View of the Sikh Center of San Francisco Bay Area
Sikh Festival and Parade, San Francisco Civic Center June 10, 2018

The Sikh Center of San Francisco Bay Area (also known as Gurdwara Sahib of El Sobrante) is a Sikh gurdwara in the hills of unincorporated El Sobrante, California, in the East Bay of the San Francisco Bay Area.[1]

Overview

The Center was established in May 1979.[1]

The Center features large golden domes atop a pink-cream-beige tiled box arched structure. Regular services are held every Wednesday evening and Sunday morning.[1] The site is open to drop-in visitors from 5:00 a.m. to 8:30 p.m.[2] Langar, which is a Punjabi term that means collective eating while sitting on the floor, is given daily, free of cost, to all visitors, Sikh or non-Sikh.[2] Visitors must cover their hair, be sober, have no drugs, alcohol, or tobacco products in their possession, and must enter barefoot after washing their feet.[2]

Shooting incidents

In 1985, a man was shot after removing another worshipper's turban.[3]

On January 23, 2000, a gunman, Joga Singh Sandher,[4] opened fire with an assault weapon on temple leader, local teacher, and human rights activist Ajmer Singh Malhi, killing him and seriously injuring another worshipper before being subdued by bystanders.[5][6][7]

Summer camps

The Center offers summer camps for K–12 students to teach them more about Sikhism and its history and to create a community. The summer camps typically follow the structure of a conventional primary school day, with different subjects (such as history and music), time to eat, and time for recreational activities.

See also

References

  1. 1 2 3 My Gurdwara, Gurdwara Sahib website, access date 20-02-2009
  2. 1 2 3 Visiting Sikh Temple, Gurdwara Sahib website, access date 20-02-2009
  3. Lee, Henry K. (2000-01-24). "Fatal Shooting At Sikh Temple / Religious leader killed -- worshipers pin suspect for cops". SFGATE. Retrieved 2022-08-20.
  4. San Lorenzo man given 50-to-life sentence in Sikh leader's killing / Limo driver shot math teacher in temple by Henry Lee San Francisco Chronicle, 11-09-2001, access date 8-05-2012
  5. Temple shooting at odds with Sikh beliefs, by John Boudreau, Contra Costa Times, 30-01-2000, access date 20-02-2009
  6. Farewell to slain teacher and Sikh leader, by Shawn Masten, Contra Costa Times, 29-01-2000, access date 20-02-2009
  7. Fatal Shooting at Sikh Temple by Henry Lee San Francisco Chronicle, 24-01-2000, access date 31-08-2011

37°57′35″N 122°19′00″W / 37.9597°N 122.3168°W / 37.9597; -122.3168

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