Sewapanthi

Sewapanthi, also spelled Sevapanthi and also known as Addanshahi, is a Sikh order started by Bhai Kanhaiya, who lived from 1648 to 1718 and was a personal follower of the ninth Sikh Guru, Guru Tegh Bahadur, focused on the welfare and altruistic service of others. It was formally established in the early 1700s, after the 1703 Battle of Anandpur, when Guru Gobind Singh blessed Kanhaiya and his followers, and its members historically were often Sahajdhari Sikhs who did not keep uncut hair, allowing them to avoid persecution, and included traditionally celibate members dedicated to serving others in a pacifist spirit that nonetheless respected the martial Khalsa tradition. Based mainly in Punjab and Sindh, the order was historically responsible for preparing a special ink called Roshanai or Addanshahi ink used for Sikh scripture manuscripts, though its numbers have declined significantly and it is extremely small today.