Of these, langar is perhaps the most important. A Sikh Gurdwara without a free kitchen is inconceivable. In its very inception, a protest against the inequities of the caste system, the Sikh langar is a 'common refectory' attached to every Gurdwara.

Bhai Desa Singh in his Rehitnama says, "A Sikh who is 'well to do' must look to the needs of his poor neighbours. Whenever he meets a traveller or a pilgrim from a foreign country, he must serve him devotedly.
Maharaja Ranjit Singh made grants of jagirs to gurdwaras for the maintenance of langar. Similar endowments were created by other Sikh rulers as well. Today, practically every gurudwara has a langar supported by the community in general. In smaller gurdwaras cooked food received from different households may comprise the langar. In any case, no pilgrim or visitor will miss food at meal time in a gurudwara. Sharing a common meal sitting in a pangat is for a Sikh is an act of piety. So is his participation in cooking or serving food in the langar and in cleaning the used dishes. The Sikh ideal of charity is essentially social in conception. A Sikh is under a religious obligation to contribute one-tenth of his earnings (daswand) for the welfare of the community. He must also contribute the service of his hands whenever he can, service rendered in a langar being the most meritorious.