Global Gurudwara

Sri Guru Nanak Sikh Centre in Ontario, Canada, is an organization devoted to charitable work. Two Gurudwaras run on this center, and it is also the service provider for many local communities.

The center is primarily concerned with operating Gurudwaras and promoting the religious and spiritual beliefs of the Sikh community. From preserving the heritage, publishing various religious books and inviting priests concerning the religious beliefs, it conducts everything that grounds one to the spiritual principles. The center is also involved in providing counselling based on religion, community support and employment to all needy refugees and immigrants, and training and job assistance. There is also a library for the general public located within the premises for the benefit of the general people.

It has been religiously supporting the Sangat since 1994, preserving values of humanity, integrity, compassion, belief, individuality, and generosity.

Between 1960 and 1970, many Northern Alberta Sikhs consisted of students and teachers from the University of Alberta. At that time, the Janam Utsav and Vaisakhi of Guru Nanak Ji and Guru Gobind Singh Ji were celebrated by close devotees in the basement of Jubilee Auditorium in Edmonton in a small space.

The incorporation of the first Gurudwara Siri Guru Singh Sabha was held on May 13, 1977, in Edmonton. The first temporary home for the members of Singh Sabha was a rented hall located at 111 Avenue and 112 Street, Edmonton. The kitchen was very small, with just a small stove to heat the already cooked langar. That single hall was used by many party hosts who served alcohol and did not care to clean the hall. The sevadar would arrive every Sunday morning to clean the space before the Prakash of Guru Granth Sahib Ji. Gradually more and more people started to join the Sangat, and, thus, there was only limited space available. So, ultimately, the devotees began their search to find a more clean and large space.
The Gurudwara Singh Sabha rented a new hall at 12425 Yellowhead Trail in Edmonton in 1979. There were many Akhand paths and Weekly Dewans, big celebrations like Guru Nanak Ji’s Janam Utsav and Vaisakhi celebrations taking place.

The first permanent Gurudwara for the Siri Guru Singh Sabha came into existence on January 28, 1980, at 8762-155 street in Edmonton, East of Meadowlark Shopping Center.
In 1980-1982, a very significant Sikh population started to settle in the Millwood area and continued attending the Gurudwara Siri Guru Singh Sabha Society.

Gurudwara Siri Guru Singh Sabha Society moved from 97 street and 47 Avenue on December 31, 1993, to the temple’s location at 4504 Millwood Road in South Edmonton. The new year of 1994 was celebrated there, with more than five thousand devotees joining the event.

The Sikh Heritage Centre is located in Brampton, Ontario, Canada, founded in 1999. It is a place of Canadian Sikh experience involved in hosting many community members, including seniors, dignities and families alike.
The Sikh Heritage centre envisions promoting understanding, knowledge and preservation of the Canadian Sikh community. This is achieved through sponsorships and conducting well-tailored community events through programming services.

The heritage centre is committed to providing various educational programmes and supporting newcomers. The Canadian Sikh experience, the Sikh’s intricacy, their spiritual identities and the cultural history of Sikhism is celebrated in the community.

The core visions of the community include:
Feeding the Poor
The centre highly believes that food is everyone’s birthright. They are dedicated to providing community meals to members in need.

volunteer Service Sundays
It is a ritual that they volunteer to bring the much-needed real difference every Sunday. The community support they provide is a much-elaborated example of generosity and compassion.

Community Connections
The community is filled with hands that are ready to help. The community is committed to providing services to people who really need help.

Gurudwara Janam Asthan, is situated at the sight of the birthplace of the founder of Sikhism, Guru Nanak Dev Ji. The Gurudwara is also referred to as Gurudwara Nankana Sahib. The Holy Shrine is situated around the city of Lahore in the Punjab province of Pakistan.

At a distance of 65 kilometres from Lahore, the Shrine is allocated in the Nankana Sahib. It was originally called Rai Bhoi Ki Talwandi, and then later, it was renamed in honour of Guru Nanak Dev Ji.

Guru Nanak Dev Ji was born to Mehta Kaur Ji and Mata Tripta Ji, and Guru Janam Asthan is believed to lie somewhere around the site. Nine important Gurudwaras make a part of an ensemble in Nankana Sahib. Sikh Sangat often visit the Shrine as a pilgrim tour to Pakistan.

The grandson of Guru Nanak Dev Ji , Baba Dharam Chand Ji, had built the first Gurudwara at the site back in the 16th century. Ranjit Singh Ji had built the current Gurudwara in the 19th century.

