GURDWARAS (SIKH TEMPLES) AND SACRED PLACES

GURDWARAS (SIKH TEMPLES)

Sikh shrines or temples are called gurudwaras, or God’s portals. In the inner sanctuary of the temple is a copy of the Guru Granath. Generally there are no images of the Gurus. Many Sikh temples, shrines and holy sites are associated with major events in Sikh history. Sikhs are expected to give ten percent of their earnings to their gurudwara.

Gurdwara is usually translated as "residence of the guru" or "gateway to the guru." The term guru refers to the Granth Sahib contained inside, the sacred Sikh book also called the Adi Granth or Sri Guru Granth Sahib. In theory any structure that contains a copy of the Granth Sahib can be considered a gurdwara, even a home or a room in a home. [Source: “World Religions Reference Library”, Thomson Gale, 2007]

The communal nature of Sikhim is illustrated at the gurdwaras. The religion places high value placed on seva (community service). Guru Nanak established dharmsalas (Sikh places of worship) as places of assembly, as opposed to Hindu temples, which are places of worship, and included the langar, a place for communal meals. The dharmsala led to the gurdwara, which today serve as a central point for the local Sikh community — being sources of information, assistance, food, shelter, and fellowship.

Sikh settlements or communities almost always include a gurdwara. According to the “Encyclopedia of World Cultures”: “Within the Diaspora gurdwaras can assume just about any size or shape. Within India, however, these buildings usually conform to a standard pattern. This pattern may differ in minor respects, but in one it does not: entrances are found on all four building sides to indicate that members from all of India's four traditional castes may enter, worship, and be fed. They are fed in the guru ka langar or "Guru's Kitchen," established to break down the discriminatory aspects of the caste system. Every gurdwara should house a Guru ka Langar. Every gurdwara should also fly the triangular, saffron colored Khalsa Sikh flag so that it can be seen from some distance. The room in which the sacred scripture is kept and presented for sacred viewing is called the Prakash Asthan. [Source: Louis E. Fenech, “Encyclopedia of World Cultures Volume 3: South Asia,” edited by Paul Hockings, 1992 |~|]

Gurdwara Architecture, Features and Rooms

pilgrim at the Golden Temple Regarded more as places for communities to gather than places of worship, Sikh temples typically have a library and rooms or buildings for social events in addition to an elaborate worship hall. Many Sikh temples have sports facilities, schools and clinics with free medical service. A public gurdwara is identified by a triangular saffron Khalsa flag (nishan sahib) flying above it. The flag bears the symbol of Sikhism, a quoit with a dagger in the center and two swords crossing beneath.

The gurdwaras are designed on the open and inclusive architectural patterns of the Golden Temple (Hari Mandir). There is no central chamber from which any male or female is excluded. The Guru Granth is the focal point or worship and everyone has equal access to it. Gurdwara typically have an impressive white dome modeled after the one on the Golden Temple. [Source: Louis E. Fenech, “Encyclopedia of World Cultures Volume 3: South Asia,” edited by Paul Hockings, 1992 |~|]

Each gurdwara has four doors leading into it: the Door of Livelihood, the Door of Peace, the Door of Grace, and the Door of Learning. The four doors have symbolic meaning. They suggest that anyone is welcome from the four points of the compass. They also suggest that members of any of the four Indian castes are welcome. A light is always kept burning in the gurdwara to show that the teachings of the Granth Sahib are accessible to anyone at any time.

Sikh Temple Worship

All gurdwaras carry out three major functions. 1) Kirtan, the singing of hymns from the Granth Sahib; 2) Katha, readings from the Granth Sahib, with discussion and explanation; and 3) the langar, or free community kitchens, viewed as a community function,

In practice Sikhs worship at temples where the Granth Sahib can be kept secure. There are some that are open twenty-four hours a day, but most open before dawn and remain open until late in the evening. Communal worship is generally held on Sundays. Sikhs are opposed to any form of idol worship. Consequently, gurdwaras do not have paintings, photographs, statues, bells, or any similar items. Some are beautifully decorated with designs in the same way some mosques are.. [Source: “World Religions Reference Library”, Thomson Gale, 2007]

Before entering a Sikh temple worshipers remove their shoes and cover their head. There is also a ritual washing of the hands, and, in some gurdwaras, of the feet. In the Golden Temple Sikhs touch their forehead to the ground, offer coins and receive sacred food. Chanting and singing of hymns, or kirtan, go on around the clock except for a brief break at midnight. The waters around the temple are regarded as sacred, the Sikh equivalent of holy rivers like the Ganges. Many people bath in the ponds and pool.

Sikhs bow before the Granth Sahib with great reverence. At some gurdwara, the holy book is placed on a special altar and is offered flowers, with a temple attendant fanning it day and night. On special occasions it is carried in procession, accompanied by the singing of sacred songs. Otherwise worship is simple compared to rituals found at Hindu temples. Kirtan (hymn singing) is featured prominently.

