Ontario Khalsa Darbar, Mississauga, Ontario The Ontario Khalsa Darbar (Dixie Gurdwara) was officially started in 1978 in a small trailer.
Steadily more and more money was raised and land was purchased and a building was created in 1988. The opening ceremony drew in large crowd and it took many hours to get in.
During the 1990s more land was bought and an outdoor stadium was built. Hardial Dhir Architect was chosen to reconstruct and design the community centre and additions to the Gurdwara.
The Dixie Gurdwara is the central Gurdwara in the Greater Toronto Area (GTA) in Ontario, Canada.
In the mid to late 1990s the old building was getting overcrowded so a 6 million dollar project was announced to build a large extension.
Much money was raised however the building still gets overcrowded on special days like Bandhi Chhor Divas ("Release of Guru Hargobind Rai Ji from Confinement", held according to Nanakshahi calendar on same date as Diwali) and Vaisakhi (April 13) and New Year (December 31).
In 2001 the Nagar Kirtan (celebrates Vaisakhi) had a crowd of nearly 100,000 people. In 2003 the Bandhi Chhor celebration drew in a crowd of over 40,000 people.
This is when the Gurdwara got a lot of popularity. It has an atmosphere like if it is a major Gurdwara in India. A new plan in 2004 was announced to build a $3 million parking lot.
This parking lot would be filled with many historical paintings and information boards. On October 10th, 2010 the first of its kind outside India, a Multimedia Sikh Museum was built by Dr.Raghbir Singh Bains.
Dr. Bains is author of the Encyclopedia of Sikhism on multimedia technology, which is first of its kind in the world. Ontario Khalsa Darbar is committed to being real and relevant.
We do not claim to have it all together as a Gurdwara, but we do endeavor to be honest about our love for Waheguru (God) and our desire for people to connect with God.
Whether you are an adult, student or child we have something uniquely tailored with you in mind.
If you are currently involved with Gurdwara activities, this web site will provide you with more opportunities to get help and provide help to others.
