Guru Nanak Gurdwara Smethwick
Encyclopedia
Guru Nanak Gurdwara Smethwick is a Sikh
temple
in Smethwick
, near Birmingham
, UK.
This is UK's first and biggest Gurdwara. The total Gurdwara
spans an area of about 78,000 square metres and the building is four storeys high.
It is also the first Gurdwara to have organised Shaheedi Tournaments (games held in the memory of current and past martyrs of the Sikh religion) in the United Kingdom and Europe. The Tournaments have been held regularly in Birmingham during the last week of July every year since 1963 (apart from 1984
). In the past all tournaments were held under the banner of 'Shaheed Udham Singh
Tournament' but now the Tournaments are held also in the names of the current Sikh Shaheeds, namely Shaheed S. Satwant Singh
Ji, Shaheed S. Beant Singh
Ji, Shaheed S. Kehar Singh
Ji and Shaheed S. Hardev Singh Ji Bapoo. In 2000 the Shaheedi Tournaments were held at the West Bromwich Albion Football Ground
.
The Sikh Community from Birmingham first began holding religious services in a Primary School at Brass House Lane, Smethwick, Birmingham for the first time in 1958. This led to larger and larger congregations of Sikh worshippers and the need arose to acquire a more suitable premises for the Gurdwara.
A church building at 130 High St in Smethwick was purchased. The Gurdwara opening took place on 31 July 1961. The present Gurdwara premises is still at the old church site but totally rebuilt.
The programmes begin daily when Sri Guru Granth Sahib Ji arrives from the Sachkhand Sahib into the lower main hall in the early hours of the morning. Prayers (Nitnem) commences, then Sri Asa Ji Di Waar Kirtan is sung by the Sikh musicians (Ragi's). Programmes run continuously everyday till dusk when Rehraas Sahib starts which then begins the evening services at the Gurdwara Sahib. Sri Guru Granth Sahib Ji is taken back to the Sachkhand Sahib at the end of services in the evening. Throughout the day Sri Guru Granth Sahib Ji presides over the Sikh congregations.
Throughout the day thousands of Sikhs and non Sikhs attend the Gurdwara Sahib to worship and visit the beautiful Gurdwara complex. Guru Ka Langar (free community kitchen) is served all day long, everyday for 365 days a year.
s, used for Sri Akhand Path Sahib's, and other activities such as weddings, sports, and education. There are also offices and meeting rooms.
The Gurdwara has the largest library
of all Gurdwaras in UK and Europe. It is named the Shaheed Gen. Subegh Singh Library and is located at 122 High St.
Sikh
A Sikh is a follower of Sikhism. It primarily originated in the 15th century in the Punjab region of South Asia. The term "Sikh" has its origin in Sanskrit term शिष्य , meaning "disciple, student" or शिक्ष , meaning "instruction"...
temple
Gurdwara
A Gurdwara , meaning the Gateway to the Guru, is the place of worship for Sikhs, the followers of Sikhism. A Gurdwara can be identified from a distance by tall flagpoles bearing the Nishan Sahib ....
in Smethwick
Smethwick
Smethwick is a town in the Metropolitan Borough of Sandwell, in the West Midlands of England. It is situated on the edge of the city of Birmingham, within the historic boundaries of Staffordshire, Worcestershire and Warwickshire....
, near Birmingham
Birmingham
Birmingham is a city and metropolitan borough in the West Midlands of England. It is the most populous British city outside the capital London, with a population of 1,036,900 , and lies at the heart of the West Midlands conurbation, the second most populous urban area in the United Kingdom with a...
, UK.
This is UK's first and biggest Gurdwara. The total Gurdwara
Gurdwara
A Gurdwara , meaning the Gateway to the Guru, is the place of worship for Sikhs, the followers of Sikhism. A Gurdwara can be identified from a distance by tall flagpoles bearing the Nishan Sahib ....
spans an area of about 78,000 square metres and the building is four storeys high.
