Samadhi (shrine)

Samadhi of the Sikh Maharajah Ranjit Singh in Lahore

In Hinduism, Sikhism, and Sufism a samadhi (samādhi) or samadhi mandir is a temple, shrine, or memorial commemorating the dead (similar to a tomb or mausoleum),[note 1][1][2][3] which may or may not contain the body of the deceased. Samadhi sites are often built in this way to honour people regarded as saints or gurus in Hindu religious traditions,[4] wherein such souls are said to have passed into mahāsamādhi, or were already in samadhi (a state of meditative consciousness) at the time of death.

Ruined group of samadhi for the rajas of Kutch and their courts, at Bhuj, Gujarat

In Sikhism, the term "samadhi" is used for the mausoleums of eminent figures, both religious and political. Examples include the Samadhi of Ranjit Singh in Lahore, and that of Maharaja Sher Singh near Lahore. Hindu equivalents are usually called chatri, although those for Maratha Empire figures also often use "samadhi". The forms of structure called "samadhi" vary greatly. The word is sometimes used for a memorial stele, also called paliya, a type of hero stone once common in parts of Gujarat and Sindh. It may be used for small memorial buildings such as open chatri, often placed around a temple. In Punjab, samadhis are also known as marhī.[5]

The tradition of India is cremation for most Hindu people at the time of death, while samadhi is generally reserved for very advanced souls, such as yogis and saints,[4] who have already been "purified by the fire of yoga"[6] or who are believed to have been in the state of samadhi at the time of death. Samadhi usually involves inhumation rather than cremation.[4]

Regional and religious styles

According to Zulfiqar Ali Kalhoro, Sikh samadhis are often decorated with frescoes, which usually depict both Sikh and Hindu themes, such as the Sikh gurus or Indic deities. During Sikh-rule, samadhis tended to be costly, grand structures with ribbed domes and elaborate paintings. However, Sikh samadhis erected during British-rule tended to be simpler, with fewer frescoes and shikhara or squat domes.[7] Zulfiqar Ali Kalhoro also identifies a regional Pothohari style of samadhis, which usually contain consisting of tanks (sarovars), step-wells (baolis), ribbed domes, high-neck drums, marble door frames, and are either square or octagonal in-shape.[7][8]

Examples

One of the popular site of pilgrimage in India is the town of Alandi in the state of Maharashtra where the 13th century Varkari saint Dnyaneshwar took Sanjivan Samadhi, or entombed himself in the state of Samadhi. His devotees believe that he is still alive.[9][10]

A samadhi dedicated to Bhaduri Mahasaya (also known as Paramahansa Maharshi Nagendranath, the founder of the Sanatan Dharma Pracharini Sabha can be found at Nagendra Math on Rammohan Roy Road in Kolkata, West Bengal.[11]

A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada (d. 1977) the founder of ISKCON (known as the "Hare Krishna Movement"), is commemorated with a large Samadhi Mandir in Mayapur, West Bengal. Examples of Pothohari samadhs include the Samadhi of Baba Mohan Das and the samadhi at Gurdwara Baba Than Singh.[7]

See also

Notes

  1. ^ The name of these shrines can also be spelt as 'samadh' or 'smadh'.

References

  1. ^ "Hindi dictionary (Samadhi)". Retrieved 18 September 2014.
  2. ^ "Oxford Dictionary – American English". Archived from the original on 22 October 2013. Retrieved 18 September 2014.
  3. ^ "Oxford Dictionary – English". Archived from the original on 22 October 2013. Retrieved 18 September 2014.
  4. ^ a b c McLaughlin, Mark (July 2021). Flood, Gavin; Frazier, Jessica; Lutjeharms, Rembert (eds.). "Tracing the Roots of Samādhi Burial Practice". Journal of Hindu Studies. 14 (1). Oxford: Oxford University Press on behalf of the Oxford Centre for Hindu Studies: 8–26. doi:10.1093/jhs/hiab008. eISSN 1756-4263. ISSN 1756-4255. OCLC 301680132.
  5. ^ Khan, Nadhra Shahbaz Naeem (2018). THE SAMĀDHI OF MAHARAJA RANJIT SINGH IN LAHORE: A Summation of Sikh Architectural and Decorative Practices (PDF). Berlin: EB-Verlag. p. 13. ISBN 9783868932713.
  6. ^ Georg Feuerstein, The Encyclopedia of Yoga and Tantra (Boston: Shambhala Publications, 2011), p. 308.
  7. ^ a b c Kalhoro, Zulfiqar Ali (19 February 2021). "Samadhis of Pothohar". The Friday Times. Retrieved 20 April 2026.
  8. ^ Kalhoro, Zulfiqar Ali (19 April 2019). "Of Sikhs and a Sultan". The Friday Times. Retrieved 20 April 2026.
  9. ^ Novetzke 2009, p. 218.
  10. ^ Glushkova 2014, p. 116.
  11. ^ Sen Shastri, Dr. Tripurasankar (2020). The Levitating Saint (Forth ed.). Nagendra Mission, 2B, Rammohan Roy Road, Kolkata- 700 009: Sabitadeb Banerjee. p. 26.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location (link)

Bibliography

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