The Gurdwara, Langar and the Golden Temple

The gurdwara, meaning 'door of the Guru', is the Sikh place of worship and community life. It houses the Guru Granth Sahib, and worshippers cover their heads, remove their shoes and sit on the floor, a sign of equality. Services include kirtan, the singing of scriptural hymns, and end with karah prashad, a sweet offering shared by all. Every gurdwara runs a langar, a free communal kitchen where anyone, regardless of religion, caste or status, may eat, usually seated together in rows on the floor.

Langar turned the ideal of equality into daily practice in a society where caste rules often governed who could eat with whom. The most famous gurdwara is the Harmandir Sahib, the Golden Temple, in Amritsar, which has four entrances as a symbol of openness to all. Its history includes trauma: in 1984 the Indian army's Operation Blue Star against armed militants inside the complex caused many deaths and lasting grief.