Temple officials said they expect as many as 80,000 people to visit the gurdwara on Tierra Buena Road during the weekend. The festivities begin Friday morning with the recitation of the Sri Guru Granth Sahib, or the faith’s scriptures, a process that takes 48 hours to complete.

Friday will be punctuated by what temple officials are describing as a grand fireworks show and an open house Saturday will feature the presentation of several films, including the critically acclaimed PBS production “Sikhs in America” and “Monument of Injustice,” based on the life of Maharaja Duleep Singh, the last king of Punjab whom the British Army whisked away to England following the death of his father Maharaja Ranjit Singh.

The weekend concludes with Sunday’s parade, or Nagar Kirtan. A showcase of floats following the four-mile parade route along Tierra Buena and Butte House roads will include a group of motorcycle riders from Vancouver, Canada, known as the Sikh Motorcycle Club, which won the right to wear turbans rather than helmets when riding.

The gurdwara’s kitchen, as well as food stands set up in the parking lots, will be awash with activity as thousands of pounds of rotis and daals (Indian bread and lentils) are prepared to serve complimentary meals to all gurdwara visitors, as is customary in Sikh tradition.

At the center of the celebration is the Sri Guru Granth Sahib itself, which contains more than 1,400 pages of Sikh scripture. Sikh faith teaches that there were 10 successive living gurus, or religious teachers, but that there is one god. The last of these teachers was Sri Guru Gobind Singh Ji, who is believed to have died in 1708. At the time of his death, he told his followers:

“Sabh Sikhan Ko Hukam hai, Guru Mania Granth,” translated as from this day forward Sikhs are to consider the scripture their guru. This weekend marks the 300th anniversary of the reception of the Sri Guru Granth Sahib as the lasting voice of the Sikh faith.

“By passing the bani (scripture) on, Guru Nanak is still alive,” said Jaswant Bains, a temple director, referring to the first of the gurus.

What makes the Sri Guru Granth Sahib so unique is the revered space it occupies within the Sikh faith and its message of universality, according to Sikh scholars and adherents.

“It is accepted as the living embodiment of the spirit of the Sikh gurus,” said Pashuara Singh, professor and chair of UC Riverside Punjabi and Sikh studies. “It is accorded the same reverence and respect as the gurus when it is installed ceremoniously.

According to religious practice, families who own a copy of the Guru Granth Sahib are supposed to afford it a private room. It always sits upon a throne known as the Takht, adding to its imperial presence.

Sikhs are supposed to read from the scriptures in the morning and in the evening. Special prayers are recited before the book is put to rest for the night.

The Granth Sahib contains the words of six gurus and 15 other individuals, including Muslims and Hindus, according to Singh.

“What’s most interesting is that the Sri Guru Granth Sahib is not just a Sikh philosophy, it is more like an interfaith teaching,” said Dr. Jasbir Kang, a Yuba City physician and a self-described amateur historian. “The gurus were the founders of interfaith dialogue.”

The scriptures contain quotations from Sheik Farid, a Muslim. Singh explained that (Baba) Sheik Farid always speaks with his Muslim voice and his disagreements with the gurus are presented as dialogue.

Another figure that appears in the scripture is Kabir, who was born a Hindu but raised a Muslim. Bhagat Ravidass was a Hindu cobbler who is also quoted in the Sri Guru Granth Sahib.

But it’s not surprising that nonSikhs are given voice since the gurus roundly rejected the caste system, Singh said.

“The gurus believed the same divine system runs through all of us,” professor Singh said.

According to one passage from the Sri Guru Granth Sahib, “Eaek noor thae sabh jag oupajiaa koun bhalae ko ma(n)dhae.” Translation: From the One Light, the entire universe welled up. So who is good, and who is bad?

Kang said the basic message of Sikhism – love, respecting others and gender equality – is an enduring one.

“The basic fundamental philosophy is very progressive and I think it will survive,” he says.

In preparation for the annual Nagar Kirtan, the temple has undergone an estimated $250,000 in renovations, paid for by temple funds and donations. The upgrades were centered on the dining hall, Bains said. His family shared the costs of the renovations.

Old windows were replaced with double-paned ones, doors were replaced, walls were painted, serving stations were replaced and granite countertops added.

New sod was added to a six-acre area behind the main gurdwara building.

“The building is pretty old,” Bains said of the temple built in 1969. “It needed a lot of work.”

 

Sikh Schedule:

FRIDAY

• 9 a.m., reading from the Sri Guru Granth Sahib begins, marking the beginning of prayer services.

• 7 p.m., Yuba City Mayor Rory Ramirez to present a proclamation to the gurdwara. Fireworks to follow.

SATURDAY

• Noon, open house during which three films will be shown including the critically acclaimed PBS production “Sikhs in America.” Lt. Gov. John Garamendi is scheduled to attend.

SUNDAY

•  11 a.m., parade begins. Attorney General Jerry Brown and Rep. Wally Herger are scheduled to join in the parade.

 

 

http://link.brightcove.com/services/link/bcpid1155328702/bclid1175876125/bctid1887799907

source: appeal -democrat