{"id":4225,"date":"2025-07-22T22:58:31","date_gmt":"2025-07-22T22:58:31","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogs.ufv.ca\/sasi\/?p=4225"},"modified":"2025-08-27T22:55:49","modified_gmt":"2025-08-27T22:55:49","slug":"sikh-heritage-museum-launches-17th-exhibit-chandra-bodalias-legacy-the-history-and-heritage-of-gurdwaras-in-bc","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.ufv.ca\/sasi\/2025\/07\/22\/sikh-heritage-museum-launches-17th-exhibit-chandra-bodalias-legacy-the-history-and-heritage-of-gurdwaras-in-bc\/","title":{"rendered":"Sikh Heritage Museum launches 17th exhibit: Chandra Bodalia\u2019s Legacy: The History and Heritage of Gurdwaras in BC"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"July 20, 2025 – After months of dedicated preparation and meticulous curation, the South Asian Studies Institute (SASI) at the University of the Fraser Valley proudly inaugurated its latest exhibit, Chandra Bodalia\u2019s Legacy: The History and Heritage of Gurdwaras in BC<\/em>, at the Sikh Heritage Museum in Abbotsford. This is the Museum\u2019s seventeenth exhibit<\/a> since its establishment in 2011 during the centennial celebrations of the Gur Sikh Temple National Historic Site.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

A full-capacity audience gathered at the museum to engage deeply with the exhibit\u2019s exploration of the historical and cultural significance of Gurdwaras in small and large sawmill towns across British Columbia. Central to the exhibit is the photographic legacy of Chandra Bodalia, whose thirty years of work as a photojournalist has left behind a vast and deep documentation of the South Asian Canadian community\u2019s evolving narrative in the region.<\/p>\n

The opening ceremony featured thoughtful reflections and acknowledgments from several distinguished speakers. SASI\u2019s own Dr. Satwinder Bains set the tone by emphasizing the enduring importance of preserving community histories through visual archives. Abbotsford City Councillor Patricia Ross and MLA Bruce Banman underscored the exhibit\u2019s significance as a celebration of both local heritage and cultural identity. UFV\u2019s Acting Provost Dr. Tracy Ryder-Glass highlighted the collaboration between academic research and public history initiatives, demonstrating how university-community partnerships can foster meaningful cultural preservation. Everyone was moved by words from Vimal and Mona Bodalia, the children of Chandra Bodalia, who expressed gratitude for the respectful stewardship of their father\u2019s extensive photographic corpus and the trust placed in SASI to bring his work to wider audiences.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

The exhibit\u2019s content thoughtfully traces the growth and heritage of Gurdwaras throughout BC, intertwining the architectural, spiritual, and social histories of these institutions complimented by Bodalia\u2019s rich contemporary visual documentation. His vast collection\u2014estimated at over three million photographs\u2014offers an unparalleled window into the lived experiences, celebrations, trials, challenges, and milestones of the South Asian diaspora in Canada.<\/p>\n

For those unable to attend the opening, CBC\u2019s coverage provides a compelling overview of the event and the exhibit\u2019s highlights, accessible here: CBC Coverage<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Looking ahead, the SASI team continues the ambitious project of digitizing Bodalia\u2019s photographic archive, ensuring that this invaluable resource\u00a0 remains accessible for scholars, community members, and future generations. A selection of his digitized photographs can be explored online here: SACDA Bodalia Collection<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Chandra Bodalia\u2019s Legacy<\/em> will be on display for a full year at the Sikh Heritage Museum, welcoming visitors free of charge from 9 AM to 5 PM daily until July 2026. The South Asian Studies Institute warmly invites all to visit and engage with this profound testament to BC\u2019s South Asian heritage\u2014an exhibit that honors both historical memory and the ongoing story of community resilience and identity.<\/p>\n

Click here<\/a> to view photos of the exhibit opening.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

July 20, 2025 – After months of dedicated preparation and meticulous curation, the South Asian Studies Institute (SASI) at the University of the Fraser Valley proudly inaugurated its latest exhibit, Chandra Bodalia\u2019s Legacy: The History and Heritage of Gurdwaras in BC, at the Sikh Heritage Museum in Abbotsford. This is the Museum\u2019s seventeenth exhibit since … Read more<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":249,"featured_media":4230,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"generate_page_header":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-4225","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.ufv.ca\/sasi\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4225","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.ufv.ca\/sasi\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.ufv.ca\/sasi\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.ufv.ca\/sasi\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/249"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.ufv.ca\/sasi\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=4225"}],"version-history":[{"count":14,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.ufv.ca\/sasi\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4225\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":4247,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.ufv.ca\/sasi\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4225\/revisions\/4247"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.ufv.ca\/sasi\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/4230"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.ufv.ca\/sasi\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=4225"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.ufv.ca\/sasi\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=4225"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.ufv.ca\/sasi\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=4225"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}