chatkain
sanatanhindusikh
shastarvidiya

'Chatka' is essential, if one is to survive the horrors of the battlefield.

On the field of battle,the foremost Sikh historian of the 'Missal' (confederacy) period (1735-1770's), Shaheed Bhai Rattan Singh Bhangu, states that there is NO place for vegetarianism:

'How can vegetarianism work where there is constant war? How can a Vegetarian Panth survive there? How can vegetarians survive there, where there is daily war, daily bloodshed? There you might have to survive by drinking the enemy's blood. There are such difficult circumstances. In Banda Bahadur Bairagi's Panth were Sadhus. How could they know of this?'
('Pracheen Panth Prakash - Stik', Bhai Rattan Singh Bhangu, Translated by Akali Nihang Baba Santa Singh, Pa. 377-378)

Chatka is an ancient 'Kyshatriya' term known even to other Indian martial races aside from the Akali Nihang Singhs, such as the Rajputs, Nagas, Sanyasis, Gurkhas, etc.

In the Sanatan world, however, only the non-martial Udasi, Nirmala and Seva Panthi Sikhs are vegetarians, not the warrior Akali Nihang Singh Khalsa Sikhs. To learn more about these and other religious orders, please visit www.sarbloh.info.

This tradition of 'Chatka' has carried on throughout Indian culture and is practiced widely throughout India by both warriors and non-warriors.