Gurdwara Sri Guru Singh Sabha
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| Gurdwara Sri Guru Singh Sabha | |
The exterior of Gurdwara Sri Guru Singh Sabha |
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| Basic information | |
|---|---|
| Location |  Southall, Greater London, England, United Kingdom |
| Religious affiliation | Sikhism |
| Ecclesiastical status | Gurdwara |
| Website | Official website |
| Architectural description | |
| Architectural type | Gurdwara |
| Architectural style | Sikh |
| Year completed | 2003 |
| Construction cost | £17.5 million |
| Specifications | |
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This article does not cite any references or sources. (January 2008) Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unverifiable material may be challenged and removed. |
Gurdwara Sri Guru Singh Sabha Southall (SGSS) is a famous Sikh Gurdwara situated in the London suburb of Southall on Havelock Road as well as Park Avenue. It is the largest Sikh temple outside India. Building work at the Havelock Road site commenced in March 2000 and the Gurdwara opened in Sunday 30th March 2003 in order to accommodate for Southall's growing Sikh community. The Gurdwara costs £17.5 million to build and much of it came by way of donations from members of the local Sikh community and from a loan provided by Allied Irish Bank.
Gurdwara Sri Guru Singh Sabha Southall was established in England by Sikhs who had emigrated in the fifties and early sixties. By the 1950s, a significant number of Sikhs were living in Britain, and the main congregational gathering was at Shepherd's Bush Gurdwara. To accommodate the Southall Sikhs, the Southall Sikh Cultural Society was established in 1960.
This organisation held Sunday programmes at Shackleton Hall until it moved to 11 Beaconsfield Road. The emigration of Malaysian and Singaporean Sikhs led to the formation of another group - Sri Guru Nanak Singh Sabha. The two groups remained independent until (1964) when they merged as Sri Guru Singh Sabha Southall. 1964 also saw the first Gurdwara. It was situated at the Green, and was the headquarters of the Sri Guru Singh Sabha.
The Havelock Road site was purchased in 1967. As a result of the relentless seva by the sangat, the dairy was transformed into the Gurdwara in a matter of weeks. The Khanda was brought in April 1967 to England from the Tosha Khana at Darbar Sahib Amritsar for Amrit Sanchar. From those humble beginnings Sri Guru Singh Sabha Southall emerged as the leading Gurdwara in Europe. Sunday 29th November 1997 saw Sri Guru Singh Sabha Southall move to the Park Avenue site (which was originally purchased in 1984). The move was necessary to allow for the new building at Havelock Road which opened on the 30th March 2003.
Sri Guru Singh Sabha Southall is located at both Havelock Road and Park Avenue Southall.
In a bid to improve and advance the education of Sikh pupils, the Gurdwara is in the process of setting up a brand new Sikh School - the 'Khalsa School'. This will cater for Sikh children as well as children of other faiths. The proposed site of the school is Norwood Hall, Tentelow Lane, Southall which was purchased for £2.8 million from Ealing, Hammersmith and West London College
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