A Sikh temple or shrine is called a Gurudwara, that is, the House of God, the House of the Guru, where the Guru dwells. Its most essential element is the presence of the Guru.
According to the Sikh faith, while prayers to God can be offered any time and anywhere, a Gurudwara is built particularly for congregational worship. Even a very small group of devotees inhabiting any place anywhere in the world would generally build a temple for them all to get together for religious or even for social purposes. The building could be as simple as a temporary shack or a small room in a house, depending on the resources of the local community. But the Sikhs would not stint in this matter, and they have, therefore, built beautiful and imposing gurdwaras some of which can accommodate. hundreds of devotees. Most of their important shrines are connected with the ten Gurus or have other historical association and are great centers of pilgrimage.
It is expected of every Sikh that he would go to the gurudwara daily and join the congregation or Sangat for prayers. The Sangat is imbued with the love of God, and Sri Guru Granth Sahib presides over the congregation. The Sangat thus exercises a benign influence on those present. One-can recite the Granth Sahib at home all by one self, but then one misses the benediction of the congregation.
In the gurdwaras, Sri Guru Granth Sahib, draped in fine raiment, is placed on a palanquin, often flower-bedecked, and under a canopy. The devotees, as they come, kneel before the Granth Sahib, the forehead touching the ground, place a small offering, generally some coin, and take their seat on the carpeted floor. The morning service begins before dawn, with kirtan, the singing of hymns from Granth Sahib to the accompaniment of instrumental music, recitations from the holy book and katha exposition of the scripture, forming part of the program. At the end, the entire congregation stands with hands folded and the priest recites the Ardas, literally meaning a humble petition or prayer, concluding with a supplication to God, seeking His grace for the good of all mankind. The Ardas recalls the blessings of the Gurus and the sacrifices made by the community in the course of its history. At the end of the service, prasad or sacrament, generally a preparation of wheat flour, ghee and sugar, is distributed.
The gurdwaras are open to all communities and castes and no purdah is observed. In the House of the Lord, all are equal; irrespective of their status in the world outside. On a visit to the temple, the head is to be kept covered as a mark of respect to the Granth Sahib, and shoes are not allowed inside. Smoking is taboo, and so also are liquor and other intoxicants.
There is no hereditary priestly class among the Sikhs. Anyone could work as a priest in a gurudwara or function as such on a given occasion. Any layman who can read the Granth Sahib can conduct even ceremonial rites, such as on the occasion of a marriage. All gurdwaras however employ priests, called granthis, so that someone can devote all his time to the upkeep of the temple and to routine duties. The priest is expected to be well up with the scriptures, Sikhs recognise no hereditary class of people for performing kirtan in the shrines. There are persons who train themselves for kirtan and are employed for the purpose, but, often enough, even this duty is attended to by men and women from various other walks of life.
Important gurdwaras run a langar or a free community kitchen for pilgrims, travelers and others. The institution of langar came into being almost with the inception of the faith. Guru Nanak organized one at Kartarpur, where he settled down during the later part of his life. The third Guru Amar Das, made it obligatory for anyone coming to meet him for his divine darshan to partake of the meal in the common kitchen. Everyone, high or low, including Emperor Akbar, did that. The langar obliterated all distinctions of the rich and the poor, and of caste and creed, and promoted equality, brotherhood and social integration. On al visit to an important shrine, it is an act of piety for a devotee to put in some manual labor in the kitchen, to serve the meals and to take the food, sitting in a row on a mat. The food is traditionally vegetarian. Service of the congregation by all means is highly prized, the more the menial, the more the spiritually edifying. Even well-to-do people would consider it an honor to wipe the dust off the shoes of the devotees, and to sweep up the shrine to imbibe a lesson in humility and service.
THE DAILY FUNCTIONS.
The daily function of a Gurudwara usually begins early in the morning, the exact time is not dictated, in some cases this might be 2 o'clock, in others it might be 10 o'clock. The Guru Granth Sahib would be brought down from the Sachkhand and a ceremony known as the Parkash is performed, this refers to the 'opening' of the holy scriptures.
Throughout the day, Gurbani might be read, there would normally be a sevadar in the darbar who serves the Karah Parshad to visitors. The Granthi would be available to read the Hukamnama - the Guru's command to the visitors.
In the evening, the Rahiras Sahib is read aloud and this might typically be followed by kirtan and katha the translation of shabads and historic/scriptural narration. The evening ends with a ceremony known as the Sukh Asan, during this, the Guru Granth Sahib is closed and laid to rest in the Sachkhand.
THE GURUDWARA COMMITTEE.
Previously in the subcontinent - the Gurudwaras were run in their entirety by the sangat, there was later recognised - the need for a group of individuals ultimately responsible for various functions relating to the running of the Gurudwara, e.g., treasury, admin. Hence the Gurudwara committees were formed, these are normally elected by the sangat. The existence of such a committee is purely as a function of administration and it does not warrant a superior right within the Gurudwara.
THE GRANTHI
The Granthi can perhaps be best described as the 'priest' although such a priest system does not exist in the Sikh faith. The Granthi is the custodian of the scriptures and is ultimately responsible for performing the daily ceremonies inside the darbar. The Granthi is usually appointed by the Gurudwara's committee. His (or her) typical duties might include performing the two ceremonies of Parkash and Sukh Asan, reading the Hukam nama aloud to members of the sangat during the functions and at relative times in the day, performing kirtan and katha and reading certain banis to the sangat such as the Rahiras and morning Nitnem.
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