tavleen

kst, i really like that new mexico gurudwara as well. there are no domes on it..nothing flashy..it uses local materials, namely stucco. and looking at those kinds of gurudwaras, it makes me think that we'd be better off using local materials too..if brick is what you've got, then use brick. if it's timber, then go for it.. so much of architecture has to do with using what you've got with ingenuity. thanks for sharing those pictures. that place seems like it's filled with simplicity and piaar. :-) i agree with wot penji/parji has sed guru jis house should be nice but simple not soo simple that all u see is guru ji on a manji sahib one of the gurdwara i like and i respect the sangat for building it in such a nice way and with so much is love is the one in America its simple but very nice hear sum pics of it http://www.flickr.com/photos/mrsikhnet/241...57594281083865/ http://www.flickr.com/photos/mrsikhnet/241...57594281083865/ a gurdwara should have a nice darbar sahib and nice area where guru ji will be a nice and open suchkand sahib not so small u cnt even get 5 singhs init iv seen soo many new gurdwaras with soo lil suchkands but then we think would we ever sleep in such a smalll room from my point is there no need for such big gurdwars like Southall havelock one its sooo big and out side like parji / penji sed no green land out side

wow i didnt' expect so many replies. awesome. i think it's really interesting that our definition or understanding of a gurudwara almost always includes a dome! nothing wrong with domes..unless you plop it over a purchased building that is turned into a gurudwara, and the only structural identity left to 'mark' the space as a sikh one is by putting a huge dome over a brick building (ok, don't even lie, think abou tall the gurudwaras around you, especially those of you that live in small sikh communities..where's your gurudwara? what does it look like? a brick/timber structure with a big dome, right? maybe?) also, an interesting fact i learned from a professor (at UW-Seattle, if any of you go there...) when one of the domes from the inner part of Qila Mubarak (Patiala) fell a few years ago..because no one looked after it..it finally just collapsed...it was then discovered that within the dome were vessel-type tunnels going from one end of the dome to the other (horizontally...) and these layers were sandwiched between what you would see if you were inside the building, looking up at the ceiling, and what you would see from the outside. so in short, these vessels were an early engineering system for ventilatin! imagine that! so when i found that out, i had to think all over again about 'form follows function' and how the reason behind 'sikh domes' being articulated with veins (what someone said earlier about 'onion domes' but in an islamic context..we have something similar ig uess, a flatter version of the onion dome?) might be something like this ventilation system. so, anyway, the point being..the domes at qila mubarak have a purpose. they have a reason for being there, and for looking the way they do. but the domes we put on our gurudwars out here in the west are ones that are fabcriated somewhere in california (and toronto?) and shipped to places. is this what we have come down to? doesn't sangat deserve more? something better? something that TRULY speaks of how far sikhs have come? sometimes i wonder whether or not to take my architect friends to gurudwara..because being the way they are, they'd probably analyze the building, and despite interesing music (kirtan) and good food (langar), they'd probably leave dissatisfied with the building. anyway, now im just rambling. but thank you all for replying. let's hear more! vaheguru ji ka khalsa vaheguru ji ki fateh

