[5] However, their religious practices border on a syncretism of Sikhism and Hinduism, and they did not conform to the Khalsa standards as ordained by Guru Gobind Singh.

[6][7][8] Udasi and Udasin is derived from the Sanskrit word Udāsīn, which means one who is indifferent to or disregardful of worldly attachments, a stoic, or a mendicant.

[10] The combination of Hindu gods and the Sikh religious text indicated that the sect evolved over time under many historical influences and conditions,[5] interpreting the message of Guru Granth Sahib in monistic Vedantic terms.

[14][15] They were initially largely based in urban centers where they set up their establishments, or akharas, only beginning to spread into rural areas during Sikh rule;[5] before, they had around a dozen centres; by the end of Maharaja Ranjit Singh's reign, the number had increased to around 250.

[5] According to early gur-bilas literature and some modern scholars, Guru Gobind Singh had employed a large number of armed, militant Udasi asectics prior to the construction of the forts of Anandpur Sahib.

It has been posited that Guru Gobind Singh initiated the Khalsa in order to amalgamate the nirgun bhakti beliefs of the Ramanandis and the martial traditions of the growing number of armed mahants.

[16] Before the emergence of the Singh Sabha Movement in the late 19th century, they controlled important Sikh shrines, including the Harimandir Sahib for a short while.

[4] According to 18th-century descriptions, they either cut or matted their hair under a turban, rather than knot it under a turban like Khalsas, and instead of the Khalsa emphasis on the panj kakkar garb and sporting arms, their dress code would include items such as a cap, a cotton bag, a flower rosary, a vessel made of dried pumpkin, a chain around the waist, ash to smear on their body, and a deerskin upon which to perform Hatha yoga, resulting in an extremely divergent appearance from Khalsa Sikhs in the eighteenth century.

[10] In addition to not consider the Khalsa's Rehat Maryada to be binding on them,[11] their modes of thought and attitude towards salvation also differed significantly.

The Udasis considered secular pursuits to be incompatible with personal salvation, which was to be achieved only through renouncing the world,[10] espousing asceticism and a monastic traveler lifestyle.

[19] The word akhara is traditionally associated with wrestling but it implies a different meaning as used by Sikh sects like the Udasis and Nirmalas.

[18] Mahant Nirvan Pritam Das also founded akhara centres in Kashi Kankhal (Haridwar) and other places of Indic pilgrimage sites.

[1] The mahants (who appended the prefix Bava or Bao, meaning "ascetic" at the beginning of their names and refer to their title of leadership as Gadhisar) of the Baba Sri Chand Darbar (colloquially known as Raj Ghaat) in Faqir Jo Goth, such as the first mahant, Bava Balkram Das, conducted missionary activities in the area and faraway (even as distant as Nepal) as did his successors.

[30] Another Udasi saint who spread the faith in Sindh was Rai Sahib Gokal Singh, who established a darbar in Gokalpur Kot in Garhi Yashin.

[19] One prominent Udasi saint, Bankhandi, originally from either Nepal or near Delhi, was the founder of Sadh Belo in Sukkur, Sindh in 1823.

[1] The liberal attitude of Sindhi Muslims may have helped the Udasis take root in Sindh rather than being pushed out on the basis of religious intolerance and persecution.