SIKH DHARAM
Gurudwara
Doorway to the Guru
Since ‘Sikh’ means a disciple or learner, the Guru is then the enlightened teacher and the ‘Guru-duārā’ becomes a school. Entering its gates, one can sit to reflect on the teachings, by listening to pāth or kīrtan. Learning activities come in the form of sevā, whilst the sangat of other disciples and mentors provides a learning community, not only to gain knowledge or practical skills, but also receive the inspiration and blessings of practitioners who bring to life the teachings – just as a musician might bring sheet music to life.
For some Sikhs, visits to the Gurudwara, perhaps for a wedding, might acquaint one with aspects of Sikh life at a surface level. Ideally, however, the Gurudwara provides a hub for the gradual formation and transformation of one’s whole self, where simple routines of washing dishes or serving jugs of water combine with learning through ongoing reflection and association with others.
Learn about the Gurudwara
The Gurudwara as a transformative realm
The Guruship of Sri Guru Granth Sahib had left a tangible sense that Guru Nanak’s light would remain present in the world through the majestic form and the heartening sounds of the scripture. In Gurbani, words like ‘dar’ (meaning door or gate) and ‘duār’ (meaning doorway, threshold, or portal) had long expressed how turning the mind towards the Guru, or spending time in spaces where the Guru presides, can stimulate an inward awakening and change. In other faith traditions, ‘dar-gāh’ (heavenly door) was used for Sufi shrines and the city of Haridwar (doorway to the Divine) was sacred to Hindus. In everyday life, we talk about being on the ‘threshold’ of something new and, with the word ‘portal’, we imagine entering a different realm. Similarly, the idea of a doorway to the Guru (‘Guruduāra’) had carried sense of anticipation, that to enter and spend time in the Guru’s realm would be transformative.
ਗੁਰੂ ਦੁਆਰੈ ਹੋਇ ਸੋਝੀ ਪਾਇਸੀ ॥ ਏਤੁ ਦੁਆਰੈ ਧੋਇ ਹਛਾ ਹੋਇਸੀ ॥
By entering the gateway to the Guru’s realm, the mind gains understanding, insight and wisdom;
Through this gateway, the self is washed and cleansed, and the mind becomes uplifted and wholesome.
– Guru Nanak Dev Ji, Guru Granth Sahib, ang 730
The home of the Guru
Wherever in the world one visits a Gurudwara, it can feel simultaneously like a welcoming home, a school for learning as well as a stately realm. Stepping inside, routines of covering the head, removing shoes, and washing hands help to maintain cleanliness and signify respect; they also mark an inward transition, to clear and humble the mind. The practice of welcoming people of all backgrounds (symbolised by the four gateways of the Harmandir Sahib) are joined by gestures of dusting the shoes of those who have travelled to visit the Guru.
In their cupped hands, all visitors are offered small portions of the warm, sweet mixture known as karāh parshād (made of butter, flour, water, and sugar, cooked to the chanting of prayers). They are invited to take a meal in the Guru’s langar, where vegetarian food is prepared and served to people sitting at the same level, traditionally in rows on the floor (where tables and chairs have been introduced for ease or to support mobility, no creation of a hierarchy is intended). Such gestures echo the saying that the Gurudwara is ‘Guru ghar’ (‘the Guru’s home’) – a hospitable space where all are to be welcomed and treated with equal dignity.
The Sovereign Court
As a sovereign, Sri Guru Granth Sahib is enthroned in the Guru Darbar or ‘Guru’s Court’, where one walks up an aisle to pay respects, as one would in the court of a king or queen. Sikhs will bow, touching their heads to the floor, but for others there is no compulsion to do so, nor to place money in the donation box, whereby Sikhs collectively contribute to the Gurudwara’s upkeep.
Stateliness is combined again with homeliness in the saying that one comes to sit ‘in the cosy lap’ (nigi gō-d vich) of the Guru as a nurturing figure. Indeed, the Guru presides in all services to mark life’s milestones, from ceremonies to bless and name new-borns to initiations, weddings, funerals and intermittent or continuous readings (sehaj or akhand pāths) will be held regularly to mark key events. A mahavāk or hukamnāmā, the reading of the verse which appears when the scripture is opened at random, provides a message for the day.
In the morning, Sri Guru Granth Sahib is ceremoniously brought and opened to ‘hold court’ (this is known as the ‘parkāsh’, when the Guru’s ‘light is revealed’); in the evening the ‘sukhāsan’ is done, to ceremonially close the scripture and reverentially take the Guru to a special room for overnight rest.
Langar: The Guru's Kitchen
Guru Angad Dev Ji, the second Guru – together with his wife, Mata Khivi Ji – strengthened the institution of langar, to serve food in an egalitarian way to all people. Equality amongst all is an essential principle of langar, and was emphasised in one historical account where Emperor Akbar visited the third Guru, Guru Amar Das Ji, and sat alongside the common people to partake in langar. Since the days of the Guru, langar has been served in almost every Gurudwara around the world.
Sikhs are reminded to value food for nourishment, but also as a natural resource blessed by the Creator. Langar is vegetarian – no meat, fish, egg or alcohol is used – to prevent excess harm to animals or the environment. Prayer, love and gratitude to the Guru are also emphasised during the preparation and serving of langar.
