5 Gurdwaras to Visit: Part 7 (More) Gurdwaras in the Rest of the World

More Gurdwaras in the Rest of the World

In this seventh article on the series about Gurdwaras around the world, I’m continuing the list that I started in the previous article - looking at Gurdwaras beyond the UK, Europe, US, and Canada. You can read the rest of the series by following these links:​

Part 1: Gurdwaras in the Midlands
Part 2: (More) Gurdwaras in the Midlands
Part 3: Gurdwaras in London & the South East
​Part 4: Gurdwaras in Europe​
Part 5: Gurdwaras in North America
Part 6: Gurdwaras in the Rest of the World

Background to article

Sikhs have been emigrating to nearby countries and regions from before the dawn of the Khalsa Raj, but immigration increased rapidly after the fall of the Lahore Durbar - the largest Sikh Kingdom in Panjab. 

While immigration patterns largely followed areas of British rule or commercial interests, Sikhs - particularly recently - have emigrated to the most random places in the far corners of the Earth. It's an incredible story! 

In this article, like the last, I look beyond the traditional immigration patterns of former British colonies like Canada and the US, as well as European countries that have more recently witnessed growing Sikh communities. Stories of Sikhs from these countries are less well known, so it's great to have the chance to shine a light on them.

As I did for the other previous articles, I want to set out a clear understanding of this list. This list is based solely on the architecture of the Gurdwara and does not consider aspects like the political stance of the Gurdwara or any committee issues. I'm not a local to many of these Gurdwaras so I might not understand where committees are good or bad, I can only make a judgement on my brief visits.

Secondly, I understand that Gurdwaras are supposed to be humble places to meditate and connect with the timeless. I also agree that any excess money should be spent on community projects to uplift the most vulnerable in society and not add golden domes to Gurdwaras. I think this current generation is effecting this change with community projects bring set up all over the UK (you can see a list of them here). 

For a more detailed background to these articles, I strongly suggest reading the background section of my first article on UK Gurdwaras here.

5. Gurdwara Sahib, El Dorado, Trinidad and Tobago

Trinidad and Tobago has a large South Asian community, but most of the that community is from the south and centre of India, with little from the north of India, or neighbouring northern territories like Panjab, Pakistan, or Nepal.

​Although the Sikh community in the country is relatively small, they do have a magnificent gurdwara - and a storied one too. The Gurdwara is the second oldest in the western hemisphere and dates back to the 1880s, although the current building is only around a decade old. It also happens to be the only Gurdwara in the Caribbean. 

The Gurdwara is a beautiful marble construction that really stands out on a busy street absolutely packed with people. In many ways it reminded me of Soho Road Gurdwara, not in terms of the design, but more in terms of its place on a busy road where it might feel a little unexpected. The Gurdwara only opens on a Sunday given the very small population of Sikhs in the country (very similar to the Gurdwara that I visited in Tokyo). 

You can read more about my trip to Trinidad and Tobago here.

4. Guru Nanak Centre, Bangkok, Thailand

I visited three Gurdwaras in Bangkok, all within a stones throw of the city centre. By far the most impressive (architecturally) of three is the Sri Guru Singh Sabha Gurdwara (which you can read about here).

​The third Gurdwara that I visited was Guru Nanak Dharam Parchaar on the other side of the Chao Phraya River that runs through the city. Located outside the main city centre, I took a near 45-minute metro ride and a short 10-minute walk to get there. The metro ride over was really good as the trains ride above the Bangkok city streets. It meant that as I crossed the bridge to the opposite bank of the river, the views over Bangkok were magnificent.

​Unlike the other two Gurdwaras that are located in the city centre, Guru Nanak Dharam Parchaar Gurdwara requires you to walk through some quiet streets, some residential, some industrial. The Gurdwara itself borders a small patch of wild grassland. The Gurdwara building itself seems relatively modern, although inside there was very little space for natural light on the ground floor. There are photos of the Thai Royal Family, something I tend to see in Gurdwaras located in more authoritarian regimes.

Upstairs there is a compact darbar hall that accommodates the local community, but the langar hall is fairly large in size. During my visit I could hear children playing in some of the rooms, and drawings pinned on walls was a nice sign that there is an active Sikh community here. While this Gurdwara might not have the visual impact of Sri Guru Singh Sabha Bangkok, it had a much more community led feel about it, and I really enjoyed my visit.

In fact, as I left the Gurdwara I walked further into the residential area and was surprised to see that almost the entire neighbourhood was Sikh. Many houses had elements of Sikhi on their exteriors - from representations of Guru Nanak, to Khandas. One even had a large gold-plated dome.

And these houses were big, some were mansions, a testament to the commercial success of the local Sikh community. Some even had private roads named after their owners, others seemed to stretch for entire blocks, with large security gates obscuring all but their roofs. 

​You can read more about my trip to Bangkok here.

3. Gurdwara Nanak Darbar, Abu Dhabi, UAE

Abu Dhabi has two Gurdwaras, and one of them, Guru Nanak Darbar, is located right in the middle of the city - which is quite surprising for countries in the Middle East that tend to allow construction of places of non-Islamic worship far outside the city centres. It's a great testament to the growing liberalism of the UAE.

