Sri Guru Nanak Sat Sangh Sabha Gurudwara, Chennai

Address

Sri Guru Nanak Sat Sangh Sabha Gurudwara, 127A, Gopathi Narayanaswami Chetty Rd, Parthasarathi Puram, T. Nagar, Chennai, Tamil Nadu 600017

Diety

Sri Guru Nanak Satsangh Sabha”

Introduction

Sri Guru Nanak Sat Sangh Sabha Gurudwara is a Sikh gurudwara in Chennai, India. Located in the neighbourhood of T. Nagar, it is a non-historical holy place for the Sikh community in the city. The gurudwara is located on G. N. Chetty Road. Important gatherings at the gurudwara include the birth anniversaries of Guru Nanak, Guru Gobind Singh and Guru Arjun Dev. Baisakhi, the Sikh New Year, is another important festival at the gurudwara. The gurudwara also runs the “Guru ka Langar”, a free langar or community kitchen Prayers meetings, wherein teachings from the Guru Granth Sahib are read, are held in the morning and evening, with regular poojas and kirthans.

Puranic Significance

The Gurudwara was built by the Sikh community and is called the “Sri Guru Nanak Satsangh Sabha”. This holy shrine was established by Lieutenant Colonel Gill (former Director General of Prisons) in the year 1949. The Punjabi families who settled down in the city in early days formed a congregation and the Punjab Association was founded in 1937. The decision to build a gurudwara was made when the Sri Guru Nanak Sat Sangh Sabha was founded in 1949 by Lieutenant-Colonel Gurdial Singh Gill (1893–1982), a former director general of prisons. The construction work began in 1952, with Gill personally supervising the construction. The initial patron was Maharani Vidyawati Devi Sahib of Vizianagaram, a princess who hailed from Keonthal near Shimla and married into a princely Andhra family.

Special Features

The Sikh community in Chennai gathers at the Gurudwara for prayers during the birth anniversaries of Guru Nanak, Guru Gobind Singh and Guru Arjun Dev. The Sikh families also celebrate Baisakhi (the Sikh New Year) here. A free Langhar (community kitchen) called “Guru Ka Langar” is run at the Gurdwara. Both the rich and the poor are treated equally here. There is no discrimination based on the wealth of any individual. There is a free medical centre at the Gurudwara which offers medical care for the poor people. Teachings from Guru Granth Sahib are read on prayer meetings here. There are prayers on the morning and evening. The community gathers here and participates in Poojas and Kirthans.