Gurdwara Sri Guru Singh Sabha Edmonton Alberta CA

Gurdwara & Tradition

A place of worship by Sikhs is called Gurdwara. Gurdwaras welcome people of all colors and creeds. A Gurdwara can generally be found in every Sikh community, and the holiest place of Sikhs is the Golden Temple in Amritsar, Punjab, India.

You must not enter Gurdwara with any drug, cigarette, or liquor. Furthermore, you must also not be under the influence of any of these items. Usage of any of these products is prohibited in the Gurdwara. Sikhism teaches Sikhs to live free of these substances. Before entering the prayer hall, everyone removes shoes, washes hands and covers head as sign of respect to Sri Guru Granth Sahib, the holy scriptures of Sikhs.

Sri Guru Granth Sahib, is installed at a higher level than the Sangat (congregation) in the main hall. The Sikh religious services consist of:

Kirtan

Singing hymns in praise of God

Ardas

Community prayer led by one person, while everybody stands with folded hands Blessings for special occasions or events may be included in the Ardas

Hukamnama

The Guru’s Command for the day. The Hukamnama is reading a randomly selected hymn from the Sri Guru Granth Sahib.

It is followed by distribution of the Karah Parsad (sacred sweet pudding, made from wheat flour, sugar, water, and clarified butter), and is considered to be a blessing from the Guru. A Kirpan (a small ceremonial sword) is used to bless the Karah Parsad and Langar (community meal) during the Ardas.

Regardless of status, everybody sits on the floor. The Gurdwara complex contains a Guru Ka Langar (Guru’s kitchen) that serves vegetarian meals to everybody visiting the Gurdwara. All people sit together and eat food as equals without discrimination of caste, creed, race, or sex.