The government of Abu Dhabi allocated land for the Gurdwara in 2009 and construction began shortly after. The Gurdwara was officially inaugurated in 2012. The architecture of the Gurdwara is a blend of modern design with traditional Sikh architectural elements, featuring the iconic domes and arches that are characteristic of Gurdwaras. It's a decent size but much, much smaller than the Gurdwara in Dubai.

The funding for the Gurdwara came largely from donations from the Sikh community in the UAE and worldwide and has become a hub for the Sikh community in Abu Dhabi and the surrounding regions. 

I thought the location was excellent, the building style of the Gurdwara was also a nice mix of humility while providing a space large enough for the sangat. The only issue was that it doesn't seem to have been kept as clean as it should. There was standing stagnant water, and the entrance was covered in flies. During my whole stay in Abu Dhabi, I wasn't bitten by a single mosquito, but I sat inside for about 30-45 minutes in the darbar sahib and I was bitten at least 5 or 6 times. It's a shame, because I think the Gurdwara itself is beautiful. 

​You can read more about my trip to Abu Dhabi here.

2. Guru Nanak Gurdwara, Doha Qatar

One of the more heart breaking stories on my list relates to the Gurdwara in Doha, Qatar. My experience there was perhaps the best I have had in any Gurdwara in the world, but almost a year after visiting, Qatari authorities closed the Gurdwara and took saroops of Guru Granth Sahib Ji into custody, eventually returning them.

The disrespect to Sikhi is on another level, and the disappointment is greatest for the local community that had toiled hard to build something that emotionally moved me during my visit.

It's not like the Gurdwara was open in the city centre, in fact, the Gurdwara was as distant from Doha has you can get without going into another country entirely. ​I took the Gold line as far north as possible, and even then the taxi took another 20 minutes. It was interesting to see the modern "showy" Doha give way to poorer neighbourhoods, before it stopped being a modern city altogether and became a collection of shacks and low quality housing.

I was dropped on a busy, dusty street, something you'd expect in poorer parts of the subcontinent, and it took me a while to find the Gurdwara which is almost completely invisible from the street. A door leads you to what is in essence, a large shed - but what I saw on the other side was something incredible.

Of all the Gurdwaras that I have visited, I don't think I have seen love, dedication, and seva like I have seen here. In all fairness, the physical space is relatively large, but it doesn't look anything like a Gurdwara. However, as soon as I stepped in and dropped my shoes off I saw loads of sevadars cleaning shoes, cleaning the floor, all the time meditating, doing simran, doing paath (prayers). And these Singhs were different (and it was pretty much all men, as is normal for immigration patterns where men first move out to work). 

All the Sikhs here looked like manual workers, their sweaty faces and heavy hands made that obvious. But they also looked and acted like puraatan (ancient) Sikhs. Each Sikh seemed to be built like a boulder, even the elders that looked like they were in their 60s. Their dark brown faces covered in black dust, their steely eyes showing an incredible resolve. The smiles on their faces and bliss while meditating gave me an incredible feeling just watching it. Singhs were laughing and joking with each other, and it felt like a community, a genuine community. This is how I imagined Sikhs helping each other through their trials in jungles, in battle camps, or the first immigrants that came and did manual work in England, the US, or Canada. 

It is just an absolute shame that the Sikhs that are building the country of Qatar from the ground up were treated so poorly. I hope the government grants the Sikhs the land and the freedom to practice Sikhi with the love and dedication that I had seen during my visit. Without that, the recommendation is simple - while Sikh labourers can (and should) make a living, Sikh tourists should stay away.

​You can read more about my trip to Doha here.

1. Khalsa Diwan, Hong Kong

There are not too many Gurdwaras in the entire world that have the scale, beauty, and location that the Khalsa Diwan Gurdwara of Hong Kong has. It is, without a doubt, one of the most impressive Gurdwaras that I have ever visited in my life.

The Gurdwara is located in the Wanchai business district neighbourhood and I have visited it twice. During my first visit, the Gurdwara was small, well kept, a nice corner of peace in a bustling city. When I arrived several years later, the Gurdwara had transformed into a behemoth, one of the largest in the world. It was the most insane glow up I have seen in my life.

Inside, the marble interior is a clean white. In the courtyard at the back, I saw half a dozen youngsters playing football while listening to Immortal Productions' Shaheedi albums, which gave it a energy and vigour that was fantastic to see.

Upstairs there is a langar hall dedicated to the victims of the 1984 Sikh Genocide as well as those Sikhs that fought against tyranny over the past half a millenia. On the top floor is the darbar hall, a beautifully decorated space where the community can visit and listen to the Shabd Guru. During my visit there was a program of katha (exposition) going on and there were a fair amount of people sitting and listening to speakers despite it being the middle of the day.

It is honestly one of the most stunning Gurdwareh that I have ever seen - and I still can't believe just how much it has changed in a short period of time.

You can read about my trip to Hong Kong here.