Gurdwara

A Gurdwara (Punjabi: ਗੁਰਦੁਆਰਾ, Gurduārā or , Gurdwārā), meaning the gateway to the guru, is the place of worship for Sikhs; however, people from all faiths, and those who do not profess any faith, are welcomed in the Sikh Gurdwara. The gurdwara has a Darbar Sahib where the current and everlasting Guru of the Sikhs, the holy scripture Guru Granth Sahib is placed on a Takhat (an elevated throne) in a prominent central position. The Raagis (who sing Ragas) recite, sing and explain, the verses from the Guru Granth Sahib, in the presence of the holy congregation.

All Gurdwaras have a Langar hall, where people can eat free vegetarian food. A gurdwara may also have a library, nursery, and classroom.

A gurdwara can be identified from a distance by tall flagpoles bearing the Nishan Sahib, the Sikh flag. The most well-known Gurdwara is the Harmandir Sahib (popularly known as The Golden Temple) in Amritsar, Punjab, India.

History

The first gurdwara was built in Kartarpur, on the banks of Ravi River in the Punjab region by the first Sikh guru, Guru Nanak Dev Ji in the year 1521. It now lies in the Narowal District of west Punjab (Pakistan). The worship centres were built as a place where Sikhs could gather to hear the guru give spiritual discourse and sing religious hymns in the praise of Waheguru. As the Sikh population continued to grow, Guru Hargobind, the sixth Sikh guru, introduced the word 'gurdwara'.

Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan

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Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan (Urdu/Punjabi: نصرت فتح علی خان‎; 13 October 1948 – 16 August 1997) was a Pakistani musician, primarily a singer of Qawwali, the devotional music of the Sufis. Considered one of the greatest voices ever recorded, he possessed an extraordinary range of vocal abilities and could perform at a high level of intensity for several hours. Extending the 600-year old Qawwali tradition of his family, Khan is widely credited with introducing Qawwali music to international audiences. He is popularly known as "Shahenshah-e-Qawwali", meaning "The King of Kings of Qawwali".

Born in Faisalabad, Khan had his first public performance at the age of 16, at his father's chelum. He became the head of the family qawwali party in 1971. He was signed by Oriental Star Agencies, Birmingham, England, in the early 1980s. Khan went on to release movie scores and albums in Europe, India, Japan, Pakistan, and the US. He engaged in collaborations and experiments with Western artists, becoming a well-known world music artist. He toured extensively, performing in over 40 countries.