About Us
The Okanagan Sikh Temple and Cultural Society.
About Okanagan Sikh Temple and Cultural Society
The Okanagan Sikh Temple and Cultural Society was incorporated in November of 1979.
At that time there were 34 families in the area. The first temple in Kelowna was opened on May 30, 1982.
In the mid ninety’s the Sikh population had grown substantially and a new facility was required; so in 2003 plans for the new temple were drawn up.
In the following year the construction of the new facility began which was largely done on a volunteer basis.
On April 26, 2008 the new building was open to the public. The Sikh community has come a long way and are proud to be a part of this great city.
By the mid ninety’s Sikh community had grown substantially and a new facility was required. In 1996 Dr. Gurmit Singh Randawa started
the movement for a new Sikh Temple. By 1997 collections and pledges for a new temple started to accumulate quickly.
Plans for a new building were drawn up and this time 1.4 million dollars was the project construction cost the new building.
In 2003 the plans for the new temple were redrawn and facility was made larger and more detail was added. Construction of
the new facility was started in the fall of 2004. At the beginning most of the construction was done on a volunteer bases.
In the later stages the work was contracted out. The total cost was 4 million dollars for furnished the temple building.
Individual donors have contributed the bulk of the money need for the construction of the facility.
Our History
The Okanagan Sikh Temple and Cultural Society was incorporated in November of 1979. At this time there were thirty four families that lived in the city of Kelowna, Westbank and Lake Country. In the early years the Sikh community held its religious ceremonies at The German Canadian Harmony Club located on Cary Rd. The community decided it was time to build their own facility. The president of the society, Joginder Singh Basran and the treasure of the society, Jarnail Singh Dhami were asked to locate and start construction of the new temple. The new temple was opened on May 1982, at a cost of six hundred thousand dollars.
Around this period the society was informed by Kabal Singh Johal that an anonymous donor had donated one acre of land to the Sikh community. The land had been registered in the name of The Khalsa Diwan Society of Vancouver. It was being held in trust until a Sikh society had been founded in Kelowna. The property located on Sexsmith Rd was to be used for Sikh Funerals (cremation). The property had been donated to the Sikh Community in the early 1950’s. It was a controversial move at the time but it turned out to be very favorable for the society.
In the late eight’s the property on Sexsmith Rd. as sold because cremation service became readily available. By the early 90’s the society became mortgage free. The early Sikh pioneers worked mainly in farming and forest industries.
