San Jose Sikh Gurdwara Sahib, San Jose, Ca

San Jose Sikh Gurdwara Sahib

San Jose, California: In an event highlighting the influence and permanence of the Bay Area’s Indian community, Gov. Jerry Brown and other political leaders joined thousands of colorfully dressed Sikhs who on Sunday celebrated the opening of their greatly expanded temple in the Evergreen hills of San Jose, making it the nation’s largest gurdwara.
The open house marking the $20 million addition to the Sikh Gurdwara-San Jose drew Brown, San Jose Mayor Chuck Reed and other dignitaries including clergy from Christian and other faiths. They joined thousands of Sikhs who had traveled to the packed celebration from all over Northern California.
For several hours during the afternoon, hundreds of Sikh men and women patiently waited in a long line to bow and pray in the vast, newly completed prayer hall before the Guru Granth Sahib, the religious text of Sikhism. Thousands moved on to the eco-friendly vegetarian kitchen, called a langar, where an army of volunteers had cooked spinach-and-mustard-leaf saag, spicy dahl and sweets — enough to feed a crowd estimated to be around 10,000 people. READ MORE