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As a truly international city, Dubai is home to many religions, beliefs and houses of worship. And for the 50,000 Sikh residents of Dubai, the Guru Nanak Darbar temple has been their spiritual and cultural temple since 2012.
This beautiful piece of architecture, built at a cost of $20,000, incorporates both modern and traditional elements. It symbolises the unity of peace, solace and hope. The construction was funded by people from different religions and nationalities as the year of the construction, 2008, had seen a severe economic crisis.[
The beige-coloured Guru Nanak Darbar is a multi-story facility surrounded by a 54m Parikarma (a pathway for circling the temple while engaged in prayer).
The temple has a built up area of 120,000 square feet, spread over a 25,400 square feet plot of land. The land was a gift from Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, UAE Vice President, Prime Minister and Ruler of Dubai.
The temple is covered with traditional grill work and built next to a pond – inspired by India’s famed Golden Temple. Located at Jebel Ali Village, Guru Nanak Darbar is open to the public. Visitors can admire the temple’s unique architecture while being respectful towards worshipers and mindful about the dress code.
Gurunanak Darbar Facilities
The Gurunanak Darbar community kitchen, or langar, which fed almost 1,500 people on a usual day and up to 50,000 on special days, has been stopped since the lock down in April 2020. The ground floor (21,000 square feet) includes the reception desk, the iemple’s office, a dining hall, a kitchen, a pantry, and store rooms. There are also convenience rooms, a headscarf stand, shoe storage areas, Jora Ghar facilities in several parts of the building. The staircase inside the temple can carry a huge traffic of people in both directions, and there are also elevators.
Gurunanak Darbar Prayer Hall
The Prayer Hall on the first floor has Italian marble on the walls and floor, chandeliers from Murano, Italy, and a purple carpet. It also features 24-carat gold canopies for the Guru Granth Sahib, and in the centre, there is a raised platform with carved gold-plated pillars and above it is a gold-plated lotus-shaped dome. The dome is lined with a piece of cloth that has gold lace at its edge.
Gurunanak Darbar Services
The Guru Nanak Darbar holds three-hour classes for children on Saturdays to teach them Punjabi, Kirtan, and Gurdara protocol. Services offered at the temple include Akhand Path sahib, Sehaj Path, Sukhmani Sahib Path, Kirtan, Langar, child-naming Ceremonies, child amrit ceremonies, engagements, Anand Karaj (wedding ceremonies), matrimonial services, house-warming prayers, birthday or anniversary prayers, and condolence or memorial prayers. The temple houses several facilities including a meditation room, a library, kirtan classes, and Gurbani Santhiya classes.[
Every year, the temple attracts more than a million visitors.
