The Khalsa Jatha, British Isles, London was formed in the year 1908, to promote religious and social activities among the Sikhs who had settled in the UK. Later in the same year it was affiliated to the Chief Khalsa Diwan, Amritsar. In 1911 the Jatha acquired a house in Putney (South London) for a period of 2 years. The opening ceremony was performed by Maharaja Bhupindra Singh of Patiala.
In 1913 the Jatha bought the lease of 79 Sinclair Road, Shepherd Bush, London. Where the Jatha remained for 63 years. From 1931 to 1950 the Khalsa Jatha made good serving the still small Sikh community. In 1953 weekly diwans started and in 1954 a full time Granthi was employed. As funds were raised, the Jatha purchased a building known as Norland Castle, Queensdale Road, London, in the Royal Borough of Kensington & Chelsea and in 1969 the Jatha moved into the building where the Gurdwara now stands. The domes were added in the early 1990's while a further programme of refurbishment began in 2000.
The Central Gurdwara since 2000 has made slow progress with renovation and the local residents observed the deterioration in the façade and general structure of the Sikh Temple. It is a historical place for all the Sikhs in London as it is the oldest established Sikh place of worship. The historical Gurdwara has been a place of homage by many renowned saints and individuals: Teja Singh, Sant Attar Singh Mastuana Wale, His Highness Maharajah Bhupinder Singh, of Patiala, Late Khushwant Singh (author, historian and writer), Shaheed Udham Singh and Sant Fateh Singh
As well as fulfilling its central role as place of worship the Gurdwara has evolved and the future generations are encouraged to carry on the vision and ideology of the founding fathers into the next century instilling within them a sense of belonging and community pride that these Sikhs had fought so hard to establish. So time to preserve its history and a place of worship for present and future generations to maintain a place of worship to bring the community together and support others. Once fully re-furbished to modern standards with good facilities, it will cater for the needs of the local communities.
It is our great honour and to be privilege of this massive project to completely refurbish the Sikh Temple as the local residents made an outcry that it an eyesore and should be closed for public access in the area. The initiative has now been undertaken that all are part of the monumental phase since the Gurdwara’s existence. In order to meet our mission in doing God’s work and serving our community to a high standard, it is our humble request to call upon your generosity to support to see this refurbishment through to fruition.
Contributions from whoever hears and reads about it would make a profound impact on the work currently going and the project would be very grateful for any donations; even a penny you can offer in support of this great cause would be highly appreciated for not only the Sikh community but for other communities.
Please note the following details where donations can be freely made:
Bank Account Name: The Virdee Foundation-Gurdwara Sewa Project
Bank Name: Coutts
Bank Address: 440 Strand, London WC2R 0QS
Bank Sort Code: 18-00-02
Bank Account No: 09495541 IBAN: GB87COUT18000209495541
We deeply thank you in advance for your generous contributions and hope through your support and the blessing s of the Guru Granth Sahib Ji, we can successfully achieve our mission and exemplify the pillars of Sikhism (naam japna, vand chakna and kirit karni-remembering God and sharing our honest earnings ) through the divine unity of our community
Sources: The Central Gurdwara (Khalsa Jatha) London; Khalsa Jatha British Isles 1908-2017.