Gurudwaras in India

Gurudwaras are places of religious worship for those belonging to Sikhism. They are mostly established by the first 10 Holy Sikh Gurus, primarily in the region of Punjab, where Sikh faith emerged as a religion initiated by Guru Nanak Devji, the first of the Gurus of Sikhism.

The ever living 11th Guru of Sikhism being Guru Granth Sahib, the Holy Book established by the sixth Guru as the religious code for the followers, finds a place in every Gurudwara established and maintained by Sikh Organizations like Shiromani Gurudwara Prabhandak Committee in various parts of India and few other countries in the world.

A Gurudwara essentially have a Durbar Sahib, which is the sanctum Santorum where Guru Granth Sahib is placed and a Langer hall, a place intended for feeding the devotees coming to the temple. There also are other areas of importance, such as a library, class room and a nursery depending upon the space availability and affordability. Every Gurudwara also have two flagpoles decorating the entrance.

Gurudwaras in India

The first Gurudwara established in India was by Guru Nanak Devji in 1521AD was at Kartarpur on the banks of River Ravi and this Shrine is now located in Pakistan after the partition in 1947. There are about 415 Gurudwaras across India and majority of them lies in Punjab State where Sikhism is predominant and the famous Harmandir Sahib at Amritsar, also called Golden Temple lies in this State. There are about 165 Gurudwaras situated in Punjab State, spread over in about 17 districts, apart from 6 in Chandigarh City, its Capital and 27 in Haryana State its counterpart. Delhi houses about 10 Gurudwaras where Sikh population is significant.

The State of Uttar Pradesh has about 31 Gurudwaras, while there are 27 Gurudwaras in Maharashtra. Patna in Uttar Pradesh and Assam are important places where Gurudwaras have historical relevance, because Guru Gobind Singhji’s birth place was Patna and his father Guru Tech Bahadur Singhji, the ninth Guru of Sikhism played significant role in Sikh history in these areas.

The States of Andhra Pradesh, Bihar, Gujarat, Jharkhand and Madhya Pradesh have 15 to 18 Gurudwaras, while rest of the States are having Sikh shrines less than 10 in India, some States having only one or two Gurudwaras.

Gurudwara Rituals

Gurudwaras are the places where Sikh ceremonial rituals are observed, such as Baby naming, Baptism, Marriage Ceremony and few other ceremonies which include Funerals too.
However, the principal activities and rituals observed in a Gurudwara as a matter of routine include

• Shabad Kirtan, which is singing of hymns from Guru Granth Sahib
• Paath, which are religious discourses
• Sangat and Pangat, which represent the community kitchen feeding everyone irrespective of caste, creed or religion.

Gurudwaras are however the main locations where the Sikhs meditate on Guru Granth Sahib by holding Holy congregations called Sadh Sangat and do voluntary service to the Society both in the form of donation and physical service.

Photo Gallery