Because the gurdwara houses the Granth Sahib, people who enter for diwann, or communal worship, show great respect. According to the World Religions Reference Library: All worshippers sit on the floor, with the Granth Sahib at a higher level. The Granth Sahib, which is stored in a separate room, is carried out with great ceremony, placed on a table, and covered with a richly embroidered cloth when it is not being read. While a leader, called a Granthi, does read passages from the Granth Sahib for the congregation, this person is not a priest. Indeed, the concept of priests is foreign to Sikhs, who place great emphasis on the equality of all people, men and women. The Granthi, whether a man or a woman, is regarded simply as a reader and custodian of the Granth Sahib, although anyone who adopts this duty is expected to live a good and exemplary life. [Source: “World Religions Reference Library”, Thomson Gale, 2007]

Langars

Sikh temples have community kitchen and eating area called a langar, which serves up free vegetarian meals that can eaten by anyone regardless of nationality, race, caste or religion. Langars are an expression as Sikh devotion to service and charity, with temple members giving what they can and taking what they need. In the langar everyone sits on the floor while eating, a custom initiated by Guru Marak as a rebuke to caste system traditions which prohibited members of different castes from eating together. Langar (“anchor”) refers to food, the kitchen and the eating area.

Langars are very important institution for the Sikhs. They demonstrate practically the philosophy of life as in 'truth is all important but alcove all is truth full living'. The philosophy stresses that spiritual empowerment and salvation is for all irrespective of caste and creed if one can live ones life on the principles Volunteers in these kitchens cook and serve meals that can be eaten at any time during the day. The meal is vegetarian so that people of all faiths can be welcomed. Everyone sits on the floor. In addition to this, gurdwaras can serve as schools, and some provide overnight accommodations for travelers. [Source: “World Religions Reference Library”, Thomson Gale, 2007]

Describing the langar ameal at the Golden Temple, Richard Green wrote in The Sunday Times: “A bell rang and the heavy wooden doors opened. We shuffled inside and sat cross-legged on hessian mats, at least 1,000 people, I reckoned. There was a tug on my sleeve: two wily little kids with worn-through clothes and quick movements asked my name, shaking my hand energetically. Opposite, a portly gentleman with a magnificent beard adjusted his sword and bowed his head minutely in welcome. Sumpreet, the sassy girl from outside, explained that the boys were poor and possibly came to eat every day, while the man was a rich businessmen. “A line of servers scurried in from behind. They slung chapatis and dished out dhal with hilarious inaccuracy, but they were volunteers, and already the next sitting was agitating at the door. It’s the same in gurdwaras everywhere; rich and poor, young and old, men and women, all eating together. The food may be basic, but the symbolism was fine fusion. [Source: Richard Green, The Sunday Times, June 19 2005]

Golden Temple

Golden Temple is the Sikh religion’s holiest shrine, a symbol of Sikhism and the religion’s most important pilgrimage center. Built to house the Guru Granth Sahib, it was completed in 1601 under Guru Arjan, the Fifth Sikh Guru, who declared it as the noblest of all places. The temple earned its name in 1803 when by Maharajah Ranjit Singh covered the upper part of the walls with sheets of gilded copper. Over the years the temple been the site of numerous conflicts and has been rebuilt many tomes. Afghans seized it and desecrated twice, in the 1750s and 1760s. The temples was damaged in fighting between Sikh separatist in the Indian government in the 1980s and was closed for a period of time. It is now open and completely restored. Non-Sikhs are welcome and greeted warmly.

The Golden Temple is known to Sikhs as the Harimandir (“House of God”), Darbar Sahib (“Royal Court”) or Sri Harmandir Sahib. It is located in the middle of a pond and connected to the shore by a 60-foot-long marble causeway. The pool is known as” amritsar” (the pool of the nectar of immortality), also the source of the city’s name, and is said to have transformed lepers into heathy men and turned crows into doves. Periodically thousands of Sikh devotees gather to clean silt from the pond. Pilgrims also gather around a 450-year-old tree, under which the temples’s first priest sat.

The Golden Temple is sheathed with gold. It glows in the sunlight, especially in the late afternoon. The domes are covered with gold leaf and the interior is decorated with delicate floral patterns and inlaid with semi-precious stones. Daily worship lasts from 4:00am to midnight and consist mainly of the chanting of hymns which can often be heard emanating from the temple. Steve McCurry wrote in National Geographic Traveler: “the atmosphere is contemplative yet festive. Music and chanting of devotional hymns always fill the temple; outside, people sit and chat with friends or take ceremonial baths. There’s a real sense of community, a feeling that this is the Sikhs’ place, a place where they belong.

