WESTBOROUGH, MA–Gurdwara Sahib, the New England Sikh Study Circle’s new $7 million, 22,000 square-foot Sikh temple on a 14-acre site will be completed in Spring, Gurdwara officials said.
New England Sikh Study Circle, which was founded in 1968 and currently has about 200 families as its members, is relocating its existing Gurdwara from Milford, MA, to Flanders Road in Westborough. The construction of the temple began in March of 2014, but was delayed.
“We are looking forward to its completion this coming spring,” said Sukhjinder Bajwa, one of the key members of the New England Sikh Study Circle who head the Gurdwara’s Building Committee.
Raminder Bhatia, a real estate broker and member of the New England Sikh Study Circle, said the 9,318-square-foot Milford Gurdwara will be sold to a suitable buyer, preferably for religious purposes. The asking price for the Mildford Gurdwara is $1.2 million. It has fully furnished commercial kitchen and sits on a 1.18-acre site
Before the New England Sikh Study Circle was first established in 1968 to represent the region’s Sikh community, Sikh services were held in the homes of community members until the Milford Gurdwara Sahib was built in 1990.
Sikh worship services are held regularly at Milford Gurdwara on Friday evenings and Sunday mornings with melodious kirtan and prayer. Sunday school is also held weekly which teaches Sikh ethos, kirtan and Gurmukhi to youth of the community.
The Kirtan Diwan is held in the Darbar Sahib (main hall) on the first floor, and downstairs is a commercial kitchen where langar is prepared and served in the community meal hall. The current facility in Milford also has an apartment unit for the Granthi Sahib (Sikh Priest), office space, a library, several classrooms, and a meeting room. All these services will be provided from the new and expanded facility in Westborough after the construction of the temple is complete.
“The space at Milford is no longer adequate for the growing Sikh community of New England. Therefore, the community bought a 36-acre land parcel in Westborough in 2011,” said Bhatia.
The new Westborough facility has been under construction since March 2014.
To watch a video interview with Bajwa and Bhatia, please click here or on the link below.
“As the new building construction in Westborough is progressing, the community has collectively decided to market the Milford building, as there are currently not enough congregations to financially support two Gurdwara Sahibs in such close proximity,” Bhatia said.
The new Gurdwara Sahib will be located on Flanders Road in Westborough. The outer shell of the building is already complete, and the town has granted a permit to begin interior work on the 22,000 sq. ft. building.
The new building will contain a large prayer hall, library, 12 classrooms, conference rooms, an apartment for the Sikh Priest, and 126 paved parking spaces. The new facility will provide the community with ample parking, as well as new classroom space for approximately 60-70 religious school students. The new building will be graced with a traditional golden dome that has already arrived from India.
“This new location will serve the community’s needs for several decades to come,” said Bajwa. “This project is a huge undertaking for the community in terms of funds and management of such a large scale construction project. Although the project is represented by a legal counsel and a reputable construction company, all of the architectural and project management duties for the construction work are volunteered by members of the Sikh congregation.”
Although many services are provided by volunteers of the Building Committee, some have dedicated countless hours to managing this project. They include the lead architect, Jasbir Singh Gandhi, engineer Anup Singh Khatra, and Project Managers Sukhjinder Singh Bajwa and Malkit Singh Gill. The funding for the project is provided by donations from the Sikh congregation and a construction loan from Leader Bank.
