Updated: March 24, 2024

Gurunanak Darbar Jabel Ali, Dubai
History:
Sikhs living in UAE had no common place to gather to worship or celebrate religious festivals or weddings. In Dubai, the Bur Dubai temple and private homes being used for mass gatherings were bursting, prompting community leaders to look into the possibility of building a larger space for worship of the Guru Granth Sahib. They grew from five families, to 10 families to 50 families and it became hard for them to ask the hostess to make 400 chapattis in a day. So they decided that whoever comes brings 10 chapattis, and the hostess would make the vegetables and the dal. Though temporary Gurudwaras had come and gone, the community needed a permanent place of worship. The very thought of building a permanent and official Gurdwara in the heart of an Islamic state was considered nothing short of an Arabian mirage. The push for an official Gurudwara began about 27 years ago. The proposals kept getting knocked back but they did not give up. It was a pleasant and joyous surprise when consent was received from the Council of Imams. To add to the joy and sense of well-being, Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Makhtoum, Vice-President and Prime Minister of UAE, bestowed a piece of land free of charge, for the Sikhs to build their Gurdwara.
Services for devotees:
To develop religious values among the next generation of Sikhs in the diaspora, special three-hour sessions are held for children on Saturdays at the Gurdwara where they are taught Punjabi, Kirtan and Gurdara protocol. There are already 55 children attending these classes. Most families are sending their children for kirtan classes.
Services offered:
Akhand Path sahib.
Sehaj Path.
Sukhmani Sahib Path.
Kirtan
Langar
Child Naming Ceremony.
Child Amrit Ceremony.
Engagement.
Anand Karaj – Wedding Ceremony.
Matrimonial Services.
House Warming Prayer.
Birthday or Anniversary Prayer.
Condolence or Memorial Prayer.
Facilities:
Meditation Room
Library
Kirtan Classes
Gurbani Santhiya Classes
Langar:
The food served is fed to the devotees is cooked in the kitchen of the Gurudwaras. The food is pure vegetarian. All expenses are covered by the voluntary contributions of the congregation. The kitchen is manned by devotees who volunteer their services in form of Seva. There are many devotees ready to do seva. They not only cook the food, but also wash the dishes and clean the kitchen. At Guru Nanak Darbar, there is also a spacious ‘langar’ hall or the common dining hall, which accommodates 900 people. It serves 10,000 vegetarian meals every Friday-and about, 1,000 during the week, to people who enter the doors, regardless religion or race. It means that anyone who walks in, even for a short time, will be offered a cup of tea and a sweet or savoury snack, or even a takeaway dinner.

There is a state-of-the-art kitchen, which churns out food for devotees through the day every day, is worth a peak. It is complete with a dough-kneader. A chappati-maker bakes 1800 rotis per hour. And along with the rest of the building, the kitchen too is spotless. In the large stainless steel kitchen on the ground floor everything is in mammoth proportions. The cooking pots are so large that it takes broom-sized spoons to stir the contents. The walk-in fridge has dozens of sacks of tomatoes, potatoes and other fresh vegetables. In another large room there are shelves full of ghee, vegetable cooking oil and flour. More than 700kg of rice, 1,200kg of wheat flour and 200kg of ghee is cooked every week. Much of the produce is donated by the temple’s patrons and arrives at any time of the day or week in vans at the back door.
All devotees and visitors are respected here. Whether he’s a driver or a business owner. There’s no class system. All are equal – as per tenets of Sikhism.
Visitors:
As many as 10,000 people visit the Gurdwara Sahib, each Friday. Several Afghani Sikhs also come to offer prayers besides many Sindhis and Hindu Punjabis. The Sikh religion inculcates a sense of equality among its followers and inspires them to do Seva. Seva has been described as the best cure for the ego. A devotee, who does seva, does it without expecting anything in return. Such is the ambience of Gurdwara Guru Nanak Darbar that a devotee cannot help but be moved to doing seva. Whatever a person’s social standing, no task is too menial when it comes to doing seva.
The Gurudwara attracts visitors from across the world. Visitors have come from the UK, the USA, Asia, Europe, Far East, Africa, Australia and Canada. They get surprised that in an Islamic country, there is such an ultra – modern Gurdwara. It has emerged as a major tourist destination in Dubai with over 800,000 visitors eating out of its community kitchen or langar each year since its inception. It has also become famous venue for destination weddings.
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With Love
Rajeev Menon
Mob: 0508216777