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Ḥājji Ratan or Bābā Ratan’s Multiple Identities

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Abstract

This article deals with the complex personality and legacy of a mysterious saint known both as a Sufī (Ḥājji Ratan) and a Nāth Yogī (Ratannāth) and links his multiple identity as well as the religious movement originated from him, to the specific cultural context of the former North-West Indian provinces. The first part is devoted to Ratan in the Nāth Yogī tradition, the second to his many facets in the Muslim tradition, in connection with his dargāh in the Panjabi town of Bhatinda. The third and main part explores a particular movement, the Har Śri Nāth tradition. Presently centered around a “dargāh mandir” in Delhi, this movement, with its two branches issued from Ratan and from his “son” Kāyānāth, was rooted in what is now Pakistan. The influence of location and history has led to many peculiarities which lead us to stress the blurred boundaries between Islam and Hinduism and the essential part played by charismatic figures in the construction of religious identities.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (Centre d’Etudes de l’Inde et de l’Asie du Sud), Paris, France

    Véronique Bouillier

  2. Institute of Rajasthan Studies, Jaipur, India

    Dominique-Sila Khan

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  1. Véronique Bouillier
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  2. Dominique-Sila Khan
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Correspondence to Véronique Bouillier.

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Bouillier, V., Khan, DS. Ḥājji Ratan or Bābā Ratan’s Multiple Identities. J Indian Philos 37, 559–595 (2009). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10781-009-9076-x

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10781-009-9076-x

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