Sham Singh Nihang

Sham Singh Nihang (1854-1924) was born Harkesh, in 1854, into a Jat Zamindar Chaudhary Jaswant Singh Of Muhammadpur, in Sultanpur district of Uttar Pradesh home. As he grew up, he helped his father in the family’s profession of farming before migrating at the age of twentyfive to Hyderabad, in the’Deccan, to do business. There, undergoing several sudden turns of fortune, he went through the rites of Khalsa initiation at Gurdwara Sri Hazur Sahib at Nanded, receiving the name of Sham Singh. He donned the blue and saffron robes of a Nihang and came to be known as Nihang Sham Singh. He dedicated his life to preaching the Sikh faith. He returned to his native village, in Uttar Pradesh, where his erstwhile busines partner, Shera, was the first to come under his influence. He escorted Shera to Bhasaur, then an active centre of Singh Sabha, the Sikh renaissance movement. Here he was converted by Bhai Teja Singh, a leading Sikh of the day, and named Hari Singh. Sham Singh continued his missionary work in Uttar Pradesh. In 1914, he came to settle at Paniali Qasimpur where he set up a gurdwara. Many were drawn to the Sikh faith by his pious example. Sham Singh died in 1924, leaving his successor Bhai Mahan Singh, to carry on his work .