The Sikh Center of San Francisco Bay Area (also known as Gurdwara Sahib of El Sobrante) is a Sikh gurdwara in the hills of unincorporated El Sobrante, California, in the East Bay of the San Francisco Bay Area. [1]
The Center was established in May 1979. [1]
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. [1] The site is open to drop-in visitors from 5:00 a.m. to 8:30 p.m. [2] 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. [2] 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. [2]
In 1985, a man was shot after removing another worshipper's turban. [3]
On January 23, 2000, a gunman, Joga Singh Sandher, [4] opened fire with an assault weapon on temple leader, local teacher, and human rights activist Ajmer Singh Malhi, killing him and seriously injuring another worshipper before being subdued by bystanders. [5] [6] [7]
The Center offers summer camps for K–12 students 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 (such as history and music), time to eat, and time for recreational activities.