First Sikh Gurdwara - Timeline Event
Founder
Baba Jawala Singh and Baba Wasakha Singh
Time Period
1912
Description
Sikhs began arriving to the United States in the early 20th century from India by way of British Columbia. Many were farmers in the Punjab and found themselves attracted to the fertile land around the Sacramento and San Joaquin valleys.
In 1912, the first gurdwara, a Sikh gathering place that means "gateway of the guru," was founded in Stockton, C.A., by Baba Jawaia Singh and Baba Wasakha Singh, two successful local farmers. On the centennial of Gurdwara Shaib in 2012, the congregation received a congratulatory letter from President Barack Obama. The gurdwara, he wrote, "reminds us that our religious sanctuaries are also reflections of the diversity and pluralism that are central to the American experience."
There are now dozens of gurdwaras in the country. The nation’s largest gurdwara opened in 2016 in San Jose, Calif.
In 1912, the first gurdwara, a Sikh gathering place that means "gateway of the guru," was founded in Stockton, C.A., by Baba Jawaia Singh and Baba Wasakha Singh, two successful local farmers. On the centennial of Gurdwara Shaib in 2012, the congregation received a congratulatory letter from President Barack Obama. The gurdwara, he wrote, "reminds us that our religious sanctuaries are also reflections of the diversity and pluralism that are central to the American experience."
There are now dozens of gurdwaras in the country. The nation’s largest gurdwara opened in 2016 in San Jose, Calif.
Interactive Timeline(s)
Browse Related Timeline Entries
Religious Groups
Timeline Entries for the same religious group: Other GroupsOther Groups: Other ARDA Links
Related Dictionary Terms
SikhismPhotographs
Sikh Temple at Stockton, California- Wikimedia Commons
.jpg)
Interior of Sikh Temple at Stockton- Hathi Trust- from The Hindusthanee Student, vol 3 (1916)
Stockton Gurudwara- photo by IP Singh at the English Wikipedia
Book/Journal Source(s)
Melton, J. Gordon, 2009. Melton's Encyclopedia of American Religions, Eighth Edition Farmington Hills, MI: Gale.Web Source(s)
https://pluralism.org/first-arrivalsThe Pluralism Project, Sikhism in America
http://stocktongurdwara.com/history/ (Link no longer online)
http://www.mercurynews.com/2011/04/10/thousands-attend-expanded-sikh-gurdwara-san-joses-opening/
The San Jose Mercury-News, "Thousands Attend Expanded Sikh-Gurdwara-San Jose's Opening" (Aug. 13, 2016)
Web Page Contributor
Sandi DolbeeAffliated with: Former Religion and Ethics Editor, The San Diego Union-Tribune
