Exeter Councillors' Sikh Temple Visit

Guru blessing - Councillors join a religious reading at the Guru Arjan Niwas Sikh Temple on Clifton Street in Exeter

Councillors in Exeter join a Sikh family to visit the Guru Arjan Niwas Sikh temple on Clifton Street in Exeter, to listen to a reading from the Guru Granth Sahib, the central religious text used by Sikhs. Guru Nanaka was a spiritual leader and social reformer 1469-1538 he is said to be the founder of Sikhism. The Councillors remove their shoes, place knotted handkerchiefs on their heads and sit on the floor.

To be Sikh you have to first be baptised into the religion and follow the three (K’s) articles of faith, they represent honesty, equality, fidelity, meditating on God and never bowing to tyranny. They are Kesh, uncut hair, the Kanga a wooden comb, the Katchera cotton undergarments, the Kara an iron or steel bracelet and the Kipan a ceremonial dagger. The 19th Century saw Sikhs migrating to various countries due to Britain annexing Punjab, many went to Britain or North America.