Vaheguru Ji Ka Khalsa Vaheguru Ji Ki Fateh That's kind of a weird question, I suppose. But ever since I got to see some new/old/indecipherable Gurudwaras last year, I have been caught in a dilemma. I understand the point of a Gurudwara is for sangat to get together, for langar to be run, and for any other types of sevaas to have room and resources to function (medical clinic, schools, etc.) So, stripped down to those basics, there really isn't a need for a Gurudwara (and I think by that I really only mean Indian Gurudwaras...since I find myself scrutinizing those the most...) to be an architectural wonder. But, then, on the flip side, my mammoth haumai leaves me wondering, why NOT have amazing Gurudwaras? Why settle for anything less than the best? And then my western education kicks in and my mind wishes for Gurudwara buildings to be as awe-inspiring as Catehdrals in France and England and elsewhere. Can you imagine stepping inside a Gurudwara that just takes your breath away, and the only thing that can come out of your mouth is "Vaheguru!" ? This is just a brief summary of the double-mindedness that has been occupying my conscience for a lonnnng time. I would love to hear what others of you have to say on this. What is your experience from visiting Gurudwaras? Do you view the decorations as beautiful? gaudy? unnecessary? tacky? awesome? Do you ever think twice about the building you stepped in and out of after you've left? How important is it to you to have an architecturally-built Gurudwara? Do you think your attitude to attending Gurudwara, sitting in Divaan would change any if you're not sitting in a drywall cube with a dome above your head? (My only request is that we please steer clear from issues of right and wrong about what goes on in Gurudwars..i.e numerous akhand paath rooms, lighting of joths, etc. ..that's an entirely different issue, maybe we can start another thread on that...) Thank you and many apologies for all the stuff that makes no sense and is pointless... and thanks in advance for replies. :-) chardee kalaa!! vaheguru ji ka khalsa vaheguru ji ki fateh

vaheguru ji ka khalsa vaheguru ji ki fateh this is so unfortunate guys. i read it this morning and didn't quite know how to take it in... it makes me sad that these and other countless structures that have been torn down over the years are no longer around for us to visit..it's a completely different experience to see history in this form..and we're losing it each passing day because of insensitive decisions such as this one... vaheguru.. http://www.punjabheritage.org/architectura...ished-1303.html

haha no worries. you haven't ruined anything. :-) the yahoo group was created just so it's easier for people (well namely me because i'm doing reasearch on all of this stuff, so i find really interesting articles and essays every once in a while, and it's just sooo much easier to just send it to one address..i.e. the group address, than having to email it to a bunch of people, and posting it on forums and whatnot.) for others who may have the same issue of not having a yahoo account, you can email me and i can send you a private invite which doesn't require you to create a yahoo account to join the group..with that invite, you just have to click on whatever link is in the email, and bam..that's it! :-) baarik@gmail.com sorry about all the confusion. hope you can all join! vaheguru ji ka khalsa vaheguru ji ki fateh

vaheguru ji ka khalsa vaheguru ji ki fateh all whenever you guys have a minute, would you mind joining the SikhArtArch Yahoo group? just so there's a place for all of us to share, discuss, and learn about our wonderful built and painted heritage. :-) http://groups.yahoo.com/group/sikhartarch/ thank you chardee kalaa vaheguru ji ka khalsa vaheguru ji ki fateh!

veerji that is so amazing! i think others have pretty much said everything..that you are so fortunate to have these dreams..those of us who try, with kirpa, to walk on the sikhi path, don't have such experiences even when we're physically awake! :-) so imagine..if you were to really change your life around, and if it were to become more Guru-oriented, then the kinds of self-realizations and improvements that would lead to...keep at it man..keep at it..you mentioned you will soon be a father? wow that's kind of cool.. Guru sahib is your father, you're his child..he appeared in a dream to you..you look up to your Father..similarly, you're soon going to have a child, you will be his/her father, s/he will look up to you for ..everything! and it would be so powerful for your child to have a father who is the spitting image of Guru Sahib..kesh, dastaar, dhaari, etc. that's kind of cool huh :-) ok, chardee kalaa!

http://www.worldonfire.ca/ vaheguru ji ka khalsa vaheguru ji ki fateh everyone check out that link. are we fortunate or what?! don't you like how they used gurbani in their URL? world on fire::jagat jalandaa rakh lai ??? :TH:

wow. that is so :awesome

what about the taus? beautiful instrument....i wish i had a taus :e: and i think it was designed by one of the Guru Ji's :TH:

it's gonna ROCK go everyone, go!!! :lol:

there's some really funny ones on here... http://www.leadershipbyturban.com/turbantalk.asp :wub: