The men of which sect of Rajasthan perform the Agni Dance (Fire dance) ?

Correct — option (3), Jasnathi Siddha.

Ganga Ram Garg's An Encyclopaedia of World Hindi Literature (1985) dates Jasnathji to 1482–1506. It says he founded the Jasnathi sect around 1500 at Katariyasar in Bikaner, now its main seat, and that Jasnath's Agni Nritya, the fire dance, is well known.

Rajasthan Tourism's Bikaner page makes the same link from the village side. It places Katariasar 45 km from Bikaner on the Jaipur road and names its main attraction as its inhabitants, 'the Jasnathjis, who are fire dancers.'

The Bikaner District Gazetteer, compiled by K. K. Sehgal, names the performers: the Sidh Jats of the Thar Desert dance around a fire in March–April, at the fair held at Katariyasar in honour of Guru Jasnath. The sect that performs the fire dance is therefore option (3), Jasnathi Siddha.

The idea to remember: Agni Nritya = Jasnathi Siddhas of Katariyasar, Bikaner, followers of Jasnathji (1482–1506).

Why the others are wrong

• (1)
  Bishnoi Sect — Garg dates Jambhoji, founder of the Bishnoi (Vishnoi) sect, to 1451–1536 and places the founding in 1485. The Nagaur and Barmer gazetteers say the Bishnois take their name from their 29 (bis-nau) rules of conduct.

  The two sects are close: Garg notes that Jasnathji, like Jambhoji, believed in daily havan. But the fire dance belongs to the Jasnathis. Bishnoi Sect answers a question on the 29 rules of Jambhoji.

• (2)
  Ramsnehi Sect — Garg dates Ram Charan to 1719–98 and calls him the propounder of the Ram Snehi Sampraday of Shahpura. He founded it at Bhilwara in 1760 and settled at Shahpura in 1769, which became its main seat.

  The fire dance belongs to the Jasnathis of Katariyasar. Ramsnehi Sect answers a question on Ram Charan or on the seat at Shahpura.

• (4)
  Dadupanth — Garg dates Dadudayal, founder of the Dadu Panth, to 1543–1603. Born in Ahmedabad, he spent most of his life in Rajasthan and died at Narana near Jaipur.

  The fire dance is Jasnath's tradition, not Dadu's. Dadupanth answers a question on the sect of Dadudayal, who died at Narana.

The Jasnathi sect traces itself to Jasnathji (1482–1506). Hiralal Maheshwari's History of Rajasthani Literature (Sahitya Akademi, 1980) says most of his teaching resembles Jambhoji's, and counts 35 tenets of the sect, including the daily performance of hawan.

The Bikaner District Gazetteer calls the fire dancers the Sidh Jats of the Thar Desert, who perform at the fair held in honour of Guru Jasnath at Katariyasar.

Sources differ on Jasnath's lineage. Garg says he followed Vaishnav ideology and Yoga rather than the Nath tradition, and Maheshwari writes that he did not follow the Nath tradition, though some believe he did. The Bikaner Gazetteer says the dance commemorates Guru Gorakhnath.

Key facts

• Garg (1985) dates Jasnathji to 1482–1506 and says he founded the Jasnathi sect around 1500 at Katariyasar, Bikaner, now its main seat.
• Garg calls Jasnath's Agni Nritya, the fire dance, well known.
• Rajasthan Tourism places Katariasar 45 km from Bikaner on the Jaipur road and calls its inhabitants, the Jasnathjis, fire dancers.
• The Bikaner District Gazetteer says the Sidh Jats of the Thar Desert perform their fire dance in March–April at the fair for Guru Jasnath at Katariyasar.
• The Nagaur District Gazetteer (1975) notes that sects such as the Jasnathis and Bishnois bury their dead.

Common traps

• Giving the fire dance to the Bishnois because Jambhoji and Jasnathji share practices such as daily havan; the Agni Nritya is Jasnath's tradition.
• Reading 'Siddha' as proof of a Nath sect: Garg says Jasnath followed Vaishnav ideology and Yoga rather than the Nath tradition, and Maheshwari that he did not follow it, though some believe he did; the Bikaner Gazetteer links the fire dance to Guru Gorakhnath.
• Mixing seats: Katariyasar is the Jasnathi seat, Shahpura the Ramsnehi seat of Ram Charan, and Narana the place where Dadudayal died.

UnlockIAS will link similar questions from RAS Pre 2021 and 2016 here once those papers are published on this site.

• practice — not a real PYQ

  Katariyasar in Bikaner is the main seat of which sect?

  • (a)Bishnoi Sect
  • (b)Jasnathi Sect
  • (c)Dadu Panth
  • (d)Ramsnehi Sect of Shahpura
  Answer(2) — Garg names Katariyasar as the main seat of the Jasnathi sect founded by Jasnathji. He links option (1) with Jambhoji, option (3) with Dadudayal, who died at Narana, and option (4) with Ram Charan, who settled at Shahpura in 1769.
• practice — not a real PYQ

  Who founded the Ram Snehi Sampraday at Bhilwara in 1760, later seated at Shahpura?

  • (a)Dadudayal
  • (b)Jambhoji
  • (c)Ram Charan
  • (d)Jasnathji
  Answer(3) — Garg says Ram Charan (1719–98) founded the Ram Snehi Sampraday at Bhilwara in 1760 and moved to Shahpura in 1769. Option (1) founded the Dadu Panth, option (2) the Bishnoi sect in 1485, and option (4) the Jasnathi sect around 1500.