The Main Features of a Gurdwara
The Gurdwara is the Sikh place of worship. Gurdwara means 'the Guru's
door' or that it is God's house. It also shows that people are welcome
there.
However, the Gurdwara is a community centre as well and many events
take place there, such as Punjabi lessons for young people. Outside
the Gurdwara building, there is a flag called the Nishan Sahib. It is
orange with the Sikh symbol on it. This shows that it is a Sikh place
of worship and that they aren't afraid to show that they are Sikhs and
they are proud of their religion. It is also a welcome to visitors.
The most important thing in the Gurdwara is the Guru Granth Sahib Ji.
This is the Sikh holy book but is treated with the respect of a living
Guru, as Sikhs believe it has the Guru's spirit in it. It is placed on
a stool (manji) and a platform to show respect. This is where a human
Guru would stand so that more people could see and hear him. It is
also fanned with a Chauri, made of feathers or yak's hair, as this is
what would have happened in India to the Guru. It shows respect and
that the Guru Granth Sahib is given the same treatment as a human
Guru.
The Guru Granth Sahib is kept in the Diwan Hall by day. Diwan Hall
means 'Royal Court'. The Diwan Hall is the prayer hall and is in two
parts - one for the men and one for the women and children. This is a
social custom, as Sikhism teaches equality and therefore men and women
shouldn't be separate. Everybody sits on the floor, to show the Sikh
belief in equality.
There is a box for offerings. People can give either food, money or
flowers. The flowers go round the Takht, the food goes to ...
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... in the other direction, the caretaker who
had scolded him was astonished to find the Kabba in the same
direction. Nanak said "You can now see that the House of God is in
every direction. He dwells in every place." so therefore the Gurdwara
is no more holy than anywhere else. The Guru Granth Sahib can be moved
so people could meet at others' homes, which would still give a sense
of community and keep the feeling of belonging.
In conclusion, I would say that a Gurdwara isn't really necessary to
Sikhism, as everything which is done there could happen elsewhere, but
I also think that a Gurdwara is a good thing to have as it gives the
community a focal point in which many community events can happen in.
It is also easier for things to be arranged for the community if they
have a central base, which the Gurdwara provides.
www.sikhs.org- Details this Indian philosophy's teachings, emblems and ceremonies and festivals. Includes translated scriptures and contemporary articles.
"Sikh Awareness." Sikh Awareness. © 2002-2012 THE SIKH COALITION, 12 Oct. 2001. Web. 24 Mar. 2014.
Rajinder, S. M., Bhai, M. S., & Araryat, S. (2000). Health- Comprehensive Guide- Sikh patients’
I think that everybody should go to Nathdwara and visit this holy place and the home of Lord Krishna. It is an exciting experience and one of the most worth seeing place in India. If you are from outside India then you should come to this place and the culture that how diverse India is and how people live together coming from different background.
... called the damaru which represents symbolic sounds. His second right hand is pointed downward toward the uplifted left foot representing salvation. His divinity is highlighted through his affinity for jewelry and perfume. In his left ear he wears a woman's earring and in the right, a man's earring to show that both sexes are united within him. Shiva also holds a staff of a cobra which does him no harm and represents that he is beyond the power of death and poison.
...ke in all the religious tradition from the various groups, but do not break upon the values and customs of the majority.
Samuel Seium. I attended a Sikh temple that is located outside of Baltimore, Maryland with a friend who is Sikh and commonly attends the services. The temple was the size of a regular sized church and appeared to have a common Sikh temple design. Before entering the temple, it is customary to take off your shoes. My friend and I attended this event on a Sundays. Although the temple is open seven days a week, in America it is common for Sunday to be the busiest day at the temple because that is when the major religious group in this country attends their services so the Sikhs at this temple do the same. In the prayer room, we sat on the floor and crossed our legs. There was a person in the front of the room that was leading prayers. However,
Sikhism is a monotheistic organized religion founded in the 15th century in the Punjab region of India by Guru Nanak the first of 10 Gurus. Sikhism’s philosophy has evolved through the added teachings of each Guru over time. Each Guru would appoint a successor and this process continued until the 10th Guru, Goband Singh, declared he would be the last Guru of Sikh ism and the teachings of each Guru was recorded by the sixth Guru in scripture titled the Guru Granth Sahib. This is the central religious text of Sikhism and is considered by many Sikhs to be the final sovereign guru of the religion. The main teaching of Sikhism is the idea of the oneness of God. Sikhs believe that the spiritual and secular worlds are intertwined rather than separate. Sikhism teaches its followers that all religious traditions can help to enli...
Hinduism is a polytheistic religion with countless Gods and Deities, that is now the third most followed religion in the world, after Christianity and Islam. The word “hindu” originated from the Sanskrit word “Sindhu” which is a historical name of the longest river in Asia, northwest of India. Hinduism is unique, the only religion without a founder, no one scripture, and it is without a specific set of rules and expectations. It is often described as being a way of life, unlike other religions, and is said to be an assortment of different religious, philosophical ideas, and cultural practices that began in India. While it doesn’t have specific teachings, it does have sacred texts, the Sanatana Dharma, otherwise known as “The Eternal Teaching”.
The ghunghat, which is equivalent to the veil of the Christian bride, is worn by the bride.
...odhi Temple. This temple is the oldest brick structure in India and is built on the spot where Siddhartha Gotama reached his enlightenment (Huntington, 1985).
Nesbitt, E. (2002). The body in Sikh religion. In S. Coakley (Eds.), Religion and the Body (pp. 289-305). UK: Cambridge, Cambridge University Press.
Preservation of the historical sites along with the religious institutions of different cultures enhances the community. If government starts taking a stand for the minorities in Pakistan and provides funds for their worship places, this will enable new construction projects and originate various activities including heritage tourism, economic development, and social betterment.
He usually arrives dressed in his wedding attire on the back of a horse, or sometimes on the back of an elephant. “The wedding altar (mandapa) is built the day of and the groom is welcomed by his future mother in law where his feet are then washed and he is offered milk and honey. His sister in law will attempt to steal his shoes and if she succeeds, the groom must pay her to get them back” (beau-coup.com). At the wedding venue the bride waits for the groom in a room covered in garland, when the groom arrives they exchange garland. After this, the brides family will welcome the grooms family to the wedding. Like Christian weddings, the father of the bride gives the bride away at the wedding, this is called a Kanyadaan. A priest will facilitate the marriage by reciting mantras or holy hymns, but the bride and groom marry each other. The bride and groom are considered married when the groom ties a thread that symbolizes his vow to care for the bride. He ties it in three knots that symbolizes the gods, Brahma, Vishnu and Masheshwara. The ceremony takes place around a fire and the god, Agni is considered the witness to the union. “The bride and the groom then circle the fire seven times, in a clockwise direction, called Saat Phere which signifies seven goals of married life which include religious and moral duties, prosperity, spiritual salvation and liberation, and sensual gratification” (Gullapalli