Khalsa Diwan Society (Vancouver)

The Khalsa Diwan Society is the Sikh society of Vancouver that built the first gurdwara in the city, on West 2nd Avenue in 1908, and its successor on Ross Street in 1970. Its early members were Punjabi migrants to British Columbia.

When it began: The sources give three dates, all true in different senses. The Society says it formed in 1902 and was formally established in 1906. Wikipedia dates it to 22 July 1906 and its registration to 13 March 1909. The Encyclopaedia of Sikhism gives 13 March 1909 as its formation, with Sewa Singh as president, and 23 February 1915 as its incorporation under the Societies Act.

Key moments:

• 19 January 1908: the 2nd Avenue gurdwara at 1866 West 2nd Avenue was inaugurated. The Society calls it the first Sikh gurdwara in the whole American continent, and its heritage listing calls it the oldest Sikh temple in North America. It was a religious, political and social hub for South Asian settlers of every faith, and hosted talks on the 1913 Ghadar movement.
• May to July 1914: the Komagata Maru, with 376 passengers (340 Sikhs, 24 Muslims and 12 Hindus), lay in Vancouver harbour from 23 May until forced out on 23 July. A Shore Committee of local South Asians, including Husain Rahim, Bhag Singh Bhikiwind, Mitt Singh Pandori, Balwant Singh Khurdpur and Muhammad Akbar, raised 20,000 dollars to take over the ship's charter. The Society's members advocated for the passengers.
• 5 September 1914: Bela Singh, an informant of the immigration inspector William Hopkinson, fired two revolvers into a funeral gathering in the Vancouver temple. Two men died. One was Bhag Singh, described by the Dictionary of Canadian Biography as president of the temple society. A Georgia Straight column names the other as Badan Singh. On 21 October 1914 Mewa Singh shot Hopkinson dead in the Vancouver court-house, and he was hanged on 11 January 1915.
• 1947 and 1951: the Society helped Indian immigrants win the vote, and secured an agreement that ended the 1908 continuous-voyage rule.
• 1968 to 1970: it bought land at Ross Street and Marine Drive. Sri Guru Granth Sahib was moved to the new building on Vaisakhi 1970. The architect was Arthur Erickson.

Today: The Society runs Punjabi classes, youth kirtan training and a computer centre for new immigrants, and says more than 100,000 people attend its Vaisakhi Nagar Kirtan. In 2018 Vancouver City Council gave Ross Street the second name Khalsa Diwan Road.