RAS question
Who was the third Sikh Guru who institutionalized the Langar system?
Correct answer: (D) Guru Amar Das.
Guru Amar Das, the third Sikh Guru, institutionalised the langar system by requiring visitors to eat in the community kitchen before meeting him.
Explanation
Guru Amar Das (1479-1574) was the third Sikh Guru, and Encyclopaedia Britannica supports the key institutional point: under his direction, langar was strengthened into a rule-bound Sikh institution. Anyone who wished to see him first had to eat in the communal refectory, which directly expressed the Sikh rejection of caste barriers in shared religious life. He also established 22 manjis, or diocesan seats, for Sikh preaching. Together, these details show why the answer is not merely about who began the practice, but who gave it a more organised and compulsory form within the Sikh community.
Why the other options are wrong
- (A) Guru Nanak Dev is associated with starting langar, but the question asks who institutionalised it: Guru Amar Das.
- (B) Guru Angad Dev is linked here with developing Gurmukhi, not with making langar a compulsory institution for visitors to the Guru.
- (C) Guru Ram Das is linked here with founding Amritsar, whereas the institutionalisation of langar belongs to Guru Amar Das.
Concept
This tests the Sikh Gurus and the institutional development of Sikhism, a recurring RAS history theme because questions often distinguish founders from organisers. Langar is especially examinable because it connects religious practice with social equality and anti-caste reform.