I woke up with sore thighs and hips this morning…not from unmentionable actions…but from sitting cross legged in a temple for several hours.
I joined a guided tour of a Sikh temple yesterday. I knew nothing about this religion and its members and was curious.
Upon entering the Gurdwara (Sikh church), we removed our shoes and socks and covered our hair. There are facilities to wash hands in feet as in front of mosques, but being visitors we did not have to go through that ritual.
The first room we went into is very large and carpeted although the carpets were covered with white cloth as they were expecting large crowds for the weekend services. The room is bare save for the altar that is covered in rich fabric and has a display of silver arms and artificial flowers in the front. We entered the hall with hands joined and bowed with head to floor in front of the holy book. We then circled the canopy covered altar and sat to the side, where we were offered a little bit of food (it had a texture between cake and custard).
Next we moved upstairs to a smaller room where our guide, a very pretty and charming young woman, told us about her faith.
A Sikh is a person who believes in One God and follows, physically, spiritually and intellectually the teachings of the Guru Granth Sahib (the Sikh Holy book).
The five symbols (or five K’s) represent what makes the Sikhs distinct: Keshas (long and unshorn hair), Kangha (a small wooden comb worn in the hair at all times), Kara (a steel bracelet worn on the dominant arm), Kachla (a unisex pair of underwear), and Kirpan ( a small sword). The turban is also part of what makes the Sikhs stand out but, because the word does not start with the letter K, it is not part of the five symbols. The women wear a small cap or tuque like one, with a shawl over it.
There are daily rituals that include prayer and meditation.
Baptism or “Amrit”, is the gesture by which one officializes the commitment to follow the principles and code of conduct of the Sikh Faith.
The code of conduct “Sikh Rehat Maryada”, enforces rules concerning intoxication with alcohol, tobacco or drugs, eating meat, adultery and pre-marital sex.
Our guide had some of her students show us the musical instruments they use…very intriguing. It is hard to describe the sounds they made but it was rather melodious.
From the first step into the building we had been smelling food, she told us why. Each Gurdwara has a communal kitchen where anyone can go and eat. There is also room to sleep if one needs a roof. On the way down we walked through the room where the holy books are kept, on a huge four poster bed, wrapped in several layers of cloth. We also stopped in another room where the Holy Book is read out loud, from start to finish.
The communal kitchen is both kitchen and dining hall. Everyone sits on the floor to eat so there is total equality between the people. The food was tasty with unusual (to me ) spices. The people there were very welcoming.
Obviously they want to dispel prejudice and weave cordial relations with the rest of the Montréal community.
I came out of there energized and very relaxed…
I would go again…I cannot write down everything I learned yesterday as it would take too long but I hope this outline is enough to make you want to find out more about Sikhism….and now I know who the little boys are who wear a white handkerchief over a bun on top of their hair.