Sikh Bhagats

Sikh Bhagats ( _pa. ਭਗਤ, from Sanskrit भक्त) refers to the saints and holy men of various faiths whose teachings are included in the Sikh holy book the Sri Guru Granth Sahib. The word "bhagat" means devotee, and comes from the Sanskrit word "Bhakti", which means devotion and love.

There are 15 Bhagats who are given respect in the Guru Granth Sahib as the Bani of the Ten Sikh Gurus. Throughout the history of India there have been saints and reformers who were dissatisfied with the superstitions and the religious vagaries that were being practiced by the masses at the time. They gradually evolved a belief in one God that preceded Guru Nanak. The teachings of these Bhagats are given the same prominence in the Guru Granth Sahib, the Sikh Holy Book as the teaching of the Ten Sikh Gurus. Guru Arjan Dev selected the writings of The Great Bhaktis. Below is the list of these Saints or Sants:

*Bhagat Ramanand
*Bhagat Sheikh Farid
*Bhagat Kabir
*Bhagat Ravidas
*Bhagat Beni
*Bhagat Namdev
*Bhagat Sadhana
*Bhagat Bhikhan
*Bhagat Parmanand
*Bhagat Sain
*Bhagat Dhanna
*Bhagat Pipa
*Bhagat Surdas
*Bhagat Jaidev
*Bhagat TrilochanThe Shabds And shaloks of these bhagats are included in Guru Granth Sahib.For more Information and rare picture visit : [http://www.sikhd4ce.com/photo386.html Sikh Bhagats Rare Pictures]

The Sufi Bhagats that lived in Hindu centres and became largely imbued with Hindu Spirituality, while they at the same time retained their traditional belief in the Divine entity of Pantheism.

Though the spirituality of the Bhagats and certain biographical details are mentioned in both the Guru Granth Sahib and Bhai Gurdas in the Varan, there are no detailed accounts (compared to the lives of the Gurus) of these Bhagats, but accounts of the Bhagats lives are contained in the writings of Nabhaji (the Bhagat Mal), Uddava Chidghan, Mahipati (the Bhakta Lilamirita), Ganesh Dattatre, Maharaja Raghuraj Sinha, Dahyabhai Ghelabhi Pandit, and others in various Indian texts.