The Gurdwara Reform Movement

By the early twentieth century, many historic Sikh gurdwaras were under the control of hereditary mahants — custodians who, in a number of well-documented cases, had drifted far from the institutions' religious purpose, in some instances with the tacit support of the colonial administration. The movement that emerged to reclaim community control of these institutions became one of the defining Sikh political events of the twentieth century.

The SGPC founded

He was one of the founding members of the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC).

A Strongly documented

Claim ID: DOS-I.3
Tier meaning: In the scholarly reference works and corroborated elsewhere. Publish as fact.
Source(s): Encyclopaedia of Sikhism — Harbans Singh (ed.)
Note: Canonical wording per A1.5 — the stronger single-founder framing is not used; see Sources & Method for the full policy.
Last reviewed: 2026-08-09

Nankana Sahib, 1921

A Strongly documented

Claim ID: DOS-II.12-NANKANA
Tier meaning: In the scholarly reference works and corroborated elsewhere. Publish as fact.
Source(s): Encyclopaedia of Sikhism — Harbans Singh (ed.)
Last reviewed: 2026-08-09

The Keys (Chabian) Morcha

A Strongly documented

Claim ID: DOS-II.13
Tier meaning: In the scholarly reference works and corroborated elsewhere. Publish as fact.
Source(s): Encyclopaedia of Sikhism — Harbans Singh (ed.)
Last reviewed: 2026-08-09

Guru ka Bagh, 1922

A Strongly documented

Claim ID: DOS-II.14
Tier meaning: In the scholarly reference works and corroborated elsewhere. Publish as fact.
Source(s): Encyclopaedia of Sikhism — Harbans Singh (ed.)
Last reviewed: 2026-08-09

C Partially supported / requires further confirmation

Claim ID: CP7-COUNCIL-OF-ACTION
Tier meaning: Press-only, single-source, or contested between sources. Publish only with attribution.
Source(s): 2026 centenary press coverage (various outlets)
Contested: Press-only claim; SGPC minutes not consulted.
Last reviewed: 2026-08-09

1923 — Kar Sewa and political office

C Partially supported / requires further confirmation

Claim ID: CP11-KAR-SEWA
Tier meaning: Press-only, single-source, or contested between sources. Publish only with attribution.
Source(s): 2026 centenary press coverage (various outlets)
Contested: Press-only; not corroborated by a reference work.
Last reviewed: 2026-08-09

Jaito and the arrest of the fifty-nine

A Strongly documented

Claim ID: DOS-II.18
Tier meaning: In the scholarly reference works and corroborated elsewhere. Publish as fact.
Source(s): Encyclopaedia of Sikhism — Harbans Singh (ed.)
Last reviewed: 2026-08-09

The Sikh Gurdwaras Act, 1925

The movement's central legislative goal. See The Refusal for what followed the Act's passage — the flagship narrative of this archive.