New Ramgarhia Gurdwara opens doors to community in UK’s Leicester

London, Jul 12 (PTI) A new Ramgarhia Sikh Gurdwara built at the cost of GBP 4.2 million by a UK-based charity has opened its doors to the community and also organised its first wedding in the eastern England city of Leicester.

The Ramgarhia Board Leicester had acquired land in the Hamilton area of the city over eight years ago with a vision to create a purpose-built gurdwara “driven by the community, for the community”.

It opened its doors to the congregation at the end of June and has been holding regular “ardaas” and “kirtans” since then.

“A sense of belonging and ownership is fundamental to not only the successful project but more importantly a successful new gurdwara for both the Sikhs and the wider community,” Ramgarhia Board Leicester said in a statement.

“The design approach is based on the vision of British Sikh communities as progressive and creative members of society, the proposed building reflects this spirit. It is of modern contemporary design with beautiful stone finish, glass domes providing an abundance of natural light providing an open and natural feel together with some traditional elements through the use of colour of the Nishan Sahib,” it said.

The gurdwara is set on a 2.8-acre landscaped plot and includes a large Langar Hall, or community dining hall, which also serves as a flexible space for community use for functions and events.

The main Diwan Hall (prayer hall) is located on the first floor and is approached by two symmetrical curved staircases.

Two wings of learning zones on either side of the Diwan Hall provide educational resources for the youth along with a dedicated library and an IT room to support these spaces.

The upper-most storey comprises a smaller Diwan Hall and the Sikh Holy flag (Nishan Sahib) is featured at the front of the gurdwara signifying the presence of a Sikh Temple within the neighbourhood.

“By constructing a new purpose-built gurdwara, the vision is the community of today and tomorrow will be engaged and empowered by a prominent hub within their locality that provides a range of religious, spiritual and educational needs,” the charity noted.

Earlier, the charity had invoked the Sikh principle of “Dasvand”, which inspires the giving of 10 per cent of an earning member’s income to charitable causes such as seva, or selfless service, to fundraise towards the community project.

“The objective is we unite and create a visionary gurdwara as a hub for the whole present and future community, all working together to make this our success,” the charity added.