📝 An elected committee
Most gurdwaras are run by a committee chosen by the sangat. It looks after money, the building, the opening times and who is hired to serve. Members are ordinary Sikhs, not clergy.
Sikhism: Origins and Their Impact on the Community » The Sangat and the Granthi: Leadership in the Gurdwara
What you'll learn this session
Study time: 30 minutes
Edexcel spec: Paper 2 Sikhism (4RS1/2F), 1.3
- Why Sikhism has no priests, and how the sangat helps to lead the gurdwara
- The role and importance of the granthi, and the work of the ragis
- Different Sikh views on leaders: the Akal Takht, living teachers and women's roles
- Why leadership matters for Sikhs today
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In The Guru Granth Sahib: The Living Guru you saw that Sikhs treat the scripture as their eternal Guru. In The Guru Granth Sahib in Daily Life you met the granthi, who explains the reading. This lesson asks a bigger question: if the Guru Granth Sahib is the Guru, who looks after the gurdwara and the community?
No priests: the sangat leads
Sikhism has no priests. The Gurus taught that nobody stands between a person and God, so no group of people is set apart to run religion for everyone else. Instead, the sangat (the congregation, the whole community of Sikhs) shares the leadership of the gurdwara.
The Rahit Maryada says that any Sikh, woman or man, who can do the job properly may read the Guru Granth Sahib, lead prayers or perform ceremonies. What matters is that the person has the knowledge and respects the Guru. It does not matter who their family is.
Key terms:
- Sangat (recap from Maya, Manmukh and Haumai): the congregation, the community of Sikhs who meet and worship together.
- Ragi: a musician who sings hymns (kirtan) in the gurdwara.
- Jathedar: the head of the Akal Takht, whose guidance many Sikhs respect.
How the sangat helps to lead
🙏 Decisions before the Guru
Important decisions are made in the presence of the Guru Granth Sahib. Sikhs believe the Guru is present, so the sangat tries to decide fairly, with humility, for the good of everyone.
🍳 Volunteers and langar
The langar, the free kitchen open to all, is run by volunteers. They cook, serve and wash up as sewa, selfless service. Doing sewa is a way of leading by example.
🌟 Shared worship
Members of the sangat can take turns to read from the Guru Granth Sahib, lead the Ardas (the prayer) and look after the building. This keeps the whole community involved.
The granthi
Most gurdwaras have a granthi. The granthi is the reader and caretaker of the Guru Granth Sahib. A granthi is not a priest, because the granthi has no special power to forgive sin or to speak to God for others. The granthi is a trained, respected member of the sangat whose job is to serve the Guru.
A granthi usually:
- looks after the Guru Granth Sahib with great care, opening it in the morning and laying it to rest at night
- leads daily services and reads the scripture
- explains the meaning of the hymns, so that people understand the teaching
- performs ceremonies such as naming a baby, a wedding (Anand Karaj) and funeral prayers
- teaches children and adults, and gives advice to families
The granthi is important because Sikh worship and community life are built around the Guru Granth Sahib. Without someone who can read it, care for it and explain it, the gurdwara could not hold its services. The role is respected, and in many gurdwaras the granthi is paid a wage by the committee, because it is a full-time job. Some granthis are volunteers.
The ragis work alongside the granthi. They are trained musicians who sing the hymns of the Guru Granth Sahib as kirtan, in the ragas (musical settings) they are written in. Many gurdwaras employ ragis, and others use members of the sangat.
Common mistakes
- Calling the granthi a priest. Sikhs have no priests, and the granthi does not stand between a person and God.
- Saying only men can lead. The Rahit Maryada says any Sikh who is able can read, lead prayers or perform ceremonies.
- Describing what a granthi does without saying why it matters. Link the role to the Guru Granth Sahib and the community.
Different views on leaders across Sikhism
Most Sikhs agree that after Guru Gobind Singh there is no human Guru, because the Guru Granth Sahib is the Guru. But Sikhs have different ideas about who else should lead.
🏛️ The Akal Takht
The Akal Takht, in Amritsar, is seen as the highest seat of Sikh authority on community matters. Its head is the Jathedar. Many Sikhs follow its guidance, but others feel that no single person or body speaks for every Sikh.
👥 Living teachers
Some groups, for example the Namdharis, follow living teachers as well as the Guru Granth Sahib. Most Sikhs do not accept this, because they believe the Guru Granth Sahib is the only Guru.
👩 Women's roles
In principle women can do every role. In practice, most granthis and ragis have been men, though this is changing, and Sikhs debate whether all gurdwaras should open every role to women. You studied equality in Equal Rights and Opportunities in Sikhism.
The Akal Takht was badly damaged in June 1984 and rebuilt by the Sikh community; many Sikhs remember this with sorrow.
Why it matters for Sikhs today
For Sikhs today, the sangat sharing leadership shows the Gurus' teaching on equality. No one is above another, and everyone can serve. The granthi keeps the Guru Granth Sahib at the heart of the gurdwara, and the committee and volunteers keep the community running. Different views on who should lead show that Sikhs care about how to stay faithful to the Gurus in a changing world.
Exam-style question
(a) Outline two roles of a granthi in the gurdwara. [4 marks]
Model answer (a)
One role is to read the Guru Granth Sahib and lead daily services (1), so the sangat hears the Guru's teaching explained and can worship together (1). A second role is to perform ceremonies (1), such as a naming ceremony or the Anand Karaj wedding, so that families can mark key moments in front of the Guru (1).
(b) Explain why the sangat is important in the leadership of the gurdwara. [6 marks]
Model answer (b)
Sikhs have no priests, so the sangat shares the leadership. Any Sikh who can do so properly may read the Guru Granth Sahib or lead prayers, which shows that everyone is equal before the Guru. The sangat elects a committee to run the gurdwara, so its decisions are the community's own. Decisions are made in the presence of the Guru Granth Sahib, so they are taken with humility. The sangat also runs the langar by sewa, which puts the Gurus' teaching on service and sharing into practice. This is important because it keeps the gurdwara a community place, not one controlled by a few leaders.
(c) 'A gurdwara cannot work well without a granthi.' Discuss this statement, considering the arguments for and against. In your answer you should include reference to teachings, other points of view, and your own opinion. [10 marks]
Plan for (c)
For: the granthi knows how to care for the Guru Granth Sahib, explains its teaching and performs ceremonies, so worship and community life depend on this knowledge. Against: Sikhs have no priests and the Rahit Maryada says any able Sikh may read and lead, so the sangat can do the work; some small gurdwaras run on volunteers. Another view: some Sikhs say the Guru, not a person, is what matters. Possible conclusion: a trained granthi helps a lot, but the gurdwara depends more on the sangat and the Guru Granth Sahib than on one person.
Exam tip
In a 10-mark answer, name a teaching (such as 'no priests') and include a different Sikh view, then end with your own reasoned judgement.