It is also the first Gurdwara to have organised Shaheedi Tournaments (games held in the memory of current and past martyrs of the Sikh religion) in the United Kingdom and Europe. The Tournaments have been held regularly in Birmingham during the last week of July every year since 1963 (apart from 1984
1984 anti-Sikh riots
The 1984 Anti-Sikh pogroms / riots or the 1984 Sikh Massacre was a sikh genocide there was four days of violence in northern India, particularly Delhi, during which armed mobs killed Sikhs, looted and set fire to Sikh homes, businesses and schools, and attacked gurdwaras, in response to the...
). In the past all tournaments were held under the banner of 'Shaheed Udham Singh
Udham Singh
Udham Singh was an Indian independence activist, best known for assassinating Michael O'Dwyer in March 1940 in what has been described as an avenging of the Jallianwalla Bagh Massacre....
Tournament' but now the Tournaments are held also in the names of the current Sikh Shaheeds, namely Shaheed S. Satwant Singh
Satwant Singh
Satwant Singh was a Sikh bodyguard to the Prime Minister of India Indira Gandhi, who on October 31, 1984 assassinated Indira Gandhi at her residence along with another bodyguard, Beant Singh....
Ji, Shaheed S. Beant Singh
Beant Singh (assassin)
Beant Singh , born in Jaitu in the Faridkot district of Punjab , was one of Indira Gandhi's assassins...
Ji, Shaheed S. Kehar Singh
Kehar Singh
Kehar Singh was tried and executed for conspiracy in the plot of Indira Gandhi assassination, carried out by Satwant Singh and Beant Singh. He was hanged in Tihar jail on January 6, 1989...
Ji and Shaheed S. Hardev Singh Ji Bapoo. In 2000 the Shaheedi Tournaments were held at the West Bromwich Albion Football Ground
The Hawthorns
The Hawthorns is an all-seater football stadium in West Bromwich, Sandwell, England, with a capacity of 26,484. It has been the home of West Bromwich Albion F.C. since 1900, when it became the sixth ground to be used by the club. The ground was the last Football League ground to be built in the...
.
The Sikh Community from Birmingham first began holding religious services in a Primary School at Brass House Lane, Smethwick, Birmingham for the first time in 1958. This led to larger and larger congregations of Sikh worshippers and the need arose to acquire a more suitable premises for the Gurdwara.
A church building at 130 High St in Smethwick was purchased. The Gurdwara opening took place on 31 July 1961. The present Gurdwara premises is still at the old church site but totally rebuilt.
The programmes begin daily when Sri Guru Granth Sahib Ji arrives from the Sachkhand Sahib into the lower main hall in the early hours of the morning. Prayers (Nitnem) commences, then Sri Asa Ji Di Waar Kirtan is sung by the Sikh musicians (Ragi's). Programmes run continuously everyday till dusk when Rehraas Sahib starts which then begins the evening services at the Gurdwara Sahib. Sri Guru Granth Sahib Ji is taken back to the Sachkhand Sahib at the end of services in the evening. Throughout the day Sri Guru Granth Sahib Ji presides over the Sikh congregations.
Throughout the day thousands of Sikhs and non Sikhs attend the Gurdwara Sahib to worship and visit the beautiful Gurdwara complex. Guru Ka Langar (free community kitchen) is served all day long, everyday for 365 days a year.
Building
The Gurdwara has 10 hallHall
In architecture, a hall is fundamentally a relatively large space enclosed by a roof and walls. In the Iron Age, a mead hall was such a simple building and was the residence of a lord and his retainers...
s, used for Sri Akhand Path Sahib's, and other activities such as weddings, sports, and education. There are also offices and meeting rooms.
The Gurdwara has the largest library
Library
In a traditional sense, a library is a large collection of books, and can refer to the place in which the collection is housed. Today, the term can refer to any collection, including digital sources, resources, and services...
of all Gurdwaras in UK and Europe. It is named the Shaheed Gen. Subegh Singh Library and is located at 122 High St.