Sikh Center of San Francisco Bay Area


The Sikh Center of San Francisco Bay Area is a Sikh gurdwara in the hills of unincorporated El Sobrante, California, in the East Bay of the San Francisco Bay Area.

Overview

The Center was established in May 1979.
The Center features large golden domes atop a pink-cream-beige tiled box arched structure. Regular services are held every Wednesday evening and Sunday morning. The site is open to drop-in visitors from 5:00 a.m. to 8:30 p.m. Langar, which is a Punjabi term that means collective eating while sitting on the floor, is given daily, free of cost, to all visitors, Sikh or non-Sikh. Visitors must cover their hair, be sober, have no drugs, alcohol, or tobacco products in their possession, and must enter barefoot after washing their feet.

Shooting incident

On January 23, 2000, a gunman, Joga Singh Sandher, opened fire with an assault weapon onto temple leader, local teacher, and human rights activist Ajmer Singh Malhi, killing him and seriously injuring another worshipper before being subdued by bystanders.

Summer Camps

The Center offers summer camps for children K-12 to teach them more about Sikhism and its history and to create a community. The summer camps typically follow the structure of a conventional primary school day, with different subjects, time to eat, and time to play and have fun.