Namdhari

The Namdharis (Gurmukhi: ਨਾਮਧਾਰੀ; Devanagari: नामधारी; nāmadhārī, meaning "bearers of the name"), also known as Kuka and Kukaism (Gurmukhi: ਕੂਕਾ; kūkā [sg]; ਕੂਕੇ; kūkē [pl]: from Punjabi kuk, “scream” or “cry”), are a Sikh sect that differs from mainstream Sikhs chiefly in that it believes that the lineage of Sikh Gurus did not end with Guru Gobind Singh (1666–1708), as they recognize Balak Singh (1797–1862) as the 11th Guru of the Sikh religion, thus continuing the succession of Sikh Gurus through the centuries from Guru Nanak Dev to the present day. The 12th Guru was Ram Singh (1816–1885), who moved the sects centre to Bhaini Sahib (Ludhiana) and is regarded as the first Indian to use non-cooperation and non-violence boycott in order to combat the British Empire in India.