Sadhu Sundar Singh

Indian missionary (1889–1929)

Sadhu Sundar Singh (Punjabi: ਸਾਧੂ ਸੁੰਦਰ ਸਿੰਘ)

Sadhu Sundar Singh
Born(1889-09-03)3 September 1889
Diedunknown
EducationAnglican College, Lahore Ewing Christian School, Ludhiana, Punjab, India
Sadhu Sundar Singh with Archbishop Nathan Söderblom, during his stay in Sweden

(Gurmukhi); سادھو سندر سنگھ (Shahmukhi) was Born on 3 September 1889.He was an Indian Christian missionary. He is believed to have died in the foothills of the Himalayas in 1929.

Early life

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Sundar Singh was born into a Sikh family in the Punjab state of India. As a child he attended a Christian School. He was also influenced by Hindu and Sikh holy men. At age 14 his mother died, and he rebelled against religion. He wanted to commit suicide but prayed that God would come and stop him. That night, he believed that Jesus appeared to him. He became a Christian missionary. In spite of his family's objection, he was baptized into the Christian faith and became a missionary at age 16.

Missionary travels

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Taking the title Sadhu, Sundar began to travel within India and Kashmir. He also went to Afghanistan and Tibet. He believed that western influences had corrupted Christian belief and practice. He studied at an Anglican college for a short time. He left because the priest tried to get him to dress like a European and adopt other British customs. His travels are believed to have resulted in many conversions. He kept no records so exact information is not available. It is also reported that he performed miracles through the power of Jesus.

Later Sundar Singh traveled in many countries including Europe and North America. Discouraged by the materialism of those countries, he returned to India to continue his work. While on a final trip to Tibet, he is assumed to have died, but details are unknown.