Chandigarh, August 2
The first Sikh temple built in Abbotsford in British Columbia 91 years ago has been accorded the status of a national heritage site by the Government of Canada.
The Canadian Prime Minister, Mr Jeane Chretien, designated Guru Nanak Gurdwara as a historic site on Wednesday at a function attended by about 3,000 Sikhs of British Columbia.
According to Mr Tarlochan Singh, Vice-Chairman of the National Commission for Minorities, Sikhs in Canada have appreciated this gesture of the Canadian Government. “It is for the first time that a Canadian Prime Minister went to a Sikh temple to dedicate a plaque there.” he added.
The oldest surviving Sikh temple in North America, It was built by Sikh and non-Sikh volunteers in 1911 with lumber donated by a local company.
The temple’s new status makes it eligible for shared funding to restore the building much of which is to become a museum charting the history of British Columbia’s 250,000-member Sikh community.
Quoting Mr Nachhattar Singh Sangha, President of the Khalsa Dewan Society, Vancouver, Mr Tarlochan Singh said Guru Nanak Gurdwara would now qualify for a federal grant of $ 1.4 million for setting up the museum.
Chandigarh office upgraded:
While declaring the historic Sikh temple as a national heritage site, Chretien also announced the upgradation of the Chandigarh business office as a full-fledged visa Consular office. The demand for converting the Chandigarh office into a visa office had been pending with the Canadian Government for a long time. In a letter sent to Mr Peter Sutherland, Canadian High Commissioner in India, Mr Tarlochan Singh said a longstanding demand of Punjabis had been met.
