Sikh Temple Makindu, Kenya
SIKH TEMPLE MAKINDU (History)
The beginnings of the “Sikh Temple Makindu” in Kenya can be traced back to the early 1900s, during the construction of the Uganda Railway by the British to open up the inland regions. The train started in Mombasa, with the first stop in Voi and then Makindu, where a small camp was built, which quickly developed into a small town by 1920. In those days, steam locomotives slowly pulled trains through the land where lions and the famous elephants of Tsavo ruled. The steam locomotives were refueled with firewood and water at Makindu station.
Among the many Indian workers hired by the British to build the railway, there were many Sikhs who became part of the great history of Sikh influence in the development of Kenyan history. They were great men with a clear vision, foresight, and iron will. Many of them were lost in the wild or to the man-eating lions of the Tsavo forest.
A place with a roof and provisions was the answer to the need for help and recovery. It is believed that these early Sikhs met on weekends near a tree by the station to pray to and thank their Waheguru. These kind and hardworking Sikhs built a Gurdwara (Sikh Temple) with their simple means. Their desire to build a Gurdwara was seen by the colonial rulers as a desire to build a church. The English not only allowed this but also provided a piece of land near the station for this purpose. The Sikhs were so happy that, along with non-Sikh workers, suppliers, construction firms, and wealthy groups, they laid the foundation stone for the Makindu Sikh Temple.
A picture of Sri Guru Granth Sahib was brought, and the doors of the new temple were opened in 1926. Since then, this Sikh Temple has had a mystical inspiration for many visitors.
Since then, Makindu has become an important place where Sikhs and other Indian train passengers stop to pay their respects to this house of worship. Among the founding fathers of the temple were Bhai Tara Singh Ahluwalia, who was the Shed Master in Makindu, and Bhai Lochman Das, known as “Dipti”. S. Teja Singh, a railway guard, performed the opening ceremony of the temple.
As the Sikhs who lived in Makindu moved away, the temple was closed, and an African named “Gwalo” was left in the temple to take care of it. A window was left open so that travelers between Nairobi and Mombasa could stop and pray to Sri Guru Granth Sahib in the temple.
In the early 1950s, a fire broke out, and the main house of the temple burned down, with only Sri Guru Granth Sahib remaining unscathed. Another time, a termite infestation struck the temple, and again, everything was destroyed except for Sri Guru Granth Sahib. Then one day, Gwalo witnessed a miracle. He went and told a Sikh farmer in the area named Dhanna Singh. He had seen some Sikhs on horseback descending from the sky towards the temple. Gwalo saw a picture of Sri Guru Gobind Singh Ji in Dhanna Singh’s house and said that he had seen a person like him descending from the sky.
When Dhanna Singh came to Nairobi, he told other Sikhs about Gwalo’s story. The Sikhs in Nairobi were moved by Gwalo’s story and felt responsible for reopening the temple.