Sikh foundation of Virginia came into existence as a result of the efforts of several
Sikh families that had settled in Northern Virginia in the early to mid-1970s. At
that time, there was no Gurdwara in Virginia, and families used to go to either
the Gurdwara on Military Road in Washington, DC, or the Guru Nanak Foundation of
America, Silver Spring, Maryland. Once the number of dedicated families in Northern
Virginia reached a critical mass, it prompted about a dozen like-minded Punjabi
families to band together to explore the idea of building gurdwara in Northern Virginia
to meet the religious, cultural and social needs of the community. In this regard,
the first meeting was held in Fairfax County Library in Fairfax City in 1978, in
which an Ad hoc Committee was formed and tasked with to write Constitution and By-Laws
of a religious non-profit organization, and to look for a property to build gurdwara.
Over the next three years, the Committee launched a membership drive, selected and
registered name of the organization as Sikh Foundation of Virginia, and approved
its constitution and bylaws. The organization purchased a five acre piece of land
in 1981, but design, permits, and fundraising took another 5-6 years. In the meantime,
community started holding kirtan diwan and langar on Sundays at various members’
houses. Finally, groundbreaking for the building was held in 1987, and the present
Gurdwara Sahib was inaugurated on Baisakhi day in 1989. Since then, the Sikh Foundation
of Virginia Gurdwara Sahib has been serving the community by holding regular diwans,
and catering to various religious, spiritual, and cultural needs of the community.
Along the way, to keep up with the growth in congregation and the related demands,
the original building has been renovated and upgraded by enlarging stairs, expanding
kitchen, adding lobby/ patio/Porch, and building an additional room upstairs for
Akhand Paths.
The Sikh Foundation of Virginia Gurdwara Sahib has the distinction of being the
oldest Gurdwara established in the Commonwealth of Virginia.