Filenews 5 January 2022 - by Angelos Nikolaou
In Cyprus there are a large number of Indians where they live and work permanently. Mainly, they are employed in agriculture and animal husbandry, while women as domestic workers, mostly for the care of elderly people. In addition, many dozens of young Indians choose Cyprus every year for their studies. This community will acquire its own place of religious worship of sikhs / Gurduara, where apart from being a place of worship it is also a meeting point, a gathering place for Indians who are in Cyprus and try to preserve their customs. The construction and operation of the temple of the Indian community of Cyprus belonging to the Sikh religion, is located in the Municipality of Livadia.
According to the chairman of the Ecclesiastical Committee of the Indian Community in Cyprus, Nadern Jilsi, there are around 12,000 people. At this stage they have roughly formed as a place of religious worship a warehouse within the Urban Zone KP (Central Multifunctional Core) of the Municipality of Livadia, near the Larnaka refineries, which they rent, performing their religious duties there. It is a storage area without fire safety measures and safety and health measures for visitors, in which they gather every Sunday and during the big celebrations, for the performance of their religious duties.
According to the plan, the proposed development in Livadia consists of a ground floor, a first floor and a mezzanine, has a capacity of 200 people / visitors and a total area of 1,218sq.m. Among other things, it includes spaces necessary for the performance of the religious duties of the Sikhs, a reception area / antechamber (removal of shoes, head / hair cover before entering the place of worship), hygiene and cleanliness / showers (hand and foot washing before entering the place of worship), temple / place of religious worship, storage area of the Holy Scripture, "Guru Granth Sahib", religion of Sikhism / book room, a place of washing of a priest and preparation of an advert.
Gurdwara is the place of religious worship/ place of religious duties of the Sikhs, where they gather every Sunday and during the big celebrations. The Sikh/Gurduara religious worship area is open to all, regardless of religion, and before entering it is necessary to take off shoes, wash hands and feet and cover the hair. The place beyond a place of worship is also a meeting point. Like all Gurduares, it has accommodation rooms that can accommodate guests, as well as a kitchen and a restaurant area. Food is served there, since the provision of a meal is part of the tradition which is based on the principle of solidarity, but also on the elimination of caste discrimination, which is very strong in India.
