Khalsa Diwan Society Vancouver 3.03

The Khalsa Diwan Society Vancouver is a Sikh society based at a gurdwara in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. It was the largest gurdwara in North America. A gurdwara, meaning "the doorway to the Guru", is the Sikh place of worship and may be referred to as a Sikh temple.It is the oldest Sikh society in Greater Vancouver. The current gurdwara is at the intersection of Southwest Marine Drive and Ross Street, in South Vancouver.HistoryThe Khalsa Diwan Society was founded on July 22, 1906 and was registered on March 13, 1909. The corporate name was “The Khalsa Diwan Society”. Their first site and gurdwara was built in 1908 at 1866 West 2nd Avenue. It was inaugurated on January 19, 1908. The financial situation of the society depended on the number of Sikhs living in British Columbia. Donations rose considerably as more Sikhs came to British Columbia. The population of Sikhs rose in the period of 1904–1908, the population being 5,185. It fell to 2,342 in 1911. The Sikh population dwindled even more, to 1,099, as the year 1918 approached. Verne A. Dusenbery, the author of "Canadian Ideology and Public Policy: The Impact on Vancouver Sikh Ethnic and Religious Adaptation," wrote that the gurdwara served as "truly a religious, social, political, cultural, and social service center for the entire South-Asian immigrant population of the lower mainland" during its early history.