Hundreds of people made their way through the building to eat and pray聽over the course of聽the full moon celebration last week.聽The night was still and clear聽as vehicles arrived and departed, carrying people to聽and from the temple.聽The golden聽adornments聽atop the聽building聽caught and reflected the聽moonlight.聽Inside聽it was noisy as groups of people聽made their way through the dining hall, filling their trays with food and chatting聽over their meals.聽Upstairs was loud too, as the sounds of devotional singing echoed in the main chamber.
Downstairs at one of a dozen long tables聽in the dining hall, or聽langar,聽a family of four聽were聽enjoying some supper聽before heading聽up聽for prayer.聽In between mouthfuls聽of dal, chapati, and rice pudding,聽Gurmeet聽Marok聽explained聽why he聽comes here聽regularly.
鈥淭his is a part of living,鈥� he said. 鈥淲e聽go at least once a week to go to the temple聽for prayer聽and to be in touch with our聽belief.鈥�
He consulted his partner,聽Ravnat,聽and tended to his children before continuing the conversation.聽
鈥淭he best thing about聽this religion is you don't have to be religious,鈥� he added. 鈥淎nybody is welcome regardless of cast聽or聽colour. That is what it's about. You don't have to be a proper Sikh. Anybody can come and join, anybody can pray.鈥�
The Maroks bought a business here and moved from Prince George in 2012. The Sikh Temple is where they come to be part of the community and fulfill the religious aspects of their lives.聽
Gurmeet聽and his family are seated聽among the young and the old, the devout and聽the聽religiously disinterested,聽skateboarders聽and climbers聽from Ontario, Squamish's can collectors,聽Hindu, Christians and Sikh.聽
As is the custom聽in聽langars聽around the world, this聽Sikh Temple serves simple, vegetarian meals聽for free聽in order to聽accommodate a聽wide聽variety of聽dietary requirements聽and to prevent any one congregation from聽using upscale food聽as a symbol of wealth.聽
This purposeful openness to diversity聽and聽efforts to help those in need exists in many aspects of life at the temple.聽Helping聽needy people without any distinction聽of background,聽race,聽or even聽religious belief聽is a聽central tenant聽of Sikhism.聽Followers聽of the faith are聽expected to contribute at least ten per cent of their wealth or income to needy people. Every day of the year,聽the temple is open聽to聽people聽who need something to eat or a place to stay.聽So long as they聽don't smoke or drink in the temple and aren't聽obscene or disruptive.
鈥淎nybody is welcome, at any time. If anything else is going on in the community and you ask the Sikh community聽to聽come forward and help you they will definitely go, no matter who it is,鈥澛爏aid Gurmeet.聽
Avtar Gidda is the secretary of the Sikh Society. He elaborated on the Sikh's philosophy of helping people who are in need.聽
鈥淧eople are supposed to be happy, they are supposed to not be fighting, they're supposed to be coming and sharing their ideas. If there is any kind of problem, they're supposed to solve it as a human being,鈥� he said. 鈥淪ometimes there is a problem with the neighbours and we go in and we say, we don't want to fight, or we don't want to bring a bad name to the society or to the neighbourhood. That's why the Squamish Sikh Society is very much established and peace loving. We have no quarrels in either the school, nor in the work place.鈥�
The night of the full moon聽was聽a little bit busier than the typical聽evening around the temple, as the first day of the lunar month holds a particular significance in the religion.
Makhan Sanghara,聽president of the Squamish Sikh Society, explained聽that the full moon,聽or聽Kartik Poornima,聽is聽a time of聽rejuvenation.
鈥淲e celebrate the full moon聽for the聽change of the cycle of the atmosphere,鈥� he said.
The聽Kartik Poornima聽is also an important day for Sikhism because聽the founder of the faith,聽Guru Nanak,聽was聽born聽when the moon was full.聽Nanak聽travelled widely in India, China and the Middle East. He collected scriptures聽from聽various faiths including Islam聽and Hinduism.聽
Nanak's聽ideas,聽along with聽those聽of subsequent聽gurus,聽are now incorporated into the central text of the religion, the聽Adi Granth.聽The 1430-page聽book聽is written in dialects of聽Punjabi,聽Sanskrit and Persian.聽A copy exists in every聽Sikh Temple聽and is kept on a decorated聽platform聽at the front of the聽main hall, behind which sits the priest.聽
Next month, the Temple will commemorate聽Guru Nanak's birthday by聽holding聽48聽consecutive hours of聽prayer. The聽Adi Granth聽will be read aloud in聽its entirety聽as聽groups of聽five or six聽people at a time take two-hour shifts聽reading.
