North America’s oldest Sikh temple celebrates 100 years

The Gur Sikh Gurdwara, the oldest Sikh temple in North America, has just celebrated its centennial birthday.

Tens of thousands of people came to the event, including Prime Minister Stephen Harper and Premier Christy Clark, who inaugurated the it.

“The temple is more than just a building, it’s a sacred place with a long history of holiness, community and family,” Clark said. “The temple and the people who continue to care for it are a significant part of the cultural mosaic that makes our province great,” she added in a statement.

Harper took this opportunity to pay tribute to the contributions of the Sikh community to Canada. They were integral to laying the foundation of the country, often enduring incredible hardship at the beginning of last century.

Harper said the temple “embodies the courage, hardships and perseverance of Sikh pioneers, as well as their success in retaining religious beliefs, while adapting to new conditions and integrating into Canadian society”.

Gur Sikh Gurdwara is located in Abbotsford, BC, Canada and the federal government declared it a National Historic Site in 2002.

Source: The Province