Gurdwara Sri Guru Singh Sabha: My First Visit to a Sikh Temple

Though I'm a Christian myself, I enjoy visiting places of worship of different world religions. I've been to synagogues and mosques, Hindu temples, Buddhist temples, churches, cathedrals, and shrines of all types. I had never, however, been to a Sikh gurdwara before this weekend!

Bangkok's Sikh temple is the second-biggest outside of India

As the last stop on our Saturday morning walking adventure, Noi led us to Bangkok's Little India neighborhood. The neighborhood is centered around the Gurdwara Sri Guru Singh Sabah, the six-story Sikh temple which serves as the central temple for all of Sikhism in Thailand. It is the second-largest gurdwara outside of India (the largest is in London).

entering the temple

Sikhism is too complicated to explain it all here, but it's a faith growing out of the Punjab region of present-day India and Pakistan which teaches about one universal God and stresses the importance of equality for all people. This is especially reflected in the Langar, a daily vegetarian meal served for free to anyone who wishes to join in regardless of class, caste, gender, or religion. In fact, at a Sikh temple, there are four doors, each pointing in one of the cardinal directions, but only one entrance to the main hall. This symbolizes that there are many paths one can take, but all lead towards God.

colorful banners in the temple's entryway

We removed our shoes and were given a saffron bandana to tie around our heads. Anyone is welcome to visit a gurdwara (meaning "door to the guru"), but you must dress modestly and men and women alike must cover their heads.

A friendly older Indian gentleman offered to show us around the gurdwara. He led us up many (many!) flights of stairs to the sixth floor, where priests and devout Sikhs alike read from the holy book in private reading rooms. At the very top of the temple, a room containing a large copy of the holy book lay covered beneath an ornate cloth upon a canopied platform. The room was air-conditioned, and there were several people sitting around reading, meditating, and praying. As we watched, someone came forward to fan the holy book as one would fan a king.

"This is to pay our respects", the older man told us. "We believe that the Guru Granth Sahib is the living guru of our religion."

Sikhism has had ten historic gurus, but the Guru Granth Sahib, the Sikh holy book, is believed to be the current and ultimate guru. The holy book contains prayers and songs which are read and sung at daily prayer services.

a copy of the Granth Sahib, the Sikh holy book, is kept in a place of high honor

We followed our wonderful guide downstairs to the Darbar Sahib Hall, the main site of worship in Sikhism. There, a large copy of the Guru Granth Sahib sits beneath an ornate canopy from which a priest will lead readings and songs during daily worship. There was no service going on when we arrived, but we were led in a circle around the shrine-like platform.

the Darbar Sahib Hall

Before leaving, one of the priests called us over near the platform to offer us Kara Parshad. Parshad is a sacred food. It's a sort of sanctified sweet pudding made from flour, sugar, water, and ghee (clarified butter). We cupped our hands and held them out to the priest, as if receiving a Communion wafer. The priest, wearing the requisite saffron turban and a long black beard, scooped a small ball of the Parshad into our hands.

"Parshad is offered to all visitors, even non-Sikhs", he told us. "We want everyone to feel welcome and to receive the blessings." Parshad is shared to all people equally from the same bowl. It's a symbolic representation that all people are equal.