Guru Nanak Darbar, Dubai

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Guru Nanak Darbar Gurunanak Darbar Dubai, Jebel Ali Village.jpg
Guru Nanak Darbar

The Guru Nanak Darbar is a Sikh gurdwara (place of worship) at Jebel Ali Village in Dubai, founded in 2012 to serve over 50,000 Sikh residents in the emirate. [1] [2] [3] [4] The community-run gurdwara is the first official Sikh gurudwara in the GCC region and the Middle East, and it was established by Surender Singh Kandhari, a resident of Dubai since 1976. [1] [3] [5] [4]

Contents

The Guru Nanak Darbar entered in April 2017 the Guinness World Records after it served breakfast to more than 600 people from 101 nationalities. [6] [7]

Construction

The Guru Nanak Darbar was established on a 120,000-square-feet land. [8]

The venue was designed by the Dubai-based architect firm Holford Associates with consultancy from the UK-based Richard Adams. [3] The architects were made to visit the gurudwaras in different parts of the world for inspiration. [9]

Construction work started in May 2008, the foundations were laid in June 2010, and the three-storey structure was completed in December 2011. [8] the Sikh community in the UAE had requested a 100-year guarantee from the contractor so that the future generations can continue to use it. [9]

The total cost of the construction works was 65 million dirhams (about $20 million), [10] [9] and it opened its doors to worshippers and visitors, including tourists, on 17 January 2012 in a ceremony attended by 50,000 devotees. [8] [11] The construction was funded by people from different religions and nationalities as the year of the construction, 2008, had seen a severe economic crisis. [12]

Design

The beige-coloured Guru Nanak Darbar is a blend of modern and traditional Sikh building style. [13] It has three levels of underground car parks and two above ground, and the area of each basement is 25,000 square feet to accommodate 140 cars. [13]

The ground floor (21,000 square feet) includes the reception desk, the gurdwara’s office, a dining hall, a kitchen, a pantry, and store rooms. There are also convenience rooms, a headscarf stand, shoe storage areas, Jora Ghar facilities in several parts of the building. [13]

The building’s façade features a 54-meter Parikarma coated with traditional grill work, and a water body surrounds part of the building to resemble the Sarovar of the Harmandir Sahib (Golden Temple). [13]

The staircase inside the gurudwara can carry a huge traffic of people in both directions, and there are also elevators. [13]

The Prayer Hall on the first floor has Italian marble on the walls and floor, chandeliers from Murano, Italy, and a purple carpet. It also features 24-carat gold canopies for the Guru Granth Sahib, and in the centre, there is a raised platform with carved gold-plated pillars and above it is a gold-plated lotus-shaped dome. The dome is lined with a piece of cloth that has gold lace at its edge. [13]

ISO Certification

The Guru Nanak Darbar is the world’s first gurudwara to receive ISO Certifications, which were in the areas of Quality Management Standard (ISO 9001:2015), Environmental Management Standard (ISO 14001:2004), Occupational Health and Safety Management Standard (OHSAS 18001:2007), and Food Safety Management Standard (ISO 20000:2005). [9]

Services

The Guru Nanak Darbar holds three-hour classes for children on Saturdays to teach them Punjabi, Kirtan, and Gurdwara protocol. [14] [15]

Services offered at the gurudwara include Akhand Path sahib, Sehaj Path, Sukhmani Sahib Path, Kirtan, Langar, child-naming Ceremonies, child amrit ceremonies, engagements, Anand Karaj (wedding ceremonies), matrimonial services, house-warming prayers, birthday or anniversary prayers, and condolence or memorial prayers. [13]

The gurudwara houses several facilities at the community’s disposal, and these include a meditation room, a library, kirtan classes, and Gurbani Santhiya classes. [13] [14]

Visitors

Before the outbreak of the coronavirus in March 2020, some 10,000 people visited the gurdwara every Friday, and these included Afghani Sikhs, Sindhis, and Hindu Punjabis. [13]

The gurudwara also attracts tourists from around the world and had seen 800,000 visitors eating out of its community kitchen every year.40 This kitchen fed some 1,500 people on a usual day and 50,000 during special events, but this stopped since April 2020 due to the safety measures imposed to stop the spread of the coronavirus (COVID-19). [1]

COVID-19 Response

In response to the coronavirus (COVID-19) crisis, the Guru Nanak Darbar was closed for 110 days from April to July 2020 as part of the restrictions on places of worship to stop the spread of the virus. [16] However, even after reopening, restricted timings were put in place for the devotees to visit the Sikh shrine, and these were from 9 am to 9.30 am and from 6 pm to 6.30 pm from Saturday to Thursday. [16] In addition, devotees were required to wear masks and gloves, use hand sanitisers, maintain social distancing, and have their temperatures checked, and children under 12 years old and people over 60 years old were not allowed to enter for a specified period of time to ensure their safety. [16]

