First time pedestrians near the corner of Pancho Villa and U.N. Avenue Streets in Paco, Manila would hardly notice the humble white temple they are passing by: it is modest, obscurely located, and covered by tall vegetations. It is the Khalsa Diwan Indian Temple, the oldest Sikh Temple in the Philippines.
Unlike the grand Chinese temples in Binondo, the Indian Sikh Temple in Paco is humble in appearance--which reflects mainly about one of the Sikh religion's basic tenets: humility. The Khalsa Diwan Temple was founded in 1929 from the contributions of the Sikh members who wanted a place of worship while away from their home in India.
I have often passed by the temple while a college student in Manila many years ago. But I have not entered, since at that time, I was still afraid of the turbaned Bumbays. Yet, I still remember that one of my Catholic classmates often went to Khalsa Diwan--not to worship--but to get a free meal in the langar, the temple's free kitchen. In the Langar, anyone, even from different religions, is free to partake of the kitchen's cooked food.
It was very fascinating to learn about the Sikh religion. I have already read about it in the popular website Sikhnet.com, and eventually my fear of the turbaned Bumbay changed into one of admiration and respect. The more I learned about the Sikh religion and their culture and beliefs, the more I became fascinated, and so one day I decided to visit the temple--personally.
The visit was a memorable one, highlighted by my meeting with several of the Sikh elders and faithfuls. Prior to entering the temple, I was asked to remove my shoes, and cover my head with a handkerchief. The temple has two stories, in the first floor was the office, the lobby, the langar (kitchen), and the spacious dining hall.
At the upper floor is located the main worship hall. A faucet and soap is provided at the base of the marble stair and everyone must wash their hands and feet before going up to the worship hall. I felt that it is a proper thing to do when entering a holy place. But I thought that if this will be practiced in Quiapo Church, the water shortage in Manila will get worsen, what with the thousands of devotees visiting the church everyday.
There are no religious icons in the main altar. Only the symbols of the faith, like the swords and spears, adorn the main altar. The gigantic holy book of Sikhism called Sri Guru Granth Sahib, is at the very center of the altar. No one is allowed to touch it, and it is covered with a cloth of linen and gold. It is only read during the worship service by the Granthi, or the High Priest. For those wanting to read its contents, many smaller book versions can be found located near the altar.
Sikhism, unlike Hinduism, is a monotheistic religion, believing only in One True God. Although there are similarities in practices such as vegetarianism, reincarnation, and karma, Sikhism and Hinduism are two very different religions. The founder of Sikhism, Sri Guru Nanak Devji (1469-1539) was born a Hindu but was disillusioned by the Caste System--the division of Hindus into different class systems. He particularly detested the unfair treatment of the Untouchables, or the lowest Hindu caste, and the women's subservience to men. Guru Nanak thought that all people--men and women--are born equal.
In the temple, the faithfuls must bow to the Sri Guru Granth Sahib and offer some donations to the altar. Afterwards, they sit at the proper designations to pray and listen to the chants and the readings of the Sri Gru Granth Sahib.
The whole experience of witnessing and participating in the worship service of Sikhs was an unforgettable experience. For the time being, this will be a temporary short article on my visit to the Khalsa Diwan Temple. But I am preparing a longer photo-essay to be given as my gift of appreciation to the numerous new Indian friends I have met at the Temple.
Unlike the grand Chinese temples in Binondo, the Indian Sikh Temple in Paco is humble in appearance--which reflects mainly about one of the Sikh religion's basic tenets: humility. The Khalsa Diwan Temple was founded in 1929 from the contributions of the Sikh members who wanted a place of worship while away from their home in India.
I have often passed by the temple while a college student in Manila many years ago. But I have not entered, since at that time, I was still afraid of the turbaned Bumbays. Yet, I still remember that one of my Catholic classmates often went to Khalsa Diwan--not to worship--but to get a free meal in the langar, the temple's free kitchen. In the Langar, anyone, even from different religions, is free to partake of the kitchen's cooked food.
It was very fascinating to learn about the Sikh religion. I have already read about it in the popular website Sikhnet.com, and eventually my fear of the turbaned Bumbay changed into one of admiration and respect. The more I learned about the Sikh religion and their culture and beliefs, the more I became fascinated, and so one day I decided to visit the temple--personally.
