Gurdwara - The Sikh Temples

A Gurdwara is a place of worship for the Sikh, although people of all other religions are welcome inside too. The Gurdwaras are also called the Gurudwara Sahib and means the house of the Lord. The way the Sikh temple was built was that it needs not has any specific architectural design assigned to it. Right on top of the Gurdwara you have the Nishan Sahib which is the Sikh flag and carries on it the symbol of two double edged swords. This is the flag that you see on top of the Gurdwaras. Inside the Sikh temple is housed the Guru Granth sahib which is the holy book of the Sikhs.

The Guru Granth sahib and the Gurdwara belong to the guru or the Khalsa Panth which means the Sikh community. Anyone is welcome to enter it and is treated with great hospitality. There are several restrictions that are there in the Gurdwaras.

The Guru Granth sahib is considered to be the only holy book for the Sikhs. With the Guru Granth sahib open and witness to all, there are several hymns, sermons and invocations that happen in the Sikh temple.

The Gurdwara and in fact, the Gurdwaras all over the world follow certain regulations. Every Sikh temple must have a langar which is a free community eating wherein food is distributed to one and all. The Gurdwara is the place where in one is supposed to give off service in the name of the lord to mankind.

These temples are situated all over India but the main ones are in Amritsar, Punjab and the northern regions of India.

The main Gurdwaras are:

Harmandir Takth is located near the Patna Railway station and was built in the memory of the tenth Sikh guru. This is the place that is considered extremely holy by the Sikhs. The tenth guru Gobind Singh was born in Patna in the year 1666. Even the saints Guru Nanak and Guru Tegh Bahadur visited it. This is one of the sacred pilgrimage places that a Sikh must visit in his lifetime.

Manikaran Gurdwara is a beautiful temple that is situated in the snowy peaks of the Himalayas. This is the place wherein you will find Hindu and Sikh temples side by side. The Manikaran Gurdwara had Guru Nanak visiting it along with his five most favored of disciples.

Gurdwara Bangla Sahib is located right in the middle of the city of Delhi. This is dedicated to the Guru, Guru Harkrishan Sahib the eighth guru, and was built in his memory. This is another extremely prominent temple and a must visit. It was built way back in the year 1783 and the construction was one of the nine shrines that were built in Delhi during that time. This was duringthe times of the Mughal emperor Shah Alam. Now, it is situated right in the midst of the bustling area of Connaught place in Delhi.

Hemkund Saheb is a famous place of pilgrimage for the Sikh. It is situated in the state of Uttarakhand and is only accessible by foot. The Gurdwara was built in the memory of Hemkunt sahib who was one of the Sikh gurus. This is one of the most picturesque of Gurdwaras and is almost on the glacier way up in the mountains and surrounded by abundant hibiscus flowers.

Poanta Sahib is right on the Yamuna River and was built for the tenth guru, Guru Gobind Singh. The town is called Sirmour, and it is in Himachal Pradesh. This is the place where when only sixteen the guru left Anadpur Sahib and asked Raa Maidini Prakash of Sirmour to allow him to live there for four years. On this very site was the temple built.