Langar Seva

Participants in the Guru Ram Das Guru Prasad Yatra will have the special opportunity to join Bhai Sahib Manjit Singh Ji in seva and devotion at Darbar Sahib during Guru Ram Das Ji’s Birthday celebrations.

This page shares more about the Dhan Guru Ram Das Ji Langar Sewa organization we will be joining, and about the meaning, practice and importance of “Langar Seva” in general, to enhance your experience.

“Guru Ka Langar” is the tradition of serving langar (food) at each gurdwara service, to the whole community regardless of social status, gender or faith.  Everyone is welcome to share the langar; no one is turned away.  Langar teaches the virtue of sitting and eating with the community and that all human beings are equal and it provides a welcome, secure and protected sanctuary to all.

Langar was initiated by Guru Nanak Dev Ji and then formally established by the 3rd Guru, Guru Amar Das Ji, who required anyone who wished to have an audience with him to first sit with the community and have langar.  Even the Mughal King Akbar had to sit among the ordinary people and share langar in order to have an audience with the Guru.

At every Sikh gurdwara service, a langar meal is prepared and offered.  Each week a family or several families volunteer to purchase the food and prepare the Langar. This is very generous, as there can be hundreds of people to feed.  All the preparation, the cooking and the washing-up is done by voluntary helpers called “Sevadars”

At the Golden Temple Community Kitchen, on average, 75,000 devotees or tourists are served langar each day.  On special occasions, that number can double. Hundreds of employees and devotees help to prepare the daily meals.

Read on to find out how we will be participating in this inspiring service, as well as general information about the blessing and consciousness of Langar Seva.