Sikhism in England
Encyclopedia
The arrival of Sikhism in England is relatively recent but today there are just over 336,000 adherents and 300 gurudwaras in England
with the largest communities in London
, Coventry
, Birmingham
, Wolverhampton
, Bradford
, Leeds
and Huddersfield
. Leicester
is also important having the largest Sikh community in the East Midlands and the eighth largest Sikh community in England. Leicester is also the home of the Guru Nanak Sikh Museum, the first such museum in the UK.
Southall, in London, is home to the largest Sikh temple outside India, known as Gurdwara Sri Guru Singh Sabha
. It opened in 2003 after almost three years construction and a cost of £17 million. Another large temple nearing completion is an £11m project to build the Gravesend
gurdwara, began construction in 2001, and was due to open in time for the Vaisakhi festival in 2009. In Sunderland, a former Church of England church has been transformed into a Sikh Gurdwara by the Sunderland Sikh Association.
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
with the largest communities in London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
, Coventry
Coventry
Coventry is a city and metropolitan borough in the county of West Midlands in England. Coventry is the 9th largest city in England and the 11th largest in the United Kingdom. It is also the second largest city in the English Midlands, after Birmingham, with a population of 300,848, although...
, Birmingham
Birmingham
Birmingham is a city and metropolitan borough in the West Midlands of England. It is the most populous British city outside the capital London, with a population of 1,036,900 , and lies at the heart of the West Midlands conurbation, the second most populous urban area in the United Kingdom with a...
, Wolverhampton
Wolverhampton
Wolverhampton is a city and metropolitan borough in the West Midlands, England. For Eurostat purposes Walsall and Wolverhampton is a NUTS 3 region and is one of five boroughs or unitary districts that comprise the "West Midlands" NUTS 2 region...
, Bradford
Bradford
Bradford lies at the heart of the City of Bradford, a metropolitan borough of West Yorkshire, in Northern England. It is situated in the foothills of the Pennines, west of Leeds, and northwest of Wakefield. Bradford became a municipal borough in 1847, and received its charter as a city in 1897...
, Leeds
Leeds
Leeds is a city and metropolitan borough in West Yorkshire, England. In 2001 Leeds' main urban subdivision had a population of 443,247, while the entire city has a population of 798,800 , making it the 30th-most populous city in the European Union.Leeds is the cultural, financial and commercial...
and Huddersfield
Huddersfield
Huddersfield is a large market town within the Metropolitan Borough of Kirklees, in West Yorkshire, England, situated halfway between Leeds and Manchester. It lies north of London, and south of Bradford, the nearest city....
. Leicester
Leicester
Leicester is a city and unitary authority in the East Midlands of England, and the county town of Leicestershire. The city lies on the River Soar and at the edge of the National Forest...
is also important having the largest Sikh community in the East Midlands and the eighth largest Sikh community in England. Leicester is also the home of the Guru Nanak Sikh Museum, the first such museum in the UK.
Gurdwaras
Gurdwara Sri Guru Singh Sabha
Gurdwara Sri Guru Singh Sabha Southall is a Sikh Gurdwara situated in the London suburb of Southall on Havelock Road and Park Avenue. It is the largest Sikh temple in Europe. Building work at the Havelock Road site commenced in March 2000 and the Gurdwara opened on Sunday 30 March 2003, in order...
. It opened in 2003 after almost three years construction and a cost of £17 million. Another large temple nearing completion is an £11m project to build the Gravesend
Gravesend, Kent
Gravesend is a town in northwest Kent, England, on the south bank of the Thames, opposite Tilbury in Essex. It is the administrative town of the Borough of Gravesham and, because of its geographical position, has always had an important role to play in the history and communications of this part of...
gurdwara, began construction in 2001, and was due to open in time for the Vaisakhi festival in 2009. In Sunderland, a former Church of England church has been transformed into a Sikh Gurdwara by the Sunderland Sikh Association.
