History of Sikhs in North Carolina

First Sikhs in North Carolina arrived in the 1960's. A greater and bigger wave arrived in 1970's, and these young families began to meet at each other's homes three to four times a year to celebrate important Sikh Gurpurabs, or days of the Guru. Sikhs from South Carolina as well as southern Virginia began to join as well, and the growing congregations were moved into rental facilities.

Initially, the gatherings were informal. An audio player could be used to listen to Sikh hymns being sung, and members would sit together in presence of Guru Granth Saheb Jee and recite Gurbani for a short period of time. The ceremony would be concluded by Ardas performed by a member of the Sangat. However, as the congregation grew, professional Ragis were invited to perform the singing, and members of Sangat also joined who themselves could sing Gurbani.

In 1983, our first Granthi Singh Ji was hired from a visiting Ragi group. Giani Narain Singh Ji became our first Granthi and remained with our community until he passed away in xxxx. Under his leadership, our community grew from a few families to several hundred. In 1983, SGNC, Inc. recieved donation of three acres of land from three distinct community members, and the present day Gurudwara building was inaugurated in 1986 with a Keertan program led by the renouned Ragi Jatha of Ragi Avtar Singh Ji.

Gurudwara Saheb is a 8,500 square-foot building designed in the traditional eastern style complete with a dome on top. It is located on N. Roxboro Street in Durham, NC. This location was chosen as it is a central location to various points in North Carolina and easily accessible to members living in Virginia and South Carolina. The building was dedicated to the Sikh Martyr, Baba Jarnail Singh Ji Bhindrawala. A marble plate is placed underneath the Nishan Saheb to commemorate the event.

In 1995, with advancing age of Giani Narain Singh Ji, an assistant Singh was hired. Bhai Amarjeet Singh Ji was promoted to the position of Granthi Singh Ji after the passing of Giani Narain Singh Ji.

Currently, the Gurudwara holds weekly services attended by about 150-200 individuals each Sunday. Five major Gurpurabs are also celebrated during the year when the congregation is close to 600 peoples who often represent multiple faiths. Gurudwara community members participate in local interfaith chapters and visit local schools and churches to share information about the Sikh community. Additionally, Gurudwara hosts students of local educational institutions who attend Gurudwara services as part of class credit.

Gurudwara organization promotes community outreach by sponsoring events at local homeless shelters, blood drive, as well as other public service events. Youth members of our community have frequently taken the lead in organizing and co-ordinating these events.

Many of the young children who grew up in this community have moved away, but many more have come to North Carolina. Gurudwara Saheb continues to be the primary reason cited by many young Sikh professionals who choose to locate here to study at one of many local universities and to make homes here and raise families.

This organization started with the energy and dedication of a handful of members, and today it serves the spiritual and social needs for well over 600 people.

We invite everyone to visit us during our regularly scheduled programs to share in the Glory of God and become familiar with our thriving community.