Ashram (Balmiki)
Encyclopedia

A Balmiki
Balmiki
Balmiki is Dalit communities in the Indian state of Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh and Haryana and also in Pakistan and was historically restricted to three occupations: cleaning latrines, sweeping, and scavenging . They prefer to be known as Bhangi...

 temple is called an Ashram, which means a hermitage or monastery. It is the communal house for Balmikis. The function of the Ashram is to serve as a center for building up the commitment of devotee’s and for transmitting the Ramayana
Ramayana
The Ramayana is an ancient Sanskrit epic. It is ascribed to the Hindu sage Valmiki and forms an important part of the Hindu canon , considered to be itihāsa. The Ramayana is one of the two great epics of India and Nepal, the other being the Mahabharata...

's message, and the focal point for the whole community to preserve their culture and traditions.

For Balmikis communal prayer is not restricted to the confines of the Ashram, but can in fact take place anywhere as long as The Ramayana is present.
However, when an Ashram is not within traveling distance many Balmiki families will have a copy of the Ramayana in a special room at their house which can be used for worship.

When an Ashram is not available Balmikis will hire a public building or use an individual’s house as an Ashram.

Features

All Balmiki Ashram's have common features. For instance, the place of worship is always in a special room and there are a number of other rooms set-aside for special purposes. There is a Langar
Langar
Langar is the term used in the Sikh religion or in Punjab in general for common kitchen/canteen where food is served in a Gurdwara to all the visitors for free. At the langar, only vegetarian food is served, to ensure that all people, regardless of their dietary restrictions, can eat as equals...

 hall where all the devotees congregate for a meal, the community kitchen where devotees help to prepare food for the Langer. A classroom and library where the Ramayana is stocked for study and is used for teaching young children.

All Balmiki Ashram's have a special flag, called a Nishan Sahib
Nishan Sahib
The Nishan Sahib is a Sikh holy triangular flag made of cotton or silk cloth, with a tassel at its end. The word, Nishan means symbol, and the flag is hoisted on a tall flagpole, outside most Gurudwaras. The flagpole itself covered with fabric, ends with a two-edged dagger on top...

 outside to show that it is a place of worship. The bow and arrows represent Valmiki’s disciples Lav
Lava (Ramayana)
Lava or Luv and his twin brother Kusha, were the children of the Lord Rama and his wife Sita, whose story is recounted in the Ramayana. Per that text, he is known as the founder of Lavapuri,that is, the modern day city of Lahore,...

 and Kush
Kusha (Ramayana)
Kusha , in Hindu mythology, was one of the twin sons of Lord Rama and Sita . Born in the Forest after Sita had been banished from Ayodhya, they were educated and trained in military skills and were under the care of Sage Valmiki....

.

A music room where musical instruments such as the Tabla
Tabla
The tabla is a popular Indian percussion instrument used in Hindustani classical music and in popular and devotional music of the Indian subcontinent. The instrument consists of a pair of hand drums of contrasting sizes and timbres...

 are taught and hymns are practiced for worship. Finally, there is a special area for shoes and washing.

Worship services

The Ashram is open to all who wish to enter, anyone who goes to the Ashram is welcome to stay as long as they wish and are welcome regardless of race, gender, caste or creed.

All Balmikis follow certain rules of conduct and before entering the worship room everyone is expected to remove their shoes as a sign of respect but also for general cleanliness. However, devotees may not enter the Ashram if they are carrying alcohol, drugs, or meat. As devotee enter the worship room they approach the Ramayana
Ramayana
The Ramayana is an ancient Sanskrit epic. It is ascribed to the Hindu sage Valmiki and forms an important part of the Hindu canon , considered to be itihāsa. The Ramayana is one of the two great epics of India and Nepal, the other being the Mahabharata...

 which is covered with an embroidered cloth and is kept on a platform covered with a special canopy.

Each devotee kneels before the Ramayana and makes their offering of prayer and money. It is not essential that devotees offer money and some may wish to donate food towards the Langar. The devotees then retreat to find a place to sit down. Usually a picture of Valmik is placed in front of the Ramayana to help focus concentration and incense sticks are lit to purify the air.

Everyone sits on the floor to show that everyone is equal in the eyes of God, regardless of whether they come from a rich or poor background. However, it is usually found that men and women sit separately. The women tend to sit on the left side of the room whilst the men sit on the right. There is no Balmiki religious significance for this except for Sikh
Sikh
A Sikh is a follower of Sikhism. It primarily originated in the 15th century in the Punjab region of South Asia. The term "Sikh" has its origin in Sanskrit term शिष्य , meaning "disciple, student" or शिक्ष , meaning "instruction"...

 traditional influence on the community.

There is no special day for worship during the week, but since work restricts one’s availability for worship, most Balmiki’s attend the Ashram on Sundays. Devotees are at liberty to come and go at any time during the Pooja service, which usually lasts about three hours.

The Pooja begins by everyone standing up to say a prayer which is called the Ardas (Balmiki), then the Poojari (Priest) begins to read sections of the Ramayana.

At short intervals reading from the Ramayana will stop and devotees will be called to the platform to preach and sing hymns. At the end of the Pooja the whole congregation will stand and say a prayer called the Arthi.

The Arthi is followed by the distribution of Karah Prashad, which is made from flour, sugar, butter and water. Karah Parshad is given to each devotee who has come to hear the Ramayana. The food is taken from one bowl only and is a symbol of unity.

Eventually, all the devotees will congregate in the Langar hall, for a meal, for which no one has to pay. All are welcome to share the Langar, which is always vegetarian. Sharing of food together is designed to unite people from all sections of the society and to promote equality between all human beings.

In some Ashrams, a Guru Granth Sahib
Guru Granth Sahib
Sri Guru Granth Sahib , or Adi Granth, is the religious text of Sikhism. It is the final and eternal guru of the Sikhs. It is a voluminous text of 1430 angs, compiled and composed during the period of Sikh gurus, from 1469 to 1708...

 is kept alongside the Ramayana and Mazhabi
Mazhabi
A Mazhabi Sikh is a member of the Rangretta clans Churas who have embraced the sikh faith who are mainly found in the Punjab region, Kashmir and Rajastan...

 Sikhs worship together with Balmiki
Balmiki
Balmiki is Dalit communities in the Indian state of Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh and Haryana and also in Pakistan and was historically restricted to three occupations: cleaning latrines, sweeping, and scavenging . They prefer to be known as Bhangi...

s.

Great Britain

In Britain, Ashrams come in various sizes. Some tend to be specially constructed, whilst others tend to be renovated buildings designed to enable the purpose of worship.
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