Smethwick gurdwara among UK’s top places of faith

London, April 4

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Europe’s biggest gurdwara has been named among the most important faith buildings in England, according to a media report.

The Guru Nanak Gurdwara in Smethwick figures alongside iconic locations such as Stonehenge and Canterbury Cathedral, Birmingham Mail reported.

The gurdwara and nine other places of faith feature in ‘A History of England in 100 Places’, which is being run by campaign body Historic England, the report said.

The gurdwara, built in the 1990s, houses one of the largest congregations in the UK and is the biggest in Europe, a citation by Historic England said. “It continues to expand with Smethwick’s growing Sikh population,” the citation added. “The community is at the heart of the Sikh faith and gurdwaras are a focal point for communities to come together.” The UK is home to over 4.32 lakh Sikhs, according to the 2011 Census, making up 0.7 per cent of the population. The faith and belief category was judged by David Ison, dean of St Paul’s Cathedral in London. — PTI