Notable English Sikhs
- Maharaja Duleep Singh Ji - The last Maharaja of the Sikh Kingdom, exiled in 1849 during the British Raj and possibly the first Sikh in England
- Monty PanesarMonty PanesarMudhsuden Singh Panesar, known as Monty Panesar , is an English cricketer who currently plays for Sussex. A left-arm spinner, Panesar played Test and one-day cricket for England until 2009. In English county cricket he played for Northamptonshire until 2009...
- England cricketer - Sir Mota Singh - British Supreme Court Justice
- Kulveer RangerKulveer RangerKulveer S Ranger is a British Conservative politician, currently the Mayor of London's Director of Environment and Digital London. He was previously Director for Transport Policy, appointed by Boris Johnson after he won the Mayoral election in May 2008.-Family and early life:Ranger is a Sikh, born...
- London Transport Minister, Mayor's Director of Environment and Digital London - Gurinder ChadhaGurinder ChadhaGurinder Chadha , OBE, is a British film director of Indian origin. Most of her films explore the lives of Indians living in the United Kingdom. She is best known for the hit films Bhaji on the Beach , Bend It Like Beckham , Bride and Prejudice and Angus, Thongs and Perfect Snogging...
- film director, born in Nairobi, Kenya, but moved to Southall, West London at a very young age - Parminder NagraParminder NagraParminder Kaur Nagra is an English actress of Indian descent. She came to international prominence in 2002 after starring in Bend It Like Beckham. She starred as Dr. Neela Rasgotra in the Emmy Award-winning American medical drama series ER for six years until the series ended on 2 April 2009...
- actress born in Leicester - Simon SinghSimon SinghSimon Lehna Singh, MBE is a British author who has specialised in writing about mathematical and scientific topics in an accessible manner....
- author - Jasminder Singh - chairman of the Radisson Edwardian hotel empire
- Tom SinghTom SinghTom Singh OBE is the founder of the New Look chain of high street fashion stores in the United Kingdom. He is the eldest brother of author and broadcaster Dr Simon Singh. He is a graduate of the University of Wales....
- founder of the high street fashion chain New Look - Jay Sean- R&B artist
- Andrew KoonerAndrew KoonerAndrew Singh Kooner is a Canadian boxer.-Amateur career:Andrew Kooner moved to Tecumseh, Ontario at a young age and began boxing at age 13 out of a Windsor boxing club. At the 2000 Summer Olympics he lost in the 2nd round in the flyweight division...
- Canadian Olympic boxer - Akaash Bhatia - British boxer
- Kash GillKash GillKash "The Flash" Gill is a retired British professional kickboxer who is a former four-times world champion. He has been described as "the UK’s most prolific kickboxer." He founded the International Freestyle Association Kickboxing Club....
- former kickboxing world champion - Harpal SinghHarpal SinghHarpal Singh , more commonly known as Pala , is an Sikh Hockeysportsman. He is currently in Indian Hockeyteam.He is a Sabat Sikh as appears in the sikhism articles.-Career:...
- footballer - Ravi Bopara - England cricketer
- Indy SaguIndy SaguInderpal Singh Sagu better known by his stage name Indy Sagu, is a British Sikh award winning record producer, musician, singer, and DJ...
- bhangra and hip hop musician
See also
- Sikhism in ScotlandSikhism in ScotlandThe arrival of Sikhism in Scotland is relatively recent. According to the Scottish Sikh Association, the first Sikhs settled in Glasgow in the early 1920s with the first Gurdwara established in South Portland Street. However, the bulk of Sikhs in Scotland come from families who immigrated during...
- Sikhism in WalesSikhism in WalesThe arrival of Sikhism in Wales is relatively recent and today there are around 2,000 Sikhs in the country, representing 0.1% of the population....
- Religion in EnglandReligion in EnglandChristianity is the most widely practiced and declared religion in England. The Anglican Church of England is the established church of England holding a special constitutional position for the United Kingdom. After Christianity, religions with the most adherents are Islam, Hinduism, Sikhism,...
External links
- Sikhs in England
- Reassessing what we collect website – Sikh London History of Sikh London with objects and images
- Guru Nanak Sikh Museum First Sikh Museum in England and probably Europe
- Gurdwara Sri Guru Singh Sabha's official website
- Issues afecting Sikhs in England plus comprehensive gurdwara information