Photo: A rendering of the gurudwara design

Hundreds gathered April 14 for a ceremonial groundbreaking on the new $4 million Sikh house of worship in Lenexa, KS, that will be the largest in the Midwest once complete.

The Midwest Sikh Association’s new gurudwara in Lenexa will replace the long-standing facility in Shawnee that has been the hub of the Sikh community across the metro area since the late 1980s.

In remarks to the audience — which included members of the Lenexa city council, Mayor Mike Boehm and Johnson County Commissioner Mike Brown — Midwest Sikh Association president Swinder Singh noted that the groundbreaking was especially auspicious given its occurrence on Vaisakhi, a festival commemorating the formation of the Panth Khalsa, a special order of Sikhs formed in 1699 to defend religious freedoms.

Construction on the 26,000 square foot facility, which will be built on the 12 acres of land, is expected to begin in July and to be completed in nine months.