolt.
• What followed was an attempt to kill every remaining member of the Satnamis. The remnants of the Satnamis fled in all directions, who remained totally disorganised and leaderless for a long time.

Revival of the Satnamis:

• The most important Satnami group was founded in 1820 in the Chhattisgarh region of central India by Saint Ghasidas, a farm servant and member of the lower (Chamar) caste.
• His Satnam Panth (“Sect of the True Name”) succeeded in providing a religious and social identity for large numbers of members of Satnamis.
• Saint Ghasidas preached a code of ethical and dietary self-restraint and social equality and wrote Nirvan Gyan to propagate his teachings.
• As a result of connections with the Kabir Panth at different points in history, Satnamis have complicatedly navigated their position within a larger Hindu hierarchy.