ਗੁਰਦੁਆਰਾ

Gurduārā combines guru (teacher) + dvārā (gateway, door). Literally "gateway to the guru"—the place where one approaches the divine teacher.

Sikh gurdwaras are both places of worship and community centers. The Golden Temple in Amritsar is the most sacred, but gurdwaras exist worldwide.

The word entered English through colonial encounters with Sikhism. As the Sikh diaspora spread, "gurdwara" became an international term.

Every gurdwara houses the Guru Granth Sahib, the sacred scripture. The word names both a building and a spiritual function.