Established in 1981, the Glasgow Central Gurdwara (or ‘‘Singh Sabha’) was born out of the desire to provide a Gurdwara in Glasgow that operated in strict accordance with Sikh principles and the traditions as laphase id down by the Sikh Gurus themselves.
Inspired by the ‘Singh Sabha’ movement, a Trust (see here) was set up by a group of 20 or so Sikhs, which purchased the Berkeley Street building from dinations from the Sikh Sangat – with large contributions from the trustees themselves.
The original Gurdwara building required much work as well as the tireless enthusiasm of the members and the management. But the result was Scotland’s biggest Gurdwara, and a much celebrated community organisation.
The current Gurdwara complex is composed of 3 main parts:
1. The main Gurdwara building
Ground floor
- capacious Dining Hall
- kitchen
- other storage facilities
1st floor
- the large ‘Darbar Sahib’ (or ‘Prayer Area’)
2nd floor
- Giani Ji’s residence
- other visitors’ accommodation
2. The ‘Mel Milaap’ Day Care Centre
In the late 1990’s, and with the Waheguru’s (the Almighty’s) Grace, the adjacent building was purchased which gave us an opportunity to establish the ‘Mel Milaap’ Centre – a day care centre for the lonely, elderly or disabled.
After many years of fulfilling this invaluable community role, it finally became officially recognised as part of the mainstream Social Work Department of Glasgow City Council (GCC). This was the result of much negotiation between the Gurdwara committee and GCC, but it was worth the effort, as it deserved recognition for all the work it does, ultimately for the benefit of those sectors of our community who so desperately needed attention the most.
3. The ‘Car Park’ Plot
Another example Waheguru’s Grace for the Singh Sabha came in the form of a large plot of land becoming available for sale. The land was next to a block of tenements directly adjacent to the Gurdwara Sahib. With good foresighted vision this land was purchased by the Gurdwara, and the ground is at present run as a commercial car park by the Gurdwara management providing another good source of regular income. It is this land which will form the main site for new Gurdwara.
The proposed new Gurdwara is to be built on the existing grounds at Berkeley Street, Glasgow. Able to accommodate 1500 worshippers, it will be Scotland’s only purpose built Gurdwara, and will eventually be one of Glasgow’s largest privately funded public buildings, and certainly its largest religious building.
The new Gurdwara is to be constructed in 2 phases. Construction for Phase 1 has already commenced and was projected to cost £6 million. However, with the state of the economy and it’s notorious ever rising costs of energy, transport and labour, the funding budget allocated is already insufficient, and more funds are urgently required to meet these rising costs. That is before even considering the possibility of any complications arising during the build. The funding shortfall is estimated to be around £1 million, hence the need to urgently raise funds from the Scottish Sikh community.
Please help by donating as much as you can afford to aid the completion of this historical Sikh monument in Scotland. You can either donate using the link below, or help us by organising your own fundraising event.