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The Gurdwara is the place where Sikhs go to worship. [8] Gurdwaras can be any size or shape, but one thing they always have is a kitchen, or langar. People can go there for food, and can even rest there for the night. Every day a meal is prepared here for as many people who want to eat and its free of charge.
During the time of Guru Nanak, Sikh places of worship were known as dharamsals where kirtan was conducted by the early Sikh congregation. [6] [4] The worship centres were built as a place where Sikhs could gather to hear the guru give spiritual discourse and sing religious hymns in the praise of Waheguru.
The Golden Temple is an open house of worship for all people, from all walks of life and faiths. [3] It has a square plan with four entrances, and a circumambulation path around the pool. The four entrances to the gurudwara symbolises the Sikh belief in equality and the Sikh view that all people are welcome into their holy place. [14]
Only in the state of Punjab do Sikhs constitute a majority (58% of the total, per 2011 census). [276] In addition to Punjab, the states and union territories of India where Sikhs constitute more than 1.5% of its population are Chandigarh, Haryana, Delhi, Uttarakhand, and Jammu and Kashmir, all of which are in the northern half of India. [276]
The Sikhs are adherents to Sikhism, the fifth largest organized religion in the world, with around 25 million adherents. [1] Sikh History is around 500 years and in that time the Sikhs have developed unique expressions of art and culture which are influenced by their faith and synthesize traditions from many other cultures depending on the locality of the adherents of the religion.
Many countries, such as Canada and the United Kingdom, recognize Sikhs as a designated religion on their censuses [95] and, as of 2020, Sikhs are considered as a separate ethnic group in the United States. [96] The UK also considers Sikhs to be an ethno-religious people, as a direct result of the Mandla v Dowell-Lee case in 1982. [97] [98]
At the point of cremation, a few Shabads are sung and final speeches are made about the deceased person. Then the Kirtan Sohila (night time prayer) is recited and finally Ardas called the "Antim Ardas" ("Final Prayer") is offered. The eldest son or a close relative generally starts the cremation process – by lighting the fire or pressing the ...
They call their houses of worship as Dharamshala rather than Gurdwara, where they revere a living guru unlike Khalsa, and as such are considered as heretical by the orthodox Khalsa Sikhs. [ 71 ] The Namdharis do not subscribe to " Guru Maneyo Granth " against continued living guru lineages within the Sikh community.