As dawn broke on Guru Nanak Jayanti on Wednesday, the chanting of hymns filled the morning air. Men, women, and children sat together on the floor, heads covered, listening to the verses from the Guru Granth Sahib being recited. The reading was followed by the Sahaj Path Bhog, marking the completion of the scripture recitation, and Shabad Kirtan, where devotees sang hymns of devotion and gratitude.
The ceremony ended with langar — the community meal where everyone, regardless of background, sit in a single line to share food, conversation, and more.
For Sikhs, it’s a day to remember their founder’s teachings of equality, humility, and compassion. This year, as Guru Nanak Jayanti lit up celebrations across the country, Thiruvananthapuram too celebrated the occasion and also the bond that has journeyed across centuries and miles.
Over centuries, Thiruvananthapuram has drawn people from far and wide — traders, scholars, workers, and travellers who found reasons to stay. With every community that settled here, the city grew a little wider in heart and habit. The Sikhs were among those who stayed and made Thiruvananthapuram home.
They grew into a close-knit community, bringing their traditions to the Kerala capital while embracing the culture around them.
“I have been here for 28 years. There are many who came to this city and stayed for decades. We understand Malayalam, and our children speak it fluently. I even married a Malayali woman from Pathanamthitta,” says Parvinder Singh, a former Army captain, with a smile.
Thiruvanathapuram is now home to around 20 Sikh families, along with many others who live here temporarily through the civil services, defence, ISRO, CRPF, Technopark and other central government postings. The city currently has a gurdwara inside the Army Cantonment at Pangode. Another one is under construction at Shastri Nagar at Karamana.
Before speaking of the community, it’s important to return to its beginnings, to Guru Nanak himself. According to historian M G Sasibhooshan, it is believed that Guru Nanak, the founder of Sikhism and the first of the 10 Sikh Gurus, travelled through southern India in the early 16th century as part of his spiritual journey.
“It is said that he came to the city from Thiruvattar and went to Varkala,” says Sasibhooshan. “This journey is mentioned in a footnote in the biography of Guru Nanak written by Guru Gopal Singh. We cannot be completely certain, but one thing seems clear — he likely visited Thiruvattar or Thiruvananthapuram.”
He adds that a clue lies in Guru Nanak’s Japji Sahib, one of his earliest works. “In it, he mentions visiting a temple by the seaside and being moved to see the sun and moon worshipping the idol. That description perfectly matches the Padmanabhaswamy Temple,” he explains.
Sasibhooshan also notes possible historical links between Sikhs and Travancore’s military. “In the Travancore Brigade, some soldiers carried the surname ‘Singh’. They might not all have been Sikhs, but it’s quite possible that Sikh soldiers were part of the force. Also, the Padmanabhaswamy Temple, already a renowned pilgrimage centre by then and open to Buddhists, Jains, and Sikhs, drew many northern pilgrims as early as the 15th and 16th centuries,” he says.
While the exact period of their arrival remains uncertain, traces of the community in the 20th century are clearer. “Around that time, cycles became popular here. A company from Punjab opened a bicycle shop at Pazhavangadi, owned by a Punjabi Hindu, and one of his employees was a Sikh. There was also an ayurvedic store near East Fort run by Bengalis, but again, with a Sikh staffer. So their presence goes back quite far,” says Sasibhooshan.
When the Pangode military camp was set up, the first gurdwara in the city was also set up. “Wherever an army camp existed, they built four places of worship — a temple, a church, a mosque, and a gurdwara. That is how it began here — just one room at first,” recalls Parvinder Singh, a former military captain. “Over time, we added more space, and now we are planning to expand it again.”
“Also, in Sikhism, there is a tradition that the first child, almost always the son, serves in the army,” he adds.
The community’s spirit of inclusion has always been strong. “A gurdwara is an open space, welcoming everyone. It’s not about high or low status, or belonging to one faith,” says Ujesh Kumar, who works in the liquor industry. “I’m not Sikh by birth, but I grew up in Punjab and feel really connected to the community, which is why I come here.”
The gurdwara is more than a place of worship for many. For them, it gives a sense of belonging in a new city. “Whenever people move for work, the first thing they look for is a gurdwara. It’s where you feel safe and meet people,” says Ujesh. “When I came here in 1989, everything was different — the language, the food — but we found our people, and that is how the community grew.”
Because the Pangode gurdwara is inside the Army Cantonment, civilian visitors face entry restrictions. “After Covid, security protocols became stricter, and it became difficult for us to access the gurdwara inside the Cantonment,” says Amarjith Singh, Kerala State Advisory Leader of Sikhs in the National Commission for Minorities. “Thanks to Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan, who took the initiative to allot land, we will soon have the capital’s first civilian gurudwara — the Guru Nanak Darbar Gurudwara.”
Though still under construction, the community travelled to the gurdwara in Thevara, Kochi, to celebrate Guru Nanak Jayanti this time. But they now look forward to the completion of the new gurdwara at Karamana, which they believe will open a new chapter for the Sikh community in the capital.