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Visiting London ... What are some Sikh-related things to see/do?


Guest SinghSahib99
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Guest SinghSahib99

HI,

I live in America and have never been to England. I will be visiting London soon and am wondering what there is to see or do that would be of interest to a Sikh.

Are there some interesting museums or collections to see?

Are any of the Gurdwaras especially worth checking out?

Any interesting neighborhoods I should visit?

Any musical/theatrical performances that might be of interest?

I'd appreciate all suggestions. Thanks

If nothing else, perhaps I could meet up with West London Singh for some cha. That might be more entertaining than anything else I could end up doing!!

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V&A Museum has some Sikh artifacts... I also would recommend a visit to Southall... First time I saw such a heavy concentration of Sikhs living in one area. Visit the different Gurdwaray and interact with Afghan Sikhs... I personally found them fascinating :biggrin2:

Although not Sikhi related I always enjoy going Camden Market... you get to see/taste/smell all sorts of weird and wonderful things and see people from around the world! But that's if you like that sort of thing!

There is so much to explore and do in London... every area is different. Greenwich is nice if your into History/Architecture and they have the Cutty Sark there... National Gallery nr Westminster?! Don't have to spend loads exploring London.

Shepards Bush Gurdwara is historical.... was opened in 1908.

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Yes the Victoria and Albert museum is really worth a visit and see Maharaja Ranjit singh's golden throne and many other weapons.

Shepherds bush Grudwara is where Udaam Singh stayed fro a while and where he used to attend regularly.

You could also visit the Black Museum at scotland yard where the gun used by Udaam Singh at Caxton hall is kept.

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Guest welcome

You will be shocked, there are loads of gurudawaras, and lots of kirtan samagams take place, especialy hgn the west midlands. There is lots of sangat there. New savesend gurudawara is incredibly designed, bradford too, n southall,derby gurdwara also has its own museum with guns etc, good luck

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I live in America and have never been to England. I will be visiting London soon and am wondering what there is to see or do that would be of interest to a Sikh.

If nothing else, perhaps I could meet up with West London Singh for some cha. That might be more entertaining than anything else I could end up doing!!

I'm sure 'entertaining' was a typo error and you meant to say 'educational' ?

Why anyone would tell an American that comes from a place with mega malls and trendy street markets to come all this way and visit a mall and trendy market is beyond me. If you really wanna visit a street market than go to Liverpool Street underground station on a Sunday morning and walk towards Whitechapel through Middlesex Street. This Petticoat Lane market will be an eye-opener for you because it will transport you to New York's Lower East Side as it was in the early 1900's....multiplied by 3.

Now....of course you have to visit Southall in west London as there really is no place like it in North America. I know north America well and although there are places there, such as Brampton, Surrey etc that have a far bigger Sikh population than Southall, those localities are still typical north american towns and cities. Southall, in contrast, in feel, sound, ambience, smell etc does not feel like a town in any western locality. It must be experienced.

Besides Southall, the UK, and London in particular has more Sikhs relics to see than any city in the world besides Amritsar and Anandpur. You could start with the little known inscription to the Anglo-Sikh War at Trafalgar Square. You could then go to the fantastic Albert and Victoria Museum and see Maharaja Ranjit Singh's golden throne. Of course, if you know which dates you are visiting you should make an appointment in advance with both the V&A and the India Records Office and they will let you see all the Sikh artefacts they have in the back room not for public display. You could then go to the Tower of London and see the Khalsa Raj's jewells. You could then go to Abingdon House where Rani Jindan lived. You could then go to the National Army Museum and (with appointment) see the vast amount of Sikh historic artefacts they have. As you leave that museum you can pass the Royal Chelsea Hospital and observe the Khalsa cannons that stand guard outside, with Gurmukhi inscriptions on them. You could then go to Scotland Yard's Black Museum and see the gun that Udham Singh used to assassinate o'dwyer. After that, you can make short visits just outside London knowing that all that has hardly cost you anything as London is such an amazing city that not only does it have the most museums in the world they are completely free to everyone all the time.

So....you make your way just to the south east of London to Kent. See the Sikh items from the anglo-sikh wars at Maidstone Museum. Then go to the town of Gravesend and see the most fantastic Gurdwara in the western world in the town that has the highest Sikh population per ratio in the UK whilst also paying homage to the place of death of someone thats important to your own history as an American : Pochaontas. Go to the historic Cantebury Cathedral and see the Sikh battle standards that fly there. Then maybe go south and visit the Brighton Royal Pavillion and the Chatri built by the Maharaja of Patiala. Then go along the south coast to Portsmouth and Fort Nelson and see the Khalsa cannons guarding the fort. Then catch a ferry and cross to the Isle of Wight and visit Osborne House and its connections to Duleep Singh and Ram Singh's Sikh architecture.

All this, and I haven't even mentioned going north of London where even more Sikh artefacts lie.

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Guest SinghSahib99

Wow!!!!

Thanks so much, WLS. Indeed I meant "educational" (although you hopefully took "entertaining" as a compliment as well)

Your list was exactly what I was looking for. Let me know (seriously) if you'd like to have cha.

I may be in Leicester for a day, are there any must-see things there?

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Wow!!!!

Thanks so much, WLS. Indeed I meant "educational" (although you hopefully took "entertaining" as a compliment as well)

Your list was exactly what I was looking for. Let me know (seriously) if you'd like to have cha.

I may be in Leicester for a day, are there any must-see things there?

Sorry, I've never been to Leicester. In fact I get a nose bleed any time time I venture even 5 miles north of London. You'll find this a nation divided along north/south lines. Whilst the north do know about the south and visit the south, us people in the south never venture north unless it is absolutely positively necessary. Thus, I am sure there must also be Sikh artefacts to see up there but I wouldn't know how to point you in the right direction.

Now....'Cha'. Firstly, I am so glad you said 'cha' and not 'chai' as many people do nowadays. The beverage was introduced to the Indian sub-continent from China. The Chinese call it 'cha' exactly like we Punjabis do. As the drink made its way south from Punjab the word got corrupted into 'chai'. And yet here we are a few centuries later and Punjabis with low self-esteem seem to think the Hindi speakers are right and so call it 'chai'. The word is indeed correctly 'cha' and that is why the British even to this day refer to tea as 'a cup of char'. However, having said all that I must tell you that I absolutely detest cha. Can't stand the stuff. Sometimes like a cup of coffee, especially a double mocha, but alas will have no time to take you up on your offer.

Full time work + full time study + full time dad = No spare time at all.

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