Description of Historic Place

The Topaz Avenue Sikh Gurdwara is a two-storey, square-massed temple with a gable-on-hip roof, tall front stair, second-story verandah, dome and ornamental entry gates. It is set on top of a hill at Topaz Avenue and Blackwood Streets in central Victoria, B.C. Situated at a high point of land, the building is surrounded by a stone and metal picketed wall and has panoramic views across the city.

Heritage Value

The Topaz Avenue Sikh Gurdwara has historic, cultural, social, spiritual and aesthetic value, particularly for its association with early Sikh pioneers in B.C.'s capital of Victoria. Originally constructed in 1912 by the Victoria Khalsa Diwan Society and the third gurdwara established in the province, the Topaz Avenue Sikh Gurdwara has historic value for representing the hard work and tenacity of the first South Asian pioneers who arrived in the Victoria area in 1904.

Typical of many South Asian Canadian immigrants, many found work in Vancouver Island's growing forest industry, and in nearby lumber mills along the Gorge Waterway. South Asian Canadians in other Vancouver Island communities remember the gurdwara as an important part of their lives upon their arrival in B.C.

While the original 1912 brick and wood building at this location was a traditional design by architect H.S. Griffith, the current gurdwara building, constructed in 1969, has aesthetic value for representing a modern interpretation of the gurdwara while retaining the key aspects of traditional design. These include the second-floor prayer hall with traditional space for worshippers to sit on the floor, four entrance doors, the Sukh Aasan (a room containing the Guru Granth Sahib), langar, or dining area and communal kitchen. The second-floor veranda along three sides of the building is representative of some pioneer Sikh temples in B.C., permitting direct access into the prayer hall.

The gurdwara, meaning "the doorway to the guru," has historic and spiritual value as a place of worship and as a community gathering space, both historically and today, for those in the South Asian community. The early temple offered South Asian community members a place to practice their faith, connect with others, and receive the spiritual and emotional support needed to retain their faith while enduring the racism and discrimination against South Asians prevalent in B.C. during the first half of the 20th century. The temple was also important as a place where members practiced the age-old tradition of langar in which travelers and pilgrims of all faiths and stations in life could rest here and be given food.

Social value is found in the fundraising efforts of the community to build the new gurdwara. Many of the men associated with the Khalsa Diwan society travelled to solicit donations for the project, using their influence as successful businessmen and community leaders to convince businesses such as BC Forest Products and Imperial Building Materials to donate money based on the relationships they had formed with the Sikh community over time.

The Topaz Avenue gurdwara has cultural value for the 2012 celebration of the 100th anniversary of its founding, an occasion for commemoration by the South Asian community in Victoria, Vancouver Island and the province. The centennial offered time for reflection about the growth and achievements of the South Asian community since the founding of the original gurdwara.

Character-Defining Elements

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