Shrichandra

(b. 1494–1612?) Historical founder of the
Udasi (“indifferent”) ascetic community.
Shrichandra was the elder son of Guru
Nanak, the first of the Sikh community’s
ten gurus. By all accounts, Shrichandra
was a devout and pious man, but Nanak
passed over Shrichandra to designate
one of his followers, Angad, as the second
Sikh guru. According to tradition this was
because Guru Nanak, believing that his
followers should live married lives in regular society, disapproved of Shrichandra’s
status as ascetic. Due to his pedigree and
his piety, Shrichandra gained a considerable following of his own, but the Udasis
have always been considered as belonging in the Hindu fold. During the
Kumbha Mela, an important bathing
(snana) festival held in different places in
northern India, the Udasis march third in
the bathing procession, behind the
Sanyasis and the Bairagis.