Guru Nanak Dev Ji spent his whole childhood in Nankana Sahib. Guru Nanak Dev Ji was nine when he was asked to put on a Janeo that he refused to wear. He believed that the thread discriminated against mankind. The Janeo of different casts were made from different materials. The one of Brahmins was made of silk, the Khatri’s Janeo was made of cotton, the Vaish were supposed to wear the Janeo made of wool and Shudara’s were strictly abandoned from such rituals. The Janeo was supposed to be folded thrice for Brahmins, twice for Khatris, and only one for Vaish. He asked whether there was a thread made of compassion, contentment, and continence to all the customs, and he was ready to wear only one of them. To that, the Pandit did not have a valid answer.

Located on the Havelock Road and Park Avenue, the Sri Guru Singh Sabha Southhall is a Sikh Gurudwara in the London Borough of Ealing. This Gurudwara Sahib is the largest in London. The building work was commenced in March 2000 at the Havelock Road site. The opening of the Gurudwara Sahib took place on 30 March, Sunday in 2003. This was initiated to accommodate the growing Sikh Community. A total of £17.5 million Euros were spent on the construction of the Gurudwara. The members of the local Sikh community provided funds through donations.
The Khalsa School is the Sikh School, set up in the Gurudwara Sahib to improve the education of Sikh pupils. Along with Sikh students, children from all other faith receive education here!

The Sikhs arrived in the Southhall in the 1940s and ’50s. As the population grew, the homes became Gurudwaras, and the need for large buildings increased.
In the initial days, programs were held at Shackleton Hall till they finally moved to 11 Beaconsfield Road. Soon, another group was formed when the Malaysian and Singapore Sikhs moved to the place. That group was called The Sri Guru Nanak Singh Sabha. These two groups were independent until 1964 when they finally merged into Sri Guru Singh Sabha Southall. Their first Gurudwara opened in 1964 as one group. Then, it was situated at the Green. This Gurudwara also served as the Sri Guru Singh Sabha South hall headquarter. The planning for a new community centre to be constructed is pending on the site.

Today, the Gurudwara serves as the hub for everyone, irrespective of them being a Sikh or a non-Sikh. Every day over 15000 visitors and worshipers enter the place.
The new building accommodates a large congregation and continues encouraging well-versed religious programs in the main hall to allow the devotees to meditate and reconcile with their inner selves.
With 1000 plus worshippers, the multi-activity hall uses an overflow area for marriages, Guruparbs and other religious events.

Very famously known as Kartarpur Sahib, the Gurudwara is located in Shakargarh, Kartarpur Punjab province, Pakistan. After his missionary travels (Baghdad, Nepal, Kashmir, Mecca-Medina, Lanka, Udasis to Haridwar), Guru Nanak Dev Ji settled in the site of the Gurudwara, assembling his Sikh community.
Guru Nanak Dev Ji lived there until his death in 1539.

The location of Gurudwara is between India and Pakistan. It lies in the Shakargarh Tensil of the Narowal District in Punjab province of Pakistan. The distance of Katarpur Sahib from the Indo-Pakistani border is five kilometres making it an attractive place for tourists in Pakistan.

It was this place where Guru Nanak Dev Ji gave his three principles- Kirat Karo(work hard for livelihood), Naam Japo(Keep remembering the God), and Wand Chako (Share your bounties with the world). The universal teachings of Guru have been brotherhood, peace and harmony. Guru Nanak Dev Ji was a great believer in equality and never discriminated against anyone on the basis of caste, religion, and gender. He gave the word IK Onkar meaning ‘there is only one God.’
A Sikh pilgrim said, “every step here reminds us of the Guru’s life”. In order to obtain darshan, many Indian Sikhs gather on buffs for a sacred viewing of the site.

The Shrine is located beside the River Ravi, Punjab making it one of the sacred places for a total of 30 million Sikhs around the world.
The Gurudwara was expanded in November 2018 where new courtyards, museums, libraries, dormitories and locker rooms spreading across 42 acres of land.
A 20-foot well that is 500 years old made of small red bricks is said to have been constructed during the lifespan of Guru Nanak Dev Ji.
After Guru Nanak Dev Ji’s death, his body was turned into flowers that were later distributed amongst the Hindu and the Muslim community.