The text is read aloud during聽Kartik Poornima聽as well.聽Heading up the stairs to the main hall, or聽Darbar,聽devotional singing聽can be heard from above.聽Inside, the well-lit room, the priest reads short orations from the聽Adi Granth聽and the assembly who are seated or kneeling on the floor respond聽in unison.
Sikh and other Indo-Canadians lived in Squamish for over a quarter of century before the temple was built. Many Sikh men first came to work in the logging industry at the beginning of the 1900s. At first it was just men who stayed in camps and whose families usually resided in Vancouver.聽
Then with the completion of聽the聽highway to Vancouver聽in 1958聽and the opening of a new sawmill聽by Weldwood聽in 1962,聽there was聽an influx of people moving to Squamish.聽As Squamish grew, so too did the number of Indo-Canadians and particularly the Sikhs. The first family to move here were the聽Mahngers聽in1964,聽followed closely by the聽Ozlas. Their descendants聽continue to reside in Squamish.
Employment聽for Sikhs聽during the seventies was primarily at the saw聽mill, but some聽men聽began working at 小蓝视频 Rail.聽A聽few of the聽young women聽worked in the pharmacies and banks.聽The majority of the families lived聽either downtown or in Valleycliffe, but some bought houses in Brackendale and聽Garibaldi Highlands.
Avtar聽Gidda聽who moved to Squamish in 1969,聽recalled聽these early days聽before the temple.
鈥淲e have religious needs聽and we have to go to Vancouver. That was a long trip at the time because the road wasn't very good.鈥澛�
Gidda聽noted that in the early 1970s聽there were about聽150聽Indo-Canadians working in the聽Weldwood聽saw mill.
In August 1980, the Squamish Sikh Society was incorporated.聽The need for a place of community in which to聽fulfill religious needs聽culminated with the construction聽of聽the temple 鈥� completed in聽March 1983.
The聽temple聽 has remained largely unchanged over the years.聽In 2004, an additional eating room off of the聽langar聽was added. Sikhs聽who follow a more聽traditional practice often prefer to be seated on the floor聽for eating.
鈥淲e don't want to fight and have people feel disgusting and that's why we changed this that way,鈥澛爏aid聽Gidda.
In 2009, the kitchen was聽renovated聽and聽a聽lift聽was installed聽for people with mobility聽difficulties聽to聽move between the聽langar聽and the聽darbar.聽
Portables behind the temple now serve as a school for which there are聽three聽teachers and聽about 75聽students.聽Punjabi, English and religious education are the subjects聽here.聽
Though the building is tucked away on fifth avenue and the temple's patrons seem to maintain a quiet disposition around town, the Sikhs represent a substantial component of Squamish's population, culture and history.聽
Five hundred聽families,聽some聽1,500-1,600聽people聽spanning 27 nationalities聽now聽frequent the temple for prayer,聽education and聽community.聽Many of the Sikhs who regularly attend the temple live in Squamish and work here, or in Whistler or Vancouver.
For governance, the temple聽has volunteers聽who聽fill the roles of聽president,聽vice聽president,聽secretary,聽vice聽secretary聽and treasurer. These positions are voluntary聽and,聽if required,聽are changed at聽a聽general meeting聽held聽each聽year between Christmas and New Year.聽
Back in the聽langar,聽Kirin Taylor聽and a few of his friends are finishing up their supper.聽They're聽visiting聽Squamish for a couple of weeks聽from Owensound, Ontario聽to check out the town and to go聽skateboarding and biking.聽Taylor was quite pleased about being able to come here for free supper.聽
鈥淎ll I can say is that it's awesome food. It's a pretty cool scene,鈥� Taylor said. 鈥淕ood people and good food鈥� you can't ask for much more.鈥澛�
Today (Thursday, Oct. 23) a celebration of聽Dwali,聽or the festival of lights, is being held at the temple. In essence, it marks the victory of light over darkness and involves elaborate clothing, decorations, and festivities at聽Gurdwaras聽around the world.
