Kochi Gurdwara, situated at
Perumanoor near
Thevara, is the only Gurdwara existing in
Kerala at present. It is located on the Chakkalakkal Road, quite near the erstwhile Buddhist settlements in the city. Perumanoor is about 3 km from downtown
Kochi.
The gurdwara is the meeting place for the few Sikhs residing in Kochi. Its foundation stone was laid some time in 1955 and the earlier location of the gurdwara was somewhere in the locality of the Cochin Shipyard. Following the acquisition of land for the construction of the Shipyard, the gurdwara was shifted to the present location. The present structure was inaugurated on November 18, 1975.
Most note-worthy feature of the Kochi Gurdwara is that it has only one entrance. It is quite unusual since all gurdwaras have been traditionally built with four entrances, enabling people to walk in from all four directions - a mark of the open-mindedness practiced by Sikhism. It has been explained that the ‘single entrance’ is due to space constraints.
The Durbar Hall is situated on the first floor while Guru Ka Langar, the community kitchen, is located on the ground floor. People belonging to other religions also gather here to take food, which is given for free.
The Sikh families in Kochi assemble here on every Sunday at 11:00 hrs and Wednesday at 19:00 hrs to offer prayers.