The Guru Nanak Darbar in Dubai is a gurdwara for the sikhs, located at Jebel Ali Village, Dubai. It was founded in the year 2012 and has served more than 50,000 residents in the emirates region. The gurdwara is community-run and is also the first-ever Sikh temple in the region of middle east and GCC. It was established by Mr. Surender Singh Kandhari, who is himself a resident of the Middle East since 1967. The gurdwara Guru Nanak Darbar in Dubai has gained worldwide recognition by having its name entered into the Guinness World Records in the year 2017 in April, after serving breakfast to greater than 600 people, coming from 101 nationalities. The beautiful beige coloured gurdwara is a seamless blend of traditional and modern style building, representative of the sikh religion. It has the prayer hall on the top-most floor, wherein the floor and the walls are made of Italian marble. The chandeliers from Italy and the flooring with purple carpets adds to the beauty of the gurdwara. It additionally features 24-carat gold canopies, especially designed for Shri Guru Granth Sahib which is supported by a raised platform having gold-plated pillars with spectacular detailing and a dome that is lotus shaped and gold plated. The dome has been lined with a piece of clothing, having a gold lace at its edge. The Guru Nanak Darbar is also the first ever gurdwara around the globe to have received ISO certifications in multiple areas inclusive of food safety management, occupational health and safety management standards, environmental management standards and standards for quality management. The Guru Nanak Darbar is making its contribution to the Sikh community by arranging classes for Punjabi language and Kirtan for the youngsters that helps inculcate greater knowledge of the Sikh religion amongst the youngsters. The other extensive service provision at the gurdwara includes memorial or condolence prayers, anniversary or birthday prayers, house-warming and matrimonial services, wedding and Anand Karaj ceremonies, engagements, child-amrit and child naming ceremonies, Langar, Sukhmani Sahib and Sehab Path, and Akhand Path Sahib. The gurdwara houses a number of other facilities at the disposal of the Sikh community. This includes a library, meditation room and Kirtan classes. Prior to the outbreak of the Covid-19 virus in the year 2020 in March, approximately 10,000 people visited the gurdwara every single Friday, including Hindu Punjabis, Sindhis, and Afghani Sikhs. The temple also attracts the tourists from around the globe, wherein the gurdwara has served 800,000 visitors with the help of its community kitchen. Guru Nanak Darbar, Dubai has also extended a great amount of support in the Covid times. It has made great efforts and also hosted an event, wherein 4500 adults from multiple religions and nationalities were vaccinated in Covid’s defense throughout the week. 

The Khalsa Diwan Society at Vancouver is a renowned Sikh society based in Vancouver, Canada. It is also one of the oldest Sikh societies in the Greater Vancouver region. In terms of a historical view, the financial status of the society was dependent on the number of Sikhs in British Columbia. Donations for the society have risen considerably as a greater number of Sikhs came to British Columbia. The population of Sikhs in the region grew in the phase 1904-1908, with a population of 5,185. It witnessed a decrement in 1911. The gurdwara is known to have served as a truly religious, cultural, social and political service centre for the immigrant population of South-Asia during the early history phase. The Khalsa Diwan Society is a pioneering Sikh society that came into being on the 22^nd of July, 1902 in Canada. It was formally established in the year 1906. In the year 1908, the society built the first ever Sikh gurdwara in West 2^nd Avenue, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. The Gurudwara was officially inaugurated in the year 1908, on the 19^th of January.

The Gurudwara is believed to be the first ever Sikh gurdwara in the American continent. The Gurudwara Sahib ji has also served the Greater Vancouver Sikh community for the longest period of time. The property on the 2^nd Avenue was eventually sold for the purpose of building Shri Gurudwara Sahib on a bigger scale on the Ross Street. With the rise in the population of Sikhs in British Columbia, the society then decided upon building a new Gurudwara in the year 1969. The construction for the same was completed in the year 1970. The Shri Gurudwara Sahib building was designed and built by Erickson and Massey, a very well-known architect. It was November 30^th, 1969 when the 500^th born day of Guru Nanak Dev Ji was celebrated, also marked as the opening ceremony for Gurudwara Sahib. The holy Shri Guru Granth Sahib was moved from the Gurudwara at 2^nd Avenue to 8000 Ross Street in the year 1970, on Vaisakhi. The Khalsa Diwan Society has played a crucial role in the economic as well as the social development of British Columbia for more than a century.