The raw ingredients are procured by monetary and in-kind donations to the gurudwaras. Similarly, the volunteers who make and serve the langar do so selflessly. Without wishing for anything in return they donate their time and skills to the community kitchen, as part of the principle of voluntary service.
The largest known langar is served at Sri Harimandir Sahib, Amritsar, commonly known as the Golden Temple. On a daily basis over 100,000 people visit and partake in langar at this blessed Gurudwara.
The fundamental values of langar are compassion, forgiveness and love. As a result, in many parts of the world langar has been distributed outside of gurudwaras, in other community settings, city centres, and humanitarian aid sites – ensuring langar reaches those most in need around the world. As langar is a blessing from the Divine, there are accounts that descibe thousands being served from a small container. In the Guru’s house it is said that no-one will leave hungry, as the Creator will always provide.
Emphasis is also placed on only accepting what we can finish, and ensuring that plates are clean at the end of the meal, to avoid any food going to waste.
ਜਿਥੈ ਜਾਇ ਬਹੈ ਮੇਰਾ ਸਤਿਗੁਰੂ ਸੋ ਥਾਨੁ ਸੁਹਾਵਾ ਰਾਮ ਰਾਜੇ ॥
Wherever my True Guru goes and is seated, that place becomes beautiful.
– Guru Ramdas, Guru Granth Sahib, ang 450
From Dharmsals to Gurudwaras
Like many spiritual centres in India that often served as rest houses for pilgrims, early Sikh centres were known as dharamsāls, as was the one Guru Nanak first founded at Kartarpur. In Jap Ji Sahib, the earth itself was envisioned as a vast dharamsāl (pauri 16) – a place where we can learn to enrich our spirit and serve our surroundings and fulfil the purpose of our stay. For Sikhs, then, a dharamsāl was a space to come together – under the blessed guidance of the Guru – to cultivate a way of being that could help make the journey of life safal or fruitful, for oneself and others.
Creating the first Gurudwara
When Guru Arjan enthroned the first volume of scripture in the Harmandir Sahib in 1604, it set in motion the tradition of travelling to pay homage to the preciously inherited treasury of teachings. Once the sacred text was consecrated as Guru in 1708, ‘Gurudwara’ (often spelt ‘Gurdwara’, following a convention in scriptural grammar) became the more common term for places where one could have darshan (behold the sacred presence) of meticulously handwritten copies of Sri Guru Granth Sahib, listen to the recitation or singing of its verses (pāth and kīrtan), take part in selfless service (sevā) and experience the company (sangat) of others who are collectively walking the Guru’s path.
Formalising Gurudwara leadership
Since the Khalsa had to live remotely as persecuted outlaws, battling against the ruling Mughals and Afghan invaders, the management of Gurudwaras fell to learned leaders or mahants from non-persecuted groups such as the Nirmalas and Udasis, who revered the Sikh Gurus but had not taken the Khalsa initiation. Some began to act as personal, hereditary owners of Gurudwaras, permitting inappropriate or unethical practices. When the mahants later received backing by the British colonial government, Sikhs were powerless to regulate the running of Gurudwaras.
In 1920 a representative body of Sikhs known as the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC) was founded which campaigned for change through the Gurdwara Reform Movement. Tremendous sacrifices were
made, in particular a massacre of unarmed peaceful protestors at Nankana Sahib, the birthplace of Guru Nanak, who were seeking to bring about farreaching reforms. In 1925, the Sikh Gurdwaras Act brought the Punjab’s Gurudwaras under Sikh control and the SGPC became legally recognised. Around this time, meetings commenced to develop a code of practice, the Sikh Rehat Maryādā, to standardise Gurudwara practice and define Sikh identity. After the first printed copy of the Guru Granth Sahib was produced in 1864, Gurudwaras were also able to install standardised editions printed identically to 1430 ang, or scriptural pages.
Establishing Gurudwaras around the world
Sikhs have established Gurudwaras in different times and places, sometimes reflecting the particular geographical, occupational or organisational backgrounds. Old sepia photos showing Sikh battalions reverentially transporting Sri Guru Granth Sahib on foot during the world wars, and gathering around it to sing kīrtan, remind Sikhs that a Gurudwara is not just a building, but wherever the Guru presides over the sangat.
In the digital age, of course, there are virtual portals to access the Guru’s teachings and Gurudwara outreach projects to make a difference in the wider world. These reflect new ways to engage with and apply the teachings, in line with the khanda emblem in the nishan sahib flag which marks a Gurudwara. It stands as a beacon for the principle that our power to participate in shaping the world (mirī) must be guided and balanced by our commitment to spiritual values (pirī) to bring about sarbat dā bhallā , or the wider wellbeing of all.
This also explains why Gurudwaras have tended to be located, not in remote places, but as guiding institutions within society. In cities around the world, they are now part of the local landscape. Wherever Sikhs have settled, the existence of Gurudwaras, like that of initiated, amrit-dharī Sikhs, has helped to ‘house’ and carry forward the legacy of the ten Gurus following a long history of upheaval and change. Today, there are different challenges and new opportunities to develop Gurudwaras into the future. In virtually connected world, they provide physical spaces to connect with those who walk the Guru’s path, and to cultivate a deep reverence for the Guru, which Gurudwaras have long sustained.