In Brampton, the Sikh gathering place serves as a community centre where worshippers, revellers and people in need come together
People enter a Sikh place of worship, the gurdwara, in Brampton, Ont., on May 19, 2013.Michelle Siu/The Globe and Mail
The Dasmesh Darbar gurdwara is a gleaming white structure with striking minarets.Michelle Siu/The Globe and Mail
Attendees pray as they attend a marriage ceremony at the Dasmesh Darbar gurdwara on May 19, 2013.Michelle Siu/The Globe and Mail
Gurdwaras are open 24 hours a day and seven days a week. Even if a wedding with hundreds of guests is taking place, you still have freedom to go pray, meditate or have a meal whenever you like.Michelle Siu/The Globe and Mail
Before the wedding ceremony begins, guests are given a spoonful of prasad in their cupped hands. It’s a sweet, doughy pudding that is traditionally prepared at the gurdwara as an offering to God.Michelle Siu/The Globe and Mail
A woman cups her hands as she receives prasad during a ceremony at a gurdwara in Brampton on May 19, 2013.Michelle Siu/The Globe and Mail
Rashpal Singh adjusts her head scarf at the Dasmesh Darbar gurdwara on May 19, 2013. Both men and women remove their shoes and cover their heads when entering the building.Michelle Siu/The Globe and Mail
Children attend a ceremony at the Dasmesh Darbar gurdwara on May 19, 2013. Gurdwaras are all-around community hubs, with some having gyms and martial arts classes. In Brampton, the Dasmesh Darbar gurdwara is at work on a library.Michelle Siu/The Globe and Mail