NAMDHARI

also called Kuka, an austere sect within Sikhism, a religion of India. The Namdhari movement was founded by Balak Singh (17971862), who did not believe in any religious ritual other than the repetition of God's name (or nam, for which reason members of the sect are called Namdharis). His successor, Ram Singh (181685), introduced the sect's distinctive style of wearing the turban (bound straight across the forehead rather than at an angle), of dressing only in clothing made from white, handwoven cloth, and of frenzied chanting of hymns culminating in shrieks (kuks; hence the name Kuka). Under Ram Singh's leadership the Namdharis sought a resurgence of Sikh rule in the Punjab. After a clash with the police in January 1872, 66 of them were apprehended and executed by being tied to the mouths of cannons that were then fired. Ram Singh was exiled to Rangoon (Yangn), Burma (Myanmar), where he died. The Namdharis maintain their own gurdwaras (houses of worship) and do not marry outside the sect.