Sikhism in Scotland includes all aspects of

Sikh Sikhs (singular Sikh: or ; , ) are an ethnoreligious group who adhere to Sikhism, a religion that originated in the late 15th century in the Punjab region of the Indian subcontinent, based on the revelation of Guru Nanak. The term ''Si ...

life and Sikhism in

Scotland Scotland is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It contains nearly one-third of the United Kingdom's land area, consisting of the northern part of the island of Great Britain and more than 790 adjac ...

. Sikhs have been present in Scotland for over a century, with the first documented Sikh, Maharaja Daleep Singh, arriving in

Perthshire Perthshire (Scottish English, locally: ; ), officially the County of Perth, is a Shires of Scotland, historic county and registration county in central Scotland. Geographically it extends from Strathmore, Angus and Perth & Kinross, Strathmore ...

in 1855. The next wave of migration was in early-to-mid 1920s when prominent Sikhs of the Bhat/ Bhatra community established themselves in Glasgow and Edinburgh. However, the bulk of Sikhs in Scotland come from families who immigrated during the late 20th century. In Scotland, Sikhs represented about 0.2% of the population (10,988) in the 2022 census.Alternative URL
'Search data by location' > 'All of Scotland' > 'Ethnic group, national identity, language and religion' > 'Religion'

History

The first documented Sikh in Scotland was Maharajah Duleep Singh, who moved to Scotland in 1854, taking up residence at the Grandtully estate in

. According to the Scottish Sikh Association, the first

Sikhs Sikhs (singular Sikh: or ; , ) are an ethnoreligious group who adhere to Sikhism, a religion that originated in the late 15th century in the Punjab region of the Indian subcontinent, based on the revelation of Guru Nanak. The term ''Sikh'' ...

settled in

Glasgow Glasgow is the Cities of Scotland, most populous city in Scotland, located on the banks of the River Clyde in Strathclyde, west central Scotland. It is the List of cities in the United Kingdom, third-most-populous city in the United Kingdom ...

in the early 1920s with the first

Gurdwara A gurdwara or gurudwara () is a place of assembly and place of worship, worship in Sikhism, but its normal meaning is "place of guru" or "home of guru". Sikhism, Sikhs also refer to gurdwaras as ''Gurdwara Sahib''. People from all faiths and rel ...

established in South Portland Street.Introduction
scottishsikhs.com, accessed 13 January 2009 However, the bulk of Sikhs in Scotland come from families who immigrated during the late 20th century.

Demographics

21st century

According to the 2011 Census, 0.2% of Scotland's population identifies Sikhism as their religion.

is the area with the most significant Sikh population in the country. Of the seven

s in Scotland, four are in Glasgow, one in

Edinburgh Edinburgh is the capital city of Scotland and one of its 32 Council areas of Scotland, council areas. The city is located in southeast Scotland and is bounded to the north by the Firth of Forth and to the south by the Pentland Hills. Edinburgh ...

, one in

Dundee Dundee (; ; or , ) is the List of towns and cities in Scotland by population, fourth-largest city in Scotland. The mid-year population estimate for the locality was . It lies within the eastern central Lowlands on the north bank of the Firt ...

and one in Irvine. Plans are also in place to open a Gurdwara in

Aberdeen Aberdeen ( ; ; ) is a port city in North East Scotland, and is the List of towns and cities in Scotland by population, third most populous Cities of Scotland, Scottish city. Historically, Aberdeen was within the historic county of Aberdeensh ...

Tartan

Scottish Sikhs have their own

tartan Tartan or plaid ( ) is a patterned cloth consisting of crossing horizontal and vertical bands in multiple colours, forming repeating symmetrical patterns known as ''setts''. Originating in woven wool, tartan is most strongly associated wi ...

, and can be seen wearing kilts made from the material.

Gurdwaras in Scotland

*Guru Nanak Gurdwara, Dundee *Guru Nanak Gurdwara, Edinburgh *Guru Nanak Gurdwara, Glasgow (West End) *Central Gurdwara Singh Sabha, Glasgow (Central) *Shri Guru Tegh Bahadur Gurdwara, Glasgow (South Side) *Gurdwara Guru Granth Sahib Sikh Sabha, Glasgow (South Side) *Guru Nanak Gurdwara Irvine,Guru Nanak Gurdwara Irvine
/ref> Irvine

Notable Scottish Sikhs

Pam Gosal Dr Pam (Permjit) Gosal (born 25 April 1972) is a Scottish Conservatives, Scottish Conservative politician who has been a Member of the Scottish Parliament (MSP) for West Scotland (Scottish Parliament electoral region), West Scotland since 2021 ...

- Member of Scottish Parliament for West Scotland *

Hardeep Singh Kohli Hardeep Singh Kohli (born 21 January 1969) is a British presenter, comedian, writer and director who has appeared on various radio and television programmes. Having moved to Scotland at a young age, he has had a long association with the arts i ...

- Actor, comedian, presenter * Sanjeev Kohli - Actor, comedian, presenter *

Tigerstyle Tigerstyle is a Scottish folkhop group from Glasgow with a British Punjabi background. Background Brothers Raj Singh (Kulraj Singh Burmy) and Pops (Amritpal Singh Burmy) come from a folk background, with the traditional upbringing of a Sikh ...

- Music band of brothers Raj Singh and Pablo Singh * Tony Singh - Chef * Jagtar Singh Johal - Sikh activist

References

External links

Sikhs in ScotlandGlasgow GurdwaraCentral Gurdwara

Edinburgh Gurdwara
{{DEFAULTSORT:Sikhism In Scotland *