(Punjabi: “doorway to the Gur┗”), the place of worship of the Sikhs, a religious group of India. The gurdw─r─ contains—on a cot under a canopy—a copy of the ─di Granth, the sacred scripture of Sikhism. It also serves as a meeting place for conducting business of the congregation and wedding and initiation ceremonies. The more historically important gurdw─r─s serve as centres of pilgrimage during festivals. A free kitchen and frequently a school are attached to the gurdw─r─. The chief gurdw─r─ is the Harimandir, the “Golden Temple” at Amritsar, Punjab state, but every Sikh family endeavours to set aside one room of the house for the reading of the ─di Granth, and this room is also called a gurdw─r─. When entering a gurdw─r─ a Sikh takes off his shoes, washes his feet, and covers his head. The service usually consists of the opening of the book, singing of hymns, reading and discussion of a text, prayer, distribution of ka?─h pras─d (a preparation made of equal parts of wheat flour, sugar, and clarified butter), and dispersal. During the period of Mughal persecution of the Sikhs, the management of some gurdw─r─s (and the considerable lands and funds attached to them) passed into the hands of Hindu caretakers (mahants). After years of increasing agitation on the part of the Sikhs, the British government passed the Sikh Gurdwara Act in 1925 returning control of the gurdw─r─s to the Sikhs. The gurdw─r─s of historic importance are now managed by an elected body known as the Shiroman┤ Gurdw─r─ Prabandhak Committee (“Committee of Shrine Management”). |