The visit was a memorable one, highlighted by my meeting with several of the Sikh elders and faithfuls. Prior to entering the temple, I was asked to remove my shoes, and cover my head with a handkerchief. The temple has two stories, in the first floor was the office, the lobby, the langar (kitchen), and the spacious dining hall.
At the upper floor is located the main worship hall. A faucet and soap is provided at the base of the marble stair and everyone must wash their hands and feet before going up to the worship hall. I felt that it is a proper thing to do when entering a holy place. But I thought that if this will be practiced in Quiapo Church, the water shortage in Manila will get worsen, what with the thousands of devotees visiting the church everyday.
There are no religious icons in the main altar. Only the symbols of the faith, like the swords and spears, adorn the main altar. The gigantic holy book of Sikhism called Sri Guru Granth Sahib, is at the very center of the altar. No one is allowed to touch it, and it is covered with a cloth of linen and gold. It is only read during the worship service by the Granthi, or the High Priest. For those wanting to read its contents, many smaller book versions can be found located near the altar.
Sikhism, unlike Hinduism, is a monotheistic religion, believing only in One True God. Although there are similarities in practices such as vegetarianism, reincarnation, and karma, Sikhism and Hinduism are two very different religions. The founder of Sikhism, Sri Guru Nanak Devji (1469-1539) was born a Hindu but was disillusioned by the Caste System--the division of Hindus into different class systems. He particularly detested the unfair treatment of the Untouchables, or the lowest Hindu caste, and the women's subservience to men. Guru Nanak thought that all people--men and women--are born equal.
In the temple, the faithfuls must bow to the Sri Guru Granth Sahib and offer some donations to the altar. Afterwards, they sit at the proper designations to pray and listen to the chants and the readings of the Sri Gru Granth Sahib.
The whole experience of witnessing and participating in the worship service of Sikhs was an unforgettable experience. For the time being, this will be a temporary short article on my visit to the Khalsa Diwan Temple. But I am preparing a longer photo-essay to be given as my gift of appreciation to the numerous new Indian friends I have met at the Temple.
Temple elders warmly welcomed me to the Khalsa Diwan
Entrance to the Khalsa Diwan Temple. One must remove shoes before entering the temple, and wear a veil as a sign of piety.
A faucet and soap is provided for the faithfuls to clean their hands and feet prior to entering the worship hall.
The main Hall of the Khalsa Diwan Temple
A painting in the likeness of Sri Guru Nanak Dev (1469-1539), founder and first Guru of Sikhism
Touching the flag mast Nishan Sahib, the holy pole of Sikhism. The flag pole is always covered with yellow cloth. It extends from ground to the very top of the temple.
Sikhs guarding the Temple. They are carrying the kirpan, the traditional daggers symbolizing the Khalsa, a military order of "saint-warriors" established by Sri Guru Gobind Singh (1666-1708), the tenth and last Guru of Sikhism. At the top of the entrance are the pictures of the first Guru Sri Guru Nanak Dev, and the last Guru Sri Gobind Singh.
Three generation of Sikhs
A Granthi guarding the Holy Book, Sri Guru Granth Sahib
Granthi with the chavar
They are the three Granthis (Priests) of the temple. At the middle is Bhai Fateh Singh Khalsa, the High Priest. They perform religious chants during the worship service. The chants reminded me of old classical Indian music. At their back is a picture in the likeness of the divine Sri Guru Nanak Dev.
The faithfuls bow and offer donations to the altar
The women are seated separately from the men
A Blue Turban
For the Sikhs who want some private prayers to God, a separate room is provided in the temple
Temple elder lighting an incense. The lighting of incense is an inherent part of many Asian religions that includes Taoism, Buddhism, and Hinduism.
The Khada Prasad (unleavened wheat bread) is distributed after the religious service. The Khada Prasad, unlike the Roman Catholic's bland Holy Bread, is actually delicious and a little sweet to the taste. It has a taste similar to a well-grinded peanut and wheat.It is handed by hand from the Granthi, and has to be received on both cupped hands. I like the taste so much that I even asked the Granthi to give me a second helping. It was gladly given .
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