Touring the Sikh Temple

summer I toured the old Abbotsford Sikh Temple at 33089 South Fraser Way as renovations on it began.Now the building is nearing completion.When I pulled into the temple driveway I noticed the fresh white paint that covers the building and the new shake roof. In last year’s column I explained how the building was lifted up due to a poor foundation which caused the temple to lean to one side. What construction crews found were when workers started to dig around the back of the temple they found five layers of pavement and sawdust that made the ground unstable.Some 290 truckloads of dirt were removed before construction could start. When the temple was constructed in 1911 they used the “balloon design,” meaning if one side were to collapse, the whole building would come down. If the building wasn’t saved it would have collapsed in a few years.The temple has a new foundation and is in the finishing stages, according to site supervisor Iqbal Braich. Braich who has been overseeing the project for over a year says it’s been a challenge to get the material and match the profile of 1911. Braich said that due to the lack of availability of material and skilled trades, they were a couple of months behind”.Walking through the building with Khalsa Diwan Society President Gurdarshan Sandhu and Braich, I was extremely impressed how the temple has been brought back to life. In the main prayer hall on the top floor you can feel the new strength and stability of the building. The prayer hall is ready for the installation of new carpeting and light fixtures in the coming weeks. The lower floor, which is not quite ready, will be home to the first Sikh museum in North America.The visitor center, which is at the back of the building, has been moved back with a new foundation along with the washrooms.Both chimneys have been rebuilt, cut down in size with steel beams running inside them, making them earthquake-proof. The water fountain at the front of the building is almost complete and will look stunning. The last two remaining additions that will take some time are the sprinkler system and landscaping.Three years ago former prime minister Jean Chretien arrived in Abbotsford to announce the temple would be designated as a national heritage site.A year later former federal heritage minister Sheila Copps came to announce government funding to preserve the building, which was estimated at $1.2 million. The Khalsa Diwan Society and private contributors have funded the preparations of the site and government money is being used for reconstruction phase. According to Sandhu, more financial assistance is needed from the community to cover the rising costs of services.I recall last year someone e-mailed me after reading my column saying he would like to offer his services free of charge to the project. Sandhu said that due to the “unfortunate delays the project is three months behind,” but he still plans to have the opening ceremonies in October.What I learned through covering this project in the last two years is small things have a special place. You often learn the greatest things in the smallest of places. Many unique people have passed through this building. Now many more will do the same. I remember my parents taking to this temple as a young child and we would play in the parking lot with family and friends. I look forward to the opening of this project where I can go to learn the true roots of Sikhism. This building was erected by the entire Abbotsford community 95 years ago and 95 years later it took an entire community to save it.
KenHerar@gmail.com