431Lewis Drive
Description
The Cariboo Sikh Gur temple is a two story stucco building surmounted by an open framework metal dome. It has been included in the heritage register to reflect its importance as a place of worship and a social gathering space. The historic place includes the building, the flag pole and the parcel of land it occupies.
Heritage Value
This building is a spiritual gathering place for all who practice the Sikh religion. The Guru Garanth Sahib, a living sacred book, is housed here, with passages read every day at morning and evening services.
It is a significant social space for members of the South Asian community, where ceremonies are held to mark important passages in life, commemorate historic events and to celebrate cultural festivals such as Diwali and Vaisakhi.
It provides a focal point to help the community preserve and pass on their culture.
The Langar provides a social space where the community can visit, share food and enact the Sikh principles of shared earnings and serving the community by contributing to the cost of the communal meal, preparing and serving it. T
The temple was constructed with volunteer labour and donations from the community so the building itself embodies these principles
This is the second Sikh temple on this location. The first was built in 1974. It was destroyed by fire in 1980. The present building is twice as large as the original gurdwara. At the time it was built there were approximately 300 Sikh families in Quesnel with each contributing $250 - $500 towards the construction, with donations of lumber from local merchants and contributions from Sikh communities in Vancouver, Victoria, Prince George and other centres.
The building serves as a significant symbol of the history of the Sikh community in Quesnel. It grew from a few single young men in the late 1950s to a community requiring a modest temple in 1974 and doubled in size by the 1980s. It is integrated into a network of Sikh communities throughout BC and gained acceptance and support from merchants and employers in Quesnel. The existing structure with its fireproof rooms, doors, alarm system and multiple fire escapes reflects the trauma of the loss of the first building to fire. Although the Sikh community has diminished in size, they remain a vibrant segment of the population of Quesnel, contributing to community events and the development of institutions like the Quesnel campus of CNC/UNBC. The Cariboo Gur Sikh temple serves as an important reminder of the importance of the Indo Canadian families in the development of West Quesnel during the period when the lumber industry expanded on an industrial scale in Quesnel.
Character-Defining Elements
The character-defining elements of Cariboo Gur Sikh Temple include:
two story frame building covered in stucco
symmetrical front façade divided into 7 bays by shallow square arches. The central bay contains double doors surrounded by a pointed arch picked out in brick and it is flanked by two bays on each side with smaller blind pointed arches.
Significant interior spaces include: the Langar (kitchen and dining hall) on the lower level, men’s and women’s staircases to the upper level with a washing station on the landing, the Darbar Sahib (congregational hall) with the throne of the Guru Garanth Sahib comprised of a Chanani (rectangular cloth suspended from the ceiling), Palki Sahib (the main structure that houses the holy book), a Manji sahib (platform that supports the holy book wrapped in Rumalla (decorative cloths), all on a raised platform with a Golak (collection box) in front, and the Sukhasan (the room to which the Guru Garanth Sahib retires for the night).
The historic place includes the location which was the site of the first Sikh temple in Quesnel. The flagpole with the Nishan Sahib is an integral element to the site.