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Sikhism: Practices That Shape Religious Identity

The gurdwara, langar and Sikh worship

  • 3 things to know
  • Component 1

Overview

Word gurdwārā, typical gurdwārā service and kaṛāh prashād.

What you need to know

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Key term

What does gurdwārā mean, what flies outside, and how is the scripture housed inside?

Key term

What does the word gurdwārā mean?

Key term

What marks a building as a gurdwārā from outside?

Questions from this subtopic

Each one with the model answer underneath.

  1. 1

    What does the word gurdwārā mean?

    Model answer

    Gurdwārā means the doorway or the house of the Guru. Any building properly housing the Guru Granth Sāhib may be called one.

  2. 2

    What marks a building as a gurdwārā from outside?

    Model answer

    The nishān sāhib, a saffron flag bearing the khaṇḍā, flies outside. The flagpole is wrapped in cloth and the covering is replaced each Vaisākhī.

  3. 3

    How is the Guru Granth Sāhib housed in the prayer hall?

    Model answer

    The scripture rests on a raised platform called the takht, beneath a canopy. A granthī or any competent Sikh waves the chaur over it.

  4. 4

    Who may lead worship in a gurdwārā?

    Model answer

    Any competent Sikh may lead worship, whatever their caste or sex. Sikhism has no ordained priesthood at all.

  5. 5

    What is a granthī?

    Model answer

    A granthī is the reader and custodian of the Guru Granth Sāhib. The role is an office of service rather than a priesthood.

  6. 6

    What rules apply to anyone entering a gurdwārā?

    Model answer

    Shoes are removed, heads are covered and hands are washed before entry. Alcohol, tobacco and meat are not permitted on the premises.

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