Sikhism Architecture

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1. Introduction : This study is to understand the Sikh religion, its architecture, its history, evolution and relationship between its architecture and culture. It is important for us to understand the faith and philosophy of Sikh religion before we touch upon its architecture. This paper discusses about the cultural beliefs of Sikhs and attempts to study the historic growth of Gurudwaras, its evolution since 1604. Every architectural style has its own identity such as Sikh Architecture as a whole is a unique form of architecture. Though it is inspired from Mughal and Rajput architectural forms but the way Sikhs have portrayed is very unique. For eg: The use of water, Sikhs use it as amrit in Sarovar. Now one can find Gurudwaras at many places…show more content…
Guru Nanak Dev was the first Guru and Guru Gobind Singh the last Guru . Guru Gobind Singh designated Sri Guru Granth Sahib (the holy book) as the final Sikh Guru. During the time of each Guru, the number of Sikhs increased till the time of Guru Arjan Singh Ji. There was hardly any city where some Sikhs were not found.[1 Architectural heritage of a sikh state: Faridkot]. The Sikhs gradually started to distinguish themselves from other religion by separating their language , order and kitchen. It underwent some religious developments over a period of time which finally gave the way for Sikhism to break away completely from the Hinduism and create its own identity which we can see it today. Sikhism as a religion is comparatively of recent origin, particularly in the context of other religions. This is so called " new religion". It represents novelty and distinctiveness. They mostly deal with the philosophy, history of the "Gurus" and their times. Sikh belief is represented in the phrase Ik Onkar meaning "One God. It was founded in the Punjab region in India in the 15th century by Guru Nanak Dev. Sikhism broke from Hinduism.The primary source of Scripture for Sikhs is the Guru Granth Sahib, known as the living Guru, after the Guru Gobind Singh, passed away.A Sikh place of worship is known as the gurdwara. The word gurdwara means "doorway to God." Men and women normally sit apart in the gurdwara. The Five…show more content…
Most of the gurudwaras or Sikh shrines are associated in some way with the Gurus. Maybe they had visited there or stayed there .For example, Gurdwara Dera (halting place) Gurdwara Sheesh Mahal (hall of mirrors) in Kiratpur in Ropar district was built where the eighth Guru, Harkishan, was born, and so on. The main requirement of a gurdwara is that of a room in which the Adi Granth,the Holy Book, can be placed and a small sangat can be seated .Gurdwaras have entrances on all the (four) sides which signifies that they are open to one and all without any discrimination. In some cases there are space restriction which restricts entry from all the four sides, as in Gurdwara Sis Ganj in
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