Five Takhts and the Sacred Sites of Sikhism

Many sites sacred to the Sikhs are associated with the lives of the Gurus of Sikhism. Among these are Gobind Singh's birthplace in Patna and Keshgarh, Punjab, where Gobind Singh founded the Khalsa order of Sikkhism. By far the most important Sikh holy site is the Golden Temple (Hari Mandir) in Amritsar. There is a major pilgrimage to Nankana Sahib, a small town in Sheikhupura district, where Guru Nanak, the founder of Sikhism, was bron. [Source: Leona Anderson, Worldmark Encyclopedia of Religious Practices, Thomson Gale, 2006]

In addition to the Golden Temple, there are five places that are particularly important for the Sikhs. They are called the Five Takhats — the five seats of temporal authority. “Takhat” means throne. The Akal Takhat in Amritsar faces the Golden Temple and is regarded as the supreme seat of religious and temporal authority. The other four are associated with the Tenth Guru Gobing Singh: Patna Sahib in Bihar, where he was born; Keshgarh, in Anandpur, where he created the Khalsa; Hazur Sahib in Nander, where he died and his ashes are kept; and Damdama, near Bhatinda, where theTenth Guru rested late in life.[Source: Louis E. Fenech, “Encyclopedia of World Cultures Volume 3: South Asia,” edited by Paul Hockings, 1992 |~|]

Each of the Five Takhats has a special role in the Sikh Panth (Sikh Community). Akal Takhat remains the primary center of authority for Sikhs. Guru Hargobind built it facing the Golden Temple. He believed that the earthly affairs of the Sikh faith should not be administered in the Golden Temple, so he built the smaller temple for this purpose. From balcony of the Akal Takhat all matters of vital importance to the Panth are promulgated. Sri Damdama Sahib in the village of Talvandi Sabo is where Guru Gobind Singh rested following his withdrawal to southern Punjab in 1706. Guru Gobind Singh lived here for a year and compiled an edition of the Granth Sahib. It which later developed into a center of Sikh learning. Sikh pilgrims from throughout the world visit these places.. [Source: Pashaura Singh, “Worldmark Encyclopedia of Religious Practices”, Thomson Gale, 2006]

Takht Sahib

Takht Sahib(on the River Godavari in Nanded) is a gurudwara constructed by Maharaja Ranjit Singh, the leader of the Sikh empire, at the place where Guru Gobind Singh ji breathed his last breath. According to a religious belief, this is where the guru-ship was passed on from Guru Gobind Singh to the Guru Granth Sahib — the Holy Sikh book.. Guru Gobind Singh ji realised that men, even as great as him, are perishable, but ideas, which the Guru Granth Sahib represents, are not. While conferring the guru-ship on the holy book, Guru Gobind Singh ji called Nanded the Abchalnagar, or the steadfast city. The name 'Sachkhand' literally means the region of truth.

This was meant to denote the abode of god. According to Sikhism, there are five takhts or seats of power. This gurudwara, also known as Sachkhand Sri Hazur Sahib, is the holiest among them. It is situated near the Godavari river. Laid out in majestic white marble, the dome of the main shrine is capped in gold. The complex houses two more shrines — the Bunga Mai Bhago Ji, which houses the Guru Granth Sahib, and the other is of Angitha Bhai Daya Singh and Dharam Singh, two of the Panj Pyare (five beloved ones).

The complex has two storeys and the decoration is similar to Harmandir Sahib or the Golden Temple in Amritsar. The inner room is called the Angitha Saheb. Its walls are covered with golden plates. Relics of Guru Gobind Singh preserved here include a golden dagger, a matchlock gun, a studded steel shield and five golden swords. The sanctum is decorated with marble that is inlaid with floral patterns. The walls and the ceiling are decorated with stucco and tukari work. During the day, the Guru Granth Sahib is brought out and placed in a room in front of the sanctum. At nights, it is placed back in the sanctum.

Image Sources: Wikimedia Commons

Text Sources: “World Religions” edited by Geoffrey Parrinder (Facts on File Publications, New York); “Encyclopedia of the World’s Religions” edited by R.C. Zaehner (Barnes & Noble Books, 1959); “Encyclopedia of the World Cultures: Volume 3 South Asia “ edited by David Levinson (G.K. Hall & Company, New York, 1994); “The Creators” by Daniel Boorstin; “A Guide to Angkor: an Introduction to the Temples” by Dawn Rooney (Asia Book) for Information on temples and architecture. National Geographic, the New York Times, Washington Post, Los Angeles Times, Smithsonian magazine, Times of London, The New Yorker, Time, Newsweek, Reuters, AP, AFP, Lonely Planet Guides, Compton’s Encyclopedia and various books and other publications.

Last updated December 2023