● Who are Satnamis?
◦ Originally, they were a militant sect of Hindu Worshippers.
◦ Founded by a saint named “ Birbhan ” in 1657 in Narnaul in Haryana.
◦ The major religious activity of this sect is to chant and meditate on the true names (Sat-Nam) of God, especially Rama and Krishna.
◦ This sect is thought to be an offshoot of the Ravidasi sect and comprised of lower strata of the Hindu society, particularly, leather workers, sweepers, carpenters, Goldsmiths, etc.
◦ The followers of this sect kept their heads shaven (thus called Mundiyas) and abstained from liquor and meat.
◦ The religious Granth of the Satnamis is called Pothi.
● The revolt of 1672:
◦ In 1672, they rebelled against the mighty Mughal Empire . Hence, Statement 1 is NOT correct .
◦ The revolt triggered when a Mughal soldier killed a Satnami . Hence, Statement 2 is NOT correct .
◦ The Satnamis killed the soldier in revenge and in turn, Mughal soldiers were sent.
◦ Satnamis attacked Narnaul, the main township in the area and destroyed the Mughal garrison. They even set up their own administration.
◦ Next, they marched towards Shahjahanabad (old Delhi), armed with the latest European-designed muskets that their leader had taught them to make.
◦ The rebellion was crushed when Aurangzeb himself took personal command and sent 10,000 troops with artillery to crush the Satnamis.