FEATURE A temple is more than just a religious place - it is also a place where people gather and interact. And often, the transformation of a temple is closely interrelated with the social history of the community.

Just as the old Kuala Lumpur Gurdwara Sahib Polis has witnessed the surrounding historical buildings disappear in the name of modernisation, the temple’s future is now in question.

Lostgens Contemporary Art Space director Yeoh Lian Heng is a keen follower of Kuala Lumpur’s development, particularly changes to central Kuala Lumpur where the gallery is located.

In the 1990s, the Urban Development Authority of Malaysia (Uda) took over a large area of land in central Kuala Lumpur to improve the living standards of urban Malays, Yeoh said.

Many years later, the land appropriated by Uda extended to the Bukit Bintang and Jalan Sultan areas, where many historical buildings were demolished to give way to the Mass Rail Transit (MRT) project.

How the gurdwara remains standing

The land on which the gurdwara stands was among those taken over by the government in the 1990s, but the committee decided not to budge.

Yeoh believes that the Sikh temple’s historical ties to the police force was their bargaining chip to negotiate with the government to this day, even if the land no longer belonged to them.

But with pressure from Uda, the gurdwara committee worry that the historical structure will turn to rubble, prompting them to join a cultural heritage preservation campaign.

Yeoh himself joined the ‘Preserve Jalan Sultan Campaign’ four years ago.

He recalled that the gurdwara provided much assistance to the campaigners, including providing electricity for the organisers and performers.

Hardev Singh, who leads the gurdwara committee, however, declined to confirm this, perhaps unwilling to involve the gurdwara in political issues.

Support out of sentimental attachment

The gurdwara’s survival today is also due to continuous support from the followers.

Kaur (not her real name) is one of them.

Although she finds the temple’s location inconvenient compared to others in the vicinity, Kaur insists on praying there.

Others, she said, prefer other temples like the one in Petaling Jaya which provides ample parking, unlike Gurdwara Sahib Polis where parking fees in the city centre are rocket high.

Kaur is from Ipoh, Perak and migrated to the capital city after marriage. She learnt of Gurdwara Sahib Polis from her father-in-law, a committee member.

Despite facing various inconveniences, Kaur insists on supporting this gurdwara as much as she can. This is because the temple’s main source of income is donations, and only through donations can the temple hire a priest to continue operations.

This is why if her family wants to organise any ceremonies like a wedding or funeral, she would request Gurdwara Sahib Polis to conduct it.

“Without the funds, the temple is going to close down.”

She believes the gurdwara operates to this today because she is not the only one hoping it will continue to flourish.

Back to the place we are familiar with

Step out of the gurdwara and one will arrive at Jalan Panggung, where Lostgens is located.

Under Lostgens is the Wan Fo Yuan vegetarian restaurant run by a Tanjung Malim native who prefers to be known as Fong.

Fong has run the restaurant for 30 years and many of her customers are devotees at the gurdwara.

Like the temple, Fong has seen ups and downs and her business may be seeing its sunset years with competition growing and sales falling.

But still, there are old customers who are nostalgic and grow sentimental over Fong’s food.

“If they want to recall the taste of the olden days, they will come back,” she said.

“Just like the place you used to dine when you are young. After a long time, you will still go back to that place just to taste the food.”

Recalling the days of old and preserving heritage - these are exactly what drives Hardev to continue his journey to protect the temple.

“It’s such a beautiful building you see, 100 over years already, this is value that we must respect.

“I will never allow any unnecessary thing to happen here, to affect this temple,” he said.

Yesterday: Gurdwara Sahib Polis - the story of Sikh Malaysians