Pure Water Badi
Pure Water Badi is a sect of Badi which reveres water as the holiest element. Most of its adherents are in Hacyinia, Dezevau and Zorasan, especially around the shores of Lake Zindarud (meaning pure water), but also near Lake Bazangan and Lake Sattari. It is a very old sect, having spread from present-day Dezevau via lacustrine and overland trade and migration all around the shores of Lake Zindarud by the arrival of Irfan before the turn of the second millennium CE.
History
The origins of Pure Water Badi are unclear, but it is known that by the mid first millennium CE, a number of temples existed on the shores of Lake Zindarud, revering it as the great pure water (as opposed to smaller watercourses and the impure saline water of the ocean). These temples, often lacking an agricultural hinterland, were known for fishing, as well as trade; they often provided reliable accommodation and supplies to merchants for payment, and held inventories of stock of their own for trading; this possibly originated as a result of merchants' payment in kind when cash was not possible. While likely originating in the southeastern shores of Lake Zindarud, it spread all around it, as well as to the shores of nearby lakes, and inland in many drier areas. Many of these temples, as part of their community works, built affiliated temples further afield, which did the same as they matured in turn. Compared to the situation in riverine Dezevau, Pure Water Badist temples' areas typically had little traditional influence from other elemental temples, and so there was an unusual level of cooperation and uniformity.
The arrival of Irfan through the conquests of the Heavenly Dominions devastated many of the Pure Water Badist communities and temples, and saw their activity repressed for a time on the western side of Lake Zindarud. However, through syncretism and leveraging their wealth, Pure Water Badi largely retained its geographical and demographic extent, though it was pushed towards the shore of the lake.
Another wave of repression arrived with the formation of the Union of Zorasani Irfanic Republics, which opposed Badists both on religious grounds and on the basis that they were a foreign, socialist fifth column (for Lavana and Dezevau, even despite their anti-religious politics at times). It is illegal to be Badist, and temples cannot participate openly in public life. This has resulted in a steady decline but not complete extinction of Pure Water Badi in Zorasan.
With the formation of the Association of Badi Churches, most Pure Water Badi temples had joined by the 1990s, though taking full advantage of the organisation's administrative looseness.
Beliefs
The central belief of Pure Water Badi is that water is holy, especially when pure, as it is the manifestation of the elemental which personifies compassion, unity, continuity, calmness, understanding, flexibility and care. Lake Zindarud is held to be the holiest body of water for its vastness, clarity and freshness, with its water quality being a matter of religious concern.
It is considered that once a guest washes or drinks in the host's house, the host has certain duties to them.
One important scripture in Pure Water Badi is the Fifteen Maxims, written by an unknown sage from the 8th century.
Practices
Similarly to other varieties of Badi, Pure Water Badists engage in regular meetings for community service, study and discussion. This often involves financial contribution, especially outside of Dezevau where a strong monetary gift-giving culture went into steep decline after the implementation of socialism; many lay Pure Water Badists are small business owners.
Dance, song and meditation are also practiced. Pure Water Badi dance emphasises unity and continuity of movement, while many temples provide spaces to the public for meditation.
Ritual washing, drinking and bathing are incorporated into Pure Water Badi, with many temples being built to bring in natural water into shaded spaces, often running through the temple; favoured construction materials tend to be stone and metal, and other materials easy to scour and clean. In the warm climates in which the temples are built, these practices and construction techniques also tend to held regulate humidity and temperature.
There are annual conferences with the host rotating around the shores of Lake Zindarud between the leaders of the Pure Water Badist temples, with this practice having originated sometime around the early modern era; matters such as finances, doctrine, recruitment, welfare and the state of the world are discussed. It is likely that this is related to the practice of making pilgrimage to visit other Pure Water Badist temples by boat.
Some temples are artisanally involved in the production of small metal figurines for sale, which are often used as ornaments, paperweights or charms, and some others, fewer, are involved in the production of herbal medicine.
Distribution
According to the Association of Badi Churches, there are three million adherents in Dezevau (around a tenth of the Badist population and around a thirtieth of the total population), x million in Hacyinia and x million in Zorasan. In total, around the world, there are about x million. This makes it the most practiced Badist sect in Zorasan. Most Pure Water Badists are around Lake Zindarud in particular, and also Lake Jahandar and Lake Sattari, but additionally smaller communities exist elsewhere, such as in Bazadavo, near Lake Bugunho, and throughout xxx and xxx.
Partially because of its history, many Pure Water Badists are middle class. Ethnically, it is quite widely distributed, with around x% Rahelian, x% Dezevauni, x% Kexri, x% Dehgan, x% Oroqmen and x% Pardarian.