Great Baltimore Hindu - Essay Example

VISITING REPORT: GREAT BALTIMORE HINDU The place of worship is a religious location whereby a group of the religious people comes to worship their higher powers, celebrate the festivals and perform their religious duties. Additionally, the place of worship can also provide a meeting place for the community or the host of the religious programs. Many religious worship in the temple, which include Hinduism, Taoism, Bahai, Buddhism, Judaism, Jainism, Mormonism and Sikhism. Because temples have a huge impact on the religious lives and religions of many followers, careful study of the places of worship is highly recommended in the field of the religious studies, it should be done in person. I had the chance for this reason to visit the Greater Baltimore Temple located in Finksburg, Maryland not once but twice. My first visitation to the Greater Baltimore Temple was on the occasion of the Divali celebration (or Diwali as the poster at the temple said). For the Hindus, Diwali iss marked as most respectable festival and holy of the year, and it’s usually celebrated for five days. After my first visit, I was notified by the staff that there was going to be a traditional Hindu marriage on Saturday. I came back with the intention of observing the event and to carefully study on the building structure and the deities’ statutes since it was crowded (during the Divali). This paper is focused on my reflection from what I observed on my visitation to the Greater Baltimore Temple. According to the website of the temple, “In the early 1990s, several dedicated members of the Hindu-Jain community felt the need for a place of worship and to preserve our heritage for future generations” (Elfenbein, pg. 18). During my second visit, I had the opportunity to ask the elderly members in the temple some of my main concerns. For them, the temple not only serves as the worshiping place for the Hindu, but also as the meeting place for the Indian immigrants in the Washington D.C. and the Baltimore areas. Being an international student from India; therefore, I also share the same feeling like that of the Indian immigrant. For someone visiting United States from outside, she or he is most likely to appreciate the ordinary things/events that happen in her/his home and tends to form a community that represents one’s identity. During my visitation I had the chance to talk to young Indian parents about the relationship of the temple and their children. Since children are the third generation of the Indian immigrant, they are already fit in and influenced by the culture of the United States; therefore, they lack the deep connection to the temple like the ones their parents and grandparents do. I have always had a strong connection to the architecture aspect of the Hindus religious houses. However, am compelled to say that I was quite disappointed in my first sight of the Greater Baltimore Temple. My expectations prior to the visit was to see a very traditional Hindu temple build in red clay brick, modest entrance and featuring diverse curved imagery on its outside walls. Furthermore, Hindu temples are mostly built near the water source for the purposes of purification. In my opinion, the Greater Baltimore Temple is a bit too westernized to the extent that I couldn’t notice it when my close friend was driving me by it. Straightforward design and typical pyramids roof are the most conspicuous features of the Greater Baltimore Temple. Nothing was different when I observed the interior part of the building neither-too westernized. From my observation, I realized that the temple has lost the authentic features of the Hindu architecture style. The cleanliness of the temple however is something which impressed me a lot. From the very little details I could notice the shoes storeroom and the water fountain that was used to clean hands. Therefore, I am of the opinion that the people that go to this temple highly regard cleanliness and also value order. The Hindus are widely recognized for their purification and I was lucky to observe that in person. Personally I think that any Hindu follower must adhere to the purification steps so that he or she can clean the uncleanliness from the outside world. They are supposed to be pure when they enter house of the spirit and come into contact with the Goddesses and Gods. While walking inside the temple I made sure that my shoes were off; this made me feel having more physical and personal contact with the place of worship. From the front entrance of the temple, I realized that a sacred table was there that was displaying a statue of the Ganesha. Ganesha is one of the widely worshiped and known deities in the religion of Hinduism. It’s worshipped as the “Lord of the Beginnings and Remover of Obstacles.” I felt that the Ganesha is strategically placed at the front entrance so that the visitors can have a lucky and good “beginning” while they visit the temple.additonally, the fact that the there were a marriage and the Divali, Ganesha may play a critical role in blessing the events and removing the obstacles that may arise. However, those were just my own imaginations. The main worshipping room was to the right of the entrance. I was impressed of the fact that the room was quite open and roomy. According to the interview with one staff member, the big worshipping room serves big events like the festivals, traditional Hindu marriages, religious lectures and pujas for the large group. I also noticed that around the walls there were several symbols of the word Om and several other quotes in Sanskrit and English. The images are meant for decoration and religious purposes such as learning, meditating, and among others. Once inside the worshipping honestly I didn’t know what to do. I think this is a common feeling for anyone going to a different religion for the first time. I saw a couple of women sitting in chairs that were nearby the wall talking. I sat down and started observing the area around while thinking if it was right to go closer to the statutes and look at them. From the place I sat, I could see the three main goddesses that were at the centre of the display area: Laskmi, Kali and Sarasvati. Though there were many statutes that were at the display area, I was unable to properly see them due to a large curtain hanging in front of the display area. For the Diwali, I think I was a little bit too late after the main event had already taken place. The Diwali is the most decorative event I have ever seen in my entire life. Temple was lit well, and it featured a lot of items, like the oil lamp with the cradle lighting on top of it. The event brings together the families, whole Hindu community and their relatives. Since I arrived late, the only event that I witnessed was dancing from the children and the social gatherings of the adults, which involved snacks and drinks. For the traditional Hindu marriage, I was lucky to have a friend of mine that lives near the temple; therefore, I came earlier and witnessed the whole event. The marriage took place in the smaller room that is on the left of the entrance. At the center of the smaller room, there was a big mat that on the floor. A priest was sitting on top of the mat and hosted the traditional marriage; surrounding the priest were red powders, fruits, and some kind of the incenses. During the wedding, the marriage couples completed the Saptapadi (the seven circles). The couple took time while completing the seven circles took turn to vow on their duties and responsibilities as husband and wife to one another, duties as the members of both family, and also duties as members of the Hindu community. The event was quite intriguing and a happy one. While there were many different things that I didn’t understand well on my visitation to the temple, the vast knowledge that I have gained throughout my course played a critical role in helping me identify some of the familiar deities, events, and the symbols. Additionally, these visitations were very crucial to me since they opened and strengthened my understanding about Hinduism and in specific the traditional Hindu marriages and the Divali. Work Cited Elfenbein, Jessica, Thomas Hollowak, and Elizabeth Nix, eds. Baltimore68: Riots and Rebirth in an American City. Temple University Press, 2011. Read More