GOOSE CREEK – Although nothing outside the building indicates its purpose, the modest structure is home to a small but faithful Lowcountry religious community.
The building at 101 Jean Wells Drive on Goose Creek is the first permanent site for the region’s Sikh community, organizers said. Sikh followers in the Charleston region said the new gurdwara, as Sikh worship spaces are called, is the third in the state.
For many years, observers used their homes to host services or traveled to the Midlands or Upstate, where two other Sikh temples are located.
Now they have a place close to home.
“It feels good,” said Randhir Makkar. “We pray that COVID will leave soon and be back to normal as we were two years ago so that we can meet and receive more people”
The Sikh community held its first service at its new gurdwara in December, when it celebrated the 551st anniversary of guru Nanak, founder of the religion.
Nanak, who was born in the Punjab region of India and established the monotheistic religion in the 1500s, preached that all people could have access to God without rituals and priests and rejected the caste system.
Participation in the celebration of the religious holiday was limited to 25 people due to the pandemic.
A priest from Columbia joined the Lowcountry congregation, said Makkar.
The Goose Creek Sikh community does not yet have a priest, so observers conduct worship through songs and readings of sacred texts. Services are from 10 am to 3 pm on Sundays, when supporters also have a meal together.
“Perhaps in the future we will have a full-time priest,” said Makkar.
A loan has been obtained to secure the $ 120,000 building and members will contribute to help pay for the structure, said Makkar.
Rajinder Multani, who led efforts to find the building, said the house of worship is 15 minutes from his home in West Ashley. She said that having a permanent space is an important milestone for the Sikh community.
“We are very happy,” she said.
The property has some religious ties. The building previously served as a church before becoming home to a different faith community.
Some small internal work has been done on the property.
Outside, a wooden shed was installed to allow cooking outdoors, said Multani. Internal work included painting and replacing the carpet with vinyl flooring.
An elevated deck was also installed to contain the Guru Granth Sahib, or the holy book Sikh. Curtains were also drawn to separate the guru when the faithful began to eat after prayers.
The text is revered in the faith, requiring someone to take care of it and conduct regular prayers and rituals. This requires a congregant at the Goose Creek temple to take you home after the service to perform religious practices.
“We consider him a living guru,” said Varinder Pal Singh, who loves the temple.
The Sikh religion represents a small portion of the population. The Association of Religion Data Archives noted just under 250 congregations across the country in its 2010 report, the association’s most recent count.
In Lowcountry, the number of Sikhs is small, with about 15 to 20 families, said Makkar.
Sikhs in the Charleston area have close relationships with other Asian religious communities.
For the past 13 years, the Sikh community has used the Hindu temple in West Ashley for large gatherings. Hindu observers also join Sikhs for worship services.
Pal said that faith embraces people of all religions and welcomes anyone to worship at the Goose Creek gurdwara.
For those who may not know much about Sikhism, Pal raised three main principles: meditate on the name of God, earn a living by honest means and treat all people equally.
The meaning of “Sikh” is one that seeks the truth and is a faith rooted in love, he said.
Catch up Rickey Dennis at 937-4886. Follow him on Twitter @RCDJunior.