Gurdwara

A gurdwara, gurudwara, or gurudwar (Punjabi: ਗੁਰਦੁਆਰਾ, romanized: gurdu'ārā, lit. 'door of the guru') is a place of assembly and worship in Sikhism, but its normal meaning is "place of guru" or "home of guru". Sikhs also refer to gurdwaras as Gurdwara Sahib. People from all faiths and religions are welcomed in a gurdwara. Each gurdwara has a Darbar Sahib where the Guru Granth Sahib is placed on a takht (an elevated throne) in a prominent central position. Any congregant (sometimes with specialized training, in which case they are known by the term granthi) may recite, sing, and explain the verses from the Guru Granth Sahib, in the presence of the rest of the congregation. All gurdwaras have a langar hall, where people can eat free lacto-vegetarian food served by volunteers at the gurdwara. They may also have a medical facility room, library, nursery, classroom, meeting rooms, playground, sports ground, a gift shop, and finally a repair shop. A gurdwara can be identified from a distance by tall flagpoles bearing the Nishan Sahib, the Sikh flag. The best-known gurdwaras are in the Darbar Sahib complex in Amritsar, Punjab, including Golden Temple (Sri Harmandir Sahib), the spiritual center of the Sikhs and Akal Takht, the political center of the Sikhs.