COMMON QUESTIONS

Why do we have to take off our shoes when go into Gurdwara when Christians don't, even thought they too have their holy Bible placed in their church?


For us, the Guru Granth Sahib is the living spirit of the Gurus, not just a compilation of religious discourses, as the Bible is. The Bible is handled like a book by the Christians, but was respect the Guru Sahib as the living spiritual Guru. Hence we offer all our respect …..regard by taking off our shoes and humbly sitting ……osslegged in a Gurdwara.

In Eastern culture, taking off shoes and covering one's head whenever you present yourself to some holy personality is considered a way of respecting the person. We greet our friends with folded hands and a slight bow to express our respect for a senior person.

In the Middle East, the Muslims too take off their shoes and cover their heads when they go to the mosque for their prayers. They do not walk with their shoes on even near graves to respect the people buried there.

In the Gurdwara we take off our shoes, not only to show respect to the Guru, but also because we have to sit on the floor. We can sit more comfortably without shoes than with the shoes on. In that posture one can listen to the Kirtan attentively.