Guru Nanak Darbar is the first official Sikh temple in the UAE. Established with the aim of offering more than 50,000 Sikhs a place to worship in Dubai, the gurdwara is an epitome of peace, hope and solace. Situated in Jebel Ali, the construction work of this first Sikh temple in UAE started in 2008 when Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum offered a free of cost piece of land to the Sikhs to build this gurudwara. The Gurudwara broke the Guinness world record for “serving breakfast to more than 600 people from 101 different nationalities” as a part of its special Breakfast Diversity event which was hosted in Jebel Ali Garden in Dubai.
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Architecture of the Guru Nanak Darbar
Guru Nanak Darbar is the perfect example of modern designs and traditional Gurudwara architecture. The colours, textures and the building materials used here blend beautifully with one another and make the shrine look beautiful. This beige and gold coloured building is made up Italian marble, and the canopies are manufactured in 24-carat gold which shines and makes the shrine look gorgeous. The chandeliers hanging in the Darbar have been imported from Italy, and the gurdwara has three underground parking floors and is a multi-storeyed building.
The structure has a vast dining hall, a kitchen, pantry, storeroom, several convenience rooms, joda ghars or shoe storages, library and a headscarf stand. Amritsar’s Golden Temple has inspired the holy water pond or the Sarovar, and a surreal reflection of the gurdwara can be seen in the night when it’s lit-up. The 54-metre long parikrama, circling the gurdwara is well-reputed, and you can go around and take rounds of the sacred place.
Inside the main hall, separate platforms and areas have been build for kirtans, religious talks and for offering prayers. A separated platform with a gold-plated dome, shaped like a lotus is placed in the centre. On this platform, the sacred Guru Granth Sahib is set, and a Giani or Guru reads from the holy Granth and waves Chaur Sahib or a stick with yak hair or fibres over the spiritual reading.
The hall has several windows which let the natural sunlight come in and the gold detailing and carvings add up to the beauty and serene vibe of the gurdwara.
Activities and Rituals at the Darbar
Each morning the gurdwara opens at 4:00 AM when the Prakash ceremony takes place. Prayers and Ardas are daily rituals which can be witnessed by non-Sikhs as well. Hukamnamas or daily teachings are read and then sent to other gurdwaras and shrines.
Langars are an all-day activity which involves feeding hundreds of people together per hour. Up to 900 people sit together in rows in the langar halls or common dining halls and are served pure vegetarian food. Around 1800 chapatis are made every hour in the kitchen and volunteers, and people provide voluntary service and are engaged in cooking, cleaning, washing and serving duties. Langars are open to everyone, and on special days and events, a special snack or meal is usually prepared and served to all. The visitors and contributors cover the expenses, and dozens of tomatoes, potatoes, vegetables and a lot of ghee goes into the preparation daily.
This gurudwara attracts more than 800,000 visitors each year and is slowly becoming a famous venue for weddings as well. People also visit this gurudwara to commence their marriages, engagements, Anand Karaj, condolence prayers or to offer prayers and hold Akhand Paths.
How To Reach Guru Nanak Darbar, Dubai
UAE’s famous gurdwara can be reached by a taxi or metro. It is approximately at a distance of 10-15 minutes from the Ibn Battuta Metro Station so you can take a taxi for less than AED 20 from this station to the gurdwara.
