A Visit to an Hindu Temple in US

After my last couple of articles on a journey of faith, thought for Carrie's Friday Foto Fiesta, I would share some pictures of Hindu temples in US that have been constructed to fulfill the religious and social needs of the Indian-Americans.

When I arrived here in the late 80s, I had no idea that there were so many Hindu temples in the US, but should not have been surprised considering the US residents of Indian descent now number more than 2 million out of the total US population of more than 300 million. Hindu temples in US are more than places of worship, they are also the socio-cultural mainstay of the Hindus in the US. The temples are also centers of learning to help the Indian-Americans preserve the Indian languages, cultural traditions and generally their heritage through Sunday school, cultural events and other activities.


Interestingly, almost each Hindu home has a shrine or place of worship so it is not really expected for a hindu to go to a temple and many only go for religious festivals or socio-religious functions or special occasions like the birth of child to the temples. Here I am at one of DC's earliest temples the Hare Rama Hare Krishna Temple. The first place one will visit outside the home is the temple which is what I am doing here with my son when he was only a month old.


During my early years here, I was amazed to find this beautiful Hindu temple in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania which is a great replica of a typical temple in North India with its rich architecture and ornate workmanship.Here I am with my son years ago when we made a weekend trip to Pittsburg to visit the temple.


Above is the interior of the Rajdhani Temple in DC metropolitan area showing the deities-this is typical of the inner chambers of Indian temples. The images are powerful tools to help the human mind contemplate on the spiritual form of the Supreme Being who is considered to be formless. Relegating Hinduism to idol worship is inaccurate and an oversimplification, rather a misrepresentation of too complex a concept to explain here. As someone said it simply- we worship the God in the idol not idol as God. Actually, Vedas the most sacred Hindu scriptures written in sanskrit, do not even mention idols...



Note a prayer ceremony being conducted by a temple priest with all the rituals and offerings. Unlike the Church, the devotees enter the temple barefoot and sit on the floor to meditate, pray or listen to the priest expounding the Hindu teachings which are normally discussions from the Bhagwad Gita or the song of the Lord, a sanskrit poem of 700 verses divided into 18 chapters and which is considered the essence of Hinduism. It was composed between 200 BC and 200 AD. A key lesson expounded by the Bhagavad Gita is its emphasis on doing our duty without attachment for or caring about the results.

Below are pictures of Lord Ganesha being worshipped. Ganesha, the elephant-headed son of Shiva and Parvati, is widely worshipped as the supreme god of wisdom, prosperity and good fortune. There are many legends and mythologies connected with Hindu Gods.




Temples set up special shrines to celebrate major religious holidays and events. Above are pictures of a shrine set up to celebrate the birthday of Lord Ganesha.
Ganesha,the god of wisdom and prosperity, is invoked before the beginning of any auspicious work by the Hindus. It is believed that for the fulfillment of one's desires, his blessing is absolutely necessary.




The two pictures above show the shelved section outside the main hall of worship. Footwear of any kind and especially leather is absolutely not allowed and every temple has a place to shelve your footwear and wash your hands thoroughly before entering the sacred precincts of the temple. Wearing shoes into a temple is sacriligious because it is believed that one passes through many unsanitary places and it is disrespectful to go in with unclean wear into the temple. Ideally, one should purify as much as possible before entering the temple.


Note the bell at the entrance of the temple. Devotees ring the bell before coming and leaving. It is like announcing to God, ones arrival and departure. It is also invoking the divinity so that virtuous and noble forces enter one's being. Bells are also a significant aspect of worship while conducting prayers to drown out distractions and help the worshipper focus and meditate. Here my two friends are leaving the temple.

One final note, those of us who have settled here for years try to make it a point to bring/drag our kids (born and brought up here in US)as much as possible to the temples or religious events. Our kids,the second generation Americans are often caught between two worlds and face many complex issues, so religious forums can often play a crucial role helping them with their identity by helping them stay close to their roots and thus providing them a strong anchor...

Hope you enjoyed a glimpse into the socio-religious life of Indian-Americans in the US.