Shrichandra (1492–1612), the oldest son of Guru Nanak, the
first of the ten Sikh gurus, created the Udasi ascetic society.
Nanak passed up Shrichandra as his successor because
Shrichandra had become an ascetic, according to one legend.
Guru Nanak objected to this, believing that his devotees
should be married in society.
The Udasis have always been an ascetic sect, and they have
been distinguished from the two other great ascetic sects, the Sanyasis and the
Bairagis, from their founding.
The Sanyasis worship Shiva, while the Bairagis worship
Vishnu, whereas the Udasis worship the Panchayatana grouping of five Hindu
deities (Shiva, Vishnu, Ganesh, Surya, and Durga), rather than one or the other
alone.
The Udasis march third in the Kumbha Mela's bathing (snana)
processions, following the Sanyasis and Bairagis.
They have maintained some informal contacts with the Sikh
community as a result of their founder's legacy, but they have always been
recognized to be Hindus.
In the early twentieth century, there was a lot of animosity
between the Udasis and the Sikh community because the Sikhs were more
self-aware of their unique identity.
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