Derby Faith Trail

42 students across Year 7 and Year 8 visited the Derby Open Centre to experience places of worship belonging to three of the world’s major religions.

Students visited a Hindu Temple where they viewed the main prayer hall and the shrine with the deities worshipped. Every time a member of the community visited a loud bell rang to symbolize their arrival in the presence of God.

Following on from the Hindu Temple, students visited a Mosque to get an insight into a Muslim place of worship. Students were taken to the washrooms used for Wudu which is where Muslims must always visit prior to the prayer hall to ensure they had washed. A Muslim guide explained the importance of the direction of prayer (facing Mecca) along with six clocks which signified the five times a Muslim would pray each day along with a sixth clock for a special prayer on Friday’s – the Muslim holy day. 

The last place of worship was a Sikh place of worship – the Gurdwara. Students were taken to the prayer hall for a talk about the Sikh way of life. This included the 5K’s – where students had an opportunity to look at each item in turn and understand its significance for the Sikh community. There was also an opportunity to play the Jori – a South Asian percussion instrument made up of two individual drums and to see the Sikh leader demonstrate the spinning of a Chakar – a big wheel with weights at the end of each spoke. This is used in battle as a shield but has also been used in ceremonial dances.

Students also had an opportunity to visit the langar kitchen to try some of the food provided by the community. Hot meals are served here free of charge for anybody in need of food. People sit on the floor and eat together. The langar kitchen is maintained and serviced by Sikh community volunteers as a way of giving back to the community and providing valuable charity work.