As part of the UAE-wide efforts to immunize residents and citizens against the coronavirus, the Guru Nanak Darbar hosted from 6 to 8 February 2021 an event to vaccinate 4,500 adults of different religions and about 35 nationalities against COVID-19. [17]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gurdwara</span> Place of worship in Sikhism

A gurdwara or gurudwara is a place of assembly and worship for Sikhs. Sikhs also refer to gurdwaras as Gurdwara Sahib. People from all faiths and religions are welcomed in gurdwaras. Each gurdwara has a Darbar Sahib where the Guru Granth Sahib is placed on a takht in a prominent central position. Any congregant may recite, sing, and explain the verses from the Guru Granth Sahib, in the presence of the rest of the congregation.

The following outline is provides an overview of Sikhism, or Sikhi.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee</span> Indian Sikh administrative organization

The Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee is an organization in India responsible for the management of Gurdwaras, Sikh places of worship in states of Punjab and Himachal Pradesh and the union territory of Chandigarh. SGPC also administers Darbar Sahib in Amritsar.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Guru Nanak Gurpurab</span> Sikh festival

Guru Nanak Gurpurab, also known as Guru Nanak Prakash Utsav, celebrates the birth of the first Sikh guru, Guru Nanak. One of the most celebrated and important Sikh gurus and the founder of Sikhism, Guru Nanak is highly revered by the Sikh community. This is one of the most sacred festivals in Sikhism, or Sikhi. The festivities in the Sikh religion revolve around the anniversaries of the 10 Sikh Gurus. These Gurus were responsible for shaping the beliefs of the Sikhs. Their birthdays, known as Gurpurab, are occasions for celebration and prayer among the Sikhs.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Granthi</span> A person who read Sikhism holy book to worshipers

A Granthi is a person, female or male, of the Sikh religion who is a ceremonial reader of the Guru Granth Sahib, which is the holy book in Sikhism, often read to worshipers at Sikh temples called a Gurdwara.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dera Baba Nanak</span> Town in Punjab, India

Dera Baba Nanak is a town and a municipal council in Gurdaspur district, in the state of Punjab, India. It is the sub-district headquarters of Dera Baba Nanak tehsil. It is 36 km away from Gurdaspur city, the capital of the district. Since November 2019, a corridor between India and Pakistan has been established at its shrine.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sikh architecture</span> Style of architecture

Sikh architecture is a style of architecture that was developed under the Sikh Confederacy and Sikh Empire during the 18th and 19th centuries in the Punjab region. Due to its progressive style, it is constantly evolving into many newly developing branches with new contemporary styles. Although Sikh architecture was initially developed within Sikhism its style has been used in many non-religious buildings due to its beauty. 300 years ago, Sikh architecture was distinguished for its many curves and straight lines; Keshgarh Sahib and the Harmandir Sahib are prime examples.

Gurpurab, alternatively spelt as Gurpurb or Gurpurub, in Sikh tradition is a celebration of an anniversary of a Guru's birth marked by the holding of a festival.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sikhism in Germany</span>

German Sikhs are a growing religious minority in Germany. The majority of German Sikhs have their roots from the Punjab, India with the remaining coming from the Afghan Sikh community or through conversion. The number of Sikhs is estimated to be between 25,000. Germany had the fifth highest Sikh population in Europe after United Kingdom (524,000), Italy (220,000), Portugal (35,000) and Spain (26,000).

Gurdwara Pahila Bara, commonly known as Gurdwara Gai Ghat, is a holy Gurdwara of Sikh religion. It is located in the city of Patna, Bihar, India and dedicated to Guru Nanak Dev. The Gurdwara is part of "Guru Circuit" - A Government of Bihar initiative connecting important Sikh religious destinations in Bihar to attract more pilgrims.

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Gurdwara Darbar Sahib Kartarpur, also called Kartarpur Sahib, is a gurdwara in Kartarpur, located in Shakargarh, Narowal District, in the Punjab province of Pakistan. It is built on the historic site where the founder of Sikhism, Guru Nanak, settled and assembled the Sikh community after his missionary travels and lived for 18 years until his death in 1539. It is one of the holiest sites in Sikhism, alongside the Golden Temple in Amritsar and Gurdwara Janam Asthan in Nankana Sahib.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gurdwara Janam Asthan</span> Building in Punjab, Pakistan

Gurdwara Janam Asthan, also referred to as Gurdwara Nankana Sahib, is a highly revered gurdwara that is situated at the site where the founder of Sikhism, Guru Nanak, was born. The shrine is located in Nankana Sahib, Punjab, Pakistan.

