The Khalsa Jatha Founded in London

A society before a building

Sikh religious life in Europe began as an organisation rather than a place. In 1908 Sikhs settled in London formed the Khalsa Jatha, British Isles, to hold worship and support the small community then in Britain — students, professionals, and men connected to the imperial services.¹

Premises came afterwards, and slowly: a house in Putney from 1911, then a lease at 79 Sinclair Road in Shepherd’s Bush from 1913, which served for over sixty years. In 1969 the Jatha moved to Queensdale Road, where the Central Gurdwara stands today — the oldest established Sikh place of worship in Britain and in Europe.^1,2

A note on “the first gurdwara in Europe”. The claim is made for several places and depends entirely on what is being counted. The Khalsa Jatha is the oldest continuously established Sikh congregation; Novellara’s building of 2000 is often called the first purpose-built gurdwara in Italy, and sometimes loosely in Europe. Both statements can be true at once, and both are frequently reported without the qualifier.

From a society to half a million

The community the Jatha served was tiny. British Sikh numbers grew through post-war labour recruitment in the 1950s and 60s, and again when East African Sikhs were expelled from Kenya and Uganda around 1970 — a group that arrived with British passports, urban trades and, often, capital.

The 2021 census counted 520,092 Sikhs in England and 4,048 in Wales; adding Scotland and Northern Ireland, counted separately by their own agencies, brings the UK total to roughly 535,000.³ The densest concentrations are in the West Midlands rather than London: Wolverhampton has the highest proportion of any local authority in England and Wales at 12.0 per cent, up from 9.1 per cent in 2011, with Sandwell close behind at 11.5 per cent.³

Southall holds the largest gurdwara in Europe, with major congregations also in Birmingham, Wolverhampton, Leicester, Slough and Bradford.