The Society has always been ahead in raising valid issues related to the Sikh community and getting the well-deserved recognition for Sikh people in Canada. The Society has also played a vital role in a number of major events in Canada and British Columbia, an important example would be The Khalsa Diwan Society’s role in the Komagata Maru affair in the 1900s. Even today, the society continues to work on building a strengthened community based on Sikh principles and values. Currently, a number of Punjabi speaking classes are being offered at the temple and at a number of schools in Vancouver. Training in Gurbani and Kirtan is also being organized for the youth, facilitating a greater and deeper understanding of the Sikh religion and industry. Additionally, the society has worked on setting up a computer training centre for the incoming as well as the new immigrants to help them prepare better for future jobs. The society diligently arranges a Vaisakhi Nagar Kirtan, attended by more than a lakh individuals.

As of 2010, the Gur Sikh Temple of Abbotsford in British Columbia is the oldest Sikh temple in North America and the only one outside of India and Pakistan designated as a National Historic Site.
History of the temple
Abbotsford’s first Sikh pioneers arrived in 1905, working on farms and in lumber mills at the time. Building the temple was first planned in 1908. As soon as settlers acquired a hilltop property, they carried lumber from a nearby mill up a hill to make the Gurdwara. Newspapers in British Columbia wrote about the new Gurdwara that opened in 1911. The temple’s interior resembles all the great teachings of Sikhism. In 1932 and 1960, The Langar and dining rooms for community use were added to the building. At the top of the building is the prayer hall.
On the other side of the road, in 1983, a much larger temple was built in a completely different architectural style. In 1905, it was established by the Khalsa Diwan Society of Vancouver, which owned it until 1975. A ceremony held on July 26, 2002, declared the old temple as a National Historic Site. After a period of renovation, the temple reopened in 2007. In conjunction with the temple’s 100th anniversary, a small museum was planned for the basement. Prime Minister Stephen Harper inaugurated the Sikh Heritage Museum on the ground floor of the Gur Sikh Temple on the occasion of the temple’s centennial (1911-2011).
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau visited the Canada 150 exhibit at the Sikh Heritage Museum on May 19, 2017.

Source:-https://www.worldgurudwaras.com/gurudwaras/gur-sikh-temple-abbotsford/

Nanaksar Toronto is a Gurudwara in Brampton that is located near Toronto in the Greater Toronto Area. In addition to Winnipeg, this is Canada’s second Gurdwara. In 1980, Sant Baba Gurdev Singh Ji and Ragiis (monks) arrived in Canada for the first time. Baba Ji was asked to build Nanaksar Gurdwara by the Sangat of Toronto. However, Winnipeg was the first Gurdwara in North America and Canada. Baba Ji asked Sangat to form a committee and get it registered; thus, a committee was formed, and it was registered in Ontario as a branch of Nanaksar Satsang Sabha of Toronto. On Baba Ji’s visits to the Toronto area, the Sangat used to meet him. In 1989, Baba Ji finally agreed to the Sangat’s request and directed the Sangat to locate the land. On September 28, 1989, a piece of land was purchased on Airport Road in Caledon East, and the regular paths were opened. In 1992, Baba Ji also sent a Ragi Jatha (Group of Monks) to India to start regular Katha & Kirtan. Finally, it was decided to purchase the present location on April 30, 1992. Baba Ji turned in the soil for the basement excavation on May 9, 1992. Immediately after Baba Ji purchased the land, he began holding regular Kathas and Kirtans in the trailer placed there. On May 17, 1992, the foundation for the Gurdwara was laid after the basement was dug. On May 5, 1993, with the start of Sri Akhand Path of Sri Guru Granth Sahib Ji, the regular Katha & Kirtan began. Afterwards, Sri Guru Granth Sahib Ji performed the Bhog of Sri Sampat Akhand Path on May 25, 1993.
Located in Brampton and Mississauga’s residential areas, this Gurdwara is surrounded by a number of subdivisions. After the Gurdwara was built, many Sangat belonging to this institution moved close to it after Gurdwara. This Gurdwara is attended by thousands of Sangat both morning and night. Pooranmashi is celebrated here every month. The Sadh Sangat from all over Ontario, Quebec, and US cities close to the border gather to witness the Bhog of Sri Sampat Akhand Path of Sri Guru Granth Sahib Ji, followed by Katha and Kirtan. In addition, Amrit is administered at this Gurdwara every Sunday after the Pooranmashi and whenever anyone wishes to partake. The exterior of the Gurdwara has a cream stone and a green roof that adds to its beauty.
The building has been renovated to render it more useful to Ragiis living in this area and the Sangat of the Gurdwara.

Image source:-http://gurdwarananaksar.org/english/brampton_e.html