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Guru Nanak Jhira Sahib is a Sikh historical shrine situated in Bidar, Karnataka. Gurdwara Nanak Jhira Sahib was built in 1948 and is dedicated to the first Sikh guru, Guru Nanak. Bidar has a very long association with Sikhism as this is the home town of Bhai Sahib Singh, one of the Panj Pyare, who offered to sacrifice their heads and were later baptised as the first members of the Khalsa.

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kartarpur Corridor</span> Border corridor between the neighbouring nations of India and Pakistan

The Kartarpur Corridor is a visa-free border crossing and religious corridor, connecting the Gurdwara Darbar Sahib, near Lahore in Pakistan to Gurudwara Dera Baba Nanak, Gurdaspur district, Punjab, India. The crossing allows devotees from India to visit the gurdwara in Kartarpur, Pakistan, 4.7 kilometres from the India–Pakistan border on the Pakistani side without a visa. However, Pakistani Sikhs are unable to use the border crossing, and cannot access Dera Baba Nanak on the Indian side without first obtaining an Indian visa or unless they work there.

The Gurdwara Gyan Godri Sahib, also known as Gurdwara Sri Gyan Godri Sahib, meaning "treasure of knowledge" was one of the holiest Gurdwara at Har Ki Pauri, Haridwar in the state of Uttarakhand, India. It existed at the place where The Bharat Scouts and Guides office exists today at the market in Subhash Ghat of Har Ki Pauri which is verified by Municipal Corporation Haridwar records of 1935.

References

  1. 1 2 3 Service, Tribune News. "Dubai's Guru Nanak Darbar gurdwara continued to serve humanity even during pandemic". Tribuneindia News Service. Retrieved 2021-09-01.
  2. ↑ "Guru Nanak Darbar Sikh Temple | Visit Dubai". www.visitdubai.com. Retrieved 2021-09-01.
  3. 1 2 3 "Middle East's First Gurudwara Opens in Dubai". www.outlookindia.com/. Retrieved 2021-09-01.
  4. 1 2 Paul, Ajanta. "UAE's Sikh community gets its first dedicated gurudwara - News - Emirates24|7". www.emirates247.com. Retrieved 2021-09-01.
  5. ↑ Singh Virk, Hardev (2018). The Temple of My Dreams. Motivate Publishing.
  6. ↑ "This Gurudwara in Dubai just entered Guinness World Records on Baisakhi - Dubai, land of records". The Economic Times. Retrieved 2021-09-01.
  7. ↑ "Dubai gurdwara creates world record with breakfast for people from 101 nations". Hindustan Times. 2017-04-14. Retrieved 2021-09-01.
  8. 1 2 3 "Guru Nanak Darbar in Dubai: Location, timings & more - MyBayut". A blog about homes, trends, tips & life in the UAE | MyBayut. Retrieved 2021-09-06.
  9. 1 2 3 4 "Heaven In The Desert - Guru Nanak Darbar, Dubai". Singh and Kaur Magazine. 2016-10-04. Retrieved 2021-09-06.
  10. ↑ Service, Tribune News. "Dubai's Guru Nanak Darbar gurdwara continued to serve humanity even during pandemic". Tribuneindia News Service. Retrieved 2021-09-15.
  11. ↑ Service, Tribune News. "Dubai's Guru Nanak Darbar gurdwara continued to serve humanity even during pandemic". Tribuneindia News Service. Retrieved 2021-09-15.
  12. ↑ Service, Tribune News. "Dubai's Guru Nanak Darbar gurdwara continued to serve humanity even during pandemic". Tribuneindia News Service. Retrieved 2021-09-15.
  13. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 "About Us – GuruNanak Darbar, Dubai" . Retrieved 2021-09-22.
  14. 1 2 "sikhchic.com | Article Detail". sikhchic.com. Retrieved 2021-10-13.
  15. ↑ "Heaven In The Desert - Guru Nanak Darbar, Dubai". Singh and Kaur Magazine. 2016-10-04. Retrieved 2021-10-13.
  16. 1 2 3 "Dubai gurdwara reopens after lifting of Covid-19 restrictions". Hindustan Times. 2020-07-05. Retrieved 2021-10-25.
  17. ↑ "Sikh temple in Dubai opens doors to all in Covid-19 vaccine drive". The National. Retrieved 2021-11-01.

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