Sikhism in Singapore has its roots in the military and policing forces of the

British Empire The British Empire was composed of the dominions, colonies, protectorates, mandates, and other territories ruled or administered by the United Kingdom and its predecessor states. It began with the overseas possessions and trading posts esta ...

. Currently, there are 12,000-15,000 Sikhs in Singapore. There are 7

Sikh Temple A gurdwara (sometimes written as gurudwara) (Gurmukhi: ਗੁਰਦੁਆਰਾ ''guradu'ārā'', meaning "Door to the Guru") is a place of assembly and worship for Sikhs. Sikhs also refer to gurdwaras as ''Gurdwara Sahib''. People from all faiths ...

s along with a missionary society, a welfare society, two youth organizations and two sports clubs.

History

The first

Sikh Sikhs ( or ; pa, ਸਿੱਖ, ' ) are people who adhere to Sikhism, Sikhism (Sikhi), a Monotheism, monotheistic religion that originated in the late 15th century in the Punjab region of the Indian subcontinent, based on the revelation of Gu ...

to migrate to

Singapore Singapore (), officially the Republic of Singapore, is a sovereign island country and city-state in maritime Southeast Asia. It lies about one degree of latitude () north of the equator, off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, borde ...

was Maharaj Singh in 1849; he was sent there as a political prisoner by the

after the

Second Anglo-Sikh War The Second Anglo-Sikh War was a military conflict between the Sikh Empire and the East India Company, British East India Company that took place in 1848 and 1849. It resulted in the fall of the Sikh Empire, and the annexation of the Punjab r ...

. The Central Sikh Temple

was built to commemorate the 518th anniversary of

Guru Nanak Gurū Nānak (15 April 1469 – 22 September 1539; Gurmukhi: ਗੁਰੂ ਨਾਨਕ; pronunciation: , ), also referred to as ('father Nānak'), was the founder of Sikhism and is the first of the ten Sikh Gurus. His birth is celebrated wor ...

, the first Sikh guru. The temple boasts a skilful blend of modern and traditional architecture. The

Guru Granth Sahib The Guru Granth Sahib ( pa, ਗੁਰੂ ਗ੍ਰੰਥ ਸਾਹਿਬ, ) is the central holy religious scripture of Sikhism, regarded by Sikhs as the final, sovereign and Guru Maneyo Granth, eternal Guru following the lineage of the Sikh gur ...

, or holy book, is enshrined in a magnificent prayer hall which has a 13-metre wide dome. Singapore was part of Malaya under British rule and Sikhs migrated there as policemen. Some Sikhs in Singapore are immigrants from India (mainly from the Punjab region in India). Others are the descendants of Sikh prisoners from British India who were sent to Singapore by the British Army for protesting, attacking or killing British Soldiers, attacks; assaults; and vandalism of British buildings and property. They lived in British prisons in Singapore. Sikh migration to Singapore was popularized by the demand of Sikh police officers and guards in British colonial Malaya. A substantial amount of Sikhs in Singapore are also descendants of Indian Sikh Businessmen who immigrated to Singapore. Most Sikhs today are from the Jat community.

Prominent Sikhs

The Sikh Foundation and The Punjabi Foundation of Singapore are prominent associations that are promoting Sikh heritage and Punjabi language there. Some prominent Sikhs who earned name in public life are: *

Choor Singh Choor Singh Sidhu (19 January 1911 – 31 March 2009), known professionally as Choor Singh, was a Singaporean lawyer who served as a judge of the Supreme Court of Singapore and, particularly after his retirement from the bench, a philanthropist ...

, first Sikh Judge of

Supreme Court A supreme court is the highest court within the hierarchy of courts in most legal jurisdictions. Other descriptions for such courts include court of last resort, apex court, and high (or final) court of appeal. Broadly speaking, the decisions of ...

Kanwaljit Soin Dr Kanwaljit Soin is a consultant orthopaedic & hand surgeon at Mount Elizabeth Hospital, Singapore. Education Soin studied in Tanjong Katong Girls' School for her secondary education and Victoria School for her pre-university education, and ...

, first female Nominated Member of Parliament, orthopaedic surgeon and co-founder of

AWARE Awareness is the state of being conscious of something. More specifically, it is the ability to directly know and perceive, to feel, or to be cognizant of events. Another definition describes it as a state wherein a subject is aware of some inform ...

* Jaswant Singh Gill, first commander of Singapore Navy * Kartar Singh Thakral, founder of

Thakral Corporation Ltd Thakral Corporation Ltd. (Chinese: 德加拉集团) is a diversified company listed on the Singapore stock exchange () involved in manufacturing, logistics and property development in India, China and south-east Asia. Kartar Singh Thakral is the ...

* Major-General Ravinder Singh, former chief of the

Singapore Army The Singapore Army is the land service branch of the Singapore Armed Forces (SAF). The largest of the four branches of the SAF, the Singapore Army traces its origins to the 1st Battalion, Singapore Infantry Regiment (1 SIR), which was formed i ...

* Inderjit Singh, former PAP MP for

Ang Mo Kio GRC The Ang Mo Kio Group Representation Constituency is a five-member Group Representation Constituency (GRC) in the north eastern region of Singapore. The constituency encompasses the majority of Ang Mo Kio (Teck Ghee, Cheng San-Seletar, portio ...

* Davinder Singh, former PAP MP for Bishan–Toa Payoh GRC * Pritam Singh, WP MP for

Aljunied GRC The Aljunied Group Representation Constituency is a five-member group representation constituency (GRC) in the north-eastern and eastern region of Singapore. The GRC consists of five divisions: Eunos, Bedok Reservoir-Punggol, Kaki Bukit, Sera ...

and

Leader of the Opposition The Leader of the Opposition is a title traditionally held by the leader of the largest political party not in government, typical in countries utilizing the parliamentary system form of government. The leader of the opposition is typically se ...

References

External links

Visit Singapore Sikhism in Singapore, {{Singapore-stub

History

Prominent Sikhs

See also

References

External links