My First Experience In A Gurudwara

Last July, I visited a gurudwara for the first time in my life. It was truly a unique experience.

The gurudwara I visited is called Paonta Sahib. Paonta Sahib is about a 2 hours drive from Dehradun. For those of you who don't know, a gurudwara is a religious place or temple for Sikhs. Most gurudwaras are given 'Sahib' at the end for respect.

Here are a few interesting things I noticed about gurudwaras during my visit:

1. All gurudwaras are painted white.
2. Both men and women must cover their hair before entering the gurudwara(to show respect I think.)
3. There is a man in the gurudwara who sits opposite the Sikh's holy book, the Guru Granth Sahib. This man is the Granthi. He has a mini broom called the Chaur and he sweeps of all the dust and bugs that fall on the book.
4. Usually, there are men who give people prasad. Some people leave their offerings with these men.
5. The book sits on a big stand shaped like a coffin and is put under a cloth.
6. There are usually people singing bhajans or songs of praise and playing the tabla and other instruments as well.
7. In most gurudwaras, you have something called langar. Its a free meal served in the morning, afternoon, and evening. You can have as much as you want and the food is pretty good. The people who make and serve the food are called Karsewa's. They work voluntarily and they aren't even paid.
8. The proper way to pray in a gurudwara is stand up and pray then kneel down and touch your head to the floor, and pray.
Now I come to Sikhism itself:
1. Guru Gobind Singh, the last guru, told all Sikhs to take five vows starting with the letter 'K'.
Vow 1. Kaccha (Underwear) They wear special, long and striped underwear.
Vow 2. Kanga (Comb) They keep a miniature comb in their hair.
Vow 3. Kadha (Bangle) They wear a religious silver bangle on their writst, usually given to them at birth.
Vow 4. Karpan (A miniature sword that Sikhs carry)
Vow 5. Kese (Vow of growing hair and not cutting it)
As I walked out of the gurudwara I read this sign. Here's what it said.

DO YOU KNOW?
The finest word: Waheguru
The finest book: Guru Granth Sahib
The finest poem: Shabad
Best act: Sewa
Visiting the gurudwara was an experience that humbled me. I saw all those people working together and I learnt that sewa makes one feel good and it satisfies you. Doing good deeds benefits everyone.

Hope you enjoyed this one.

Till the next,

Rupal