|
|
Ackland Art Museum Five Faiths Project Steven W. Ramey - Researcher |
The visiting swami, dressed in orange, stood over a lingam in the center of the temple hall of the Hindu Bhavan during a Rudra Abhishekam on the fourteenth of February 1999. While another man was chanting, the swami lifted a steel bowl filled with gallons of honey high over his head and slowly drizzled the golden, sweet liquid over the lingam. The lights glistened through the stream of honey as it slowly flowed down and over the lingam. He continued bathing the lingam with the milk, yogurt, ghee, and sugar that the sponsors had brought as offerings. Meanwhile, the sponsors, about 50 families, sat in a circle around the lingam as other devotees squeezed into the corners of the room to have darshan, a "seeing", of the murti (ritually installed statue) of the deity being bathed. These crowds of people and large ritual events are common at the Hindu Bhavan on various festival days. On most days, though, the temple provides a place for quieter, individual prayer and worship. Every morning and evening, as well as all day on Saturdays, Sundays, and holidays, individuals can enter the temple, bow before the murtis of the various deities, meditate, light incense sticks and wave them before their favorite deity, touch the feet of the deities, or circumambulate the shrine. Members of the community also conduct daily rituals of service for each murti and perform aarti for all the deities in the temple every morning and evening. Aarti consists of chanting, ringing bells, and waving lamps before each of the murtis. Afterwards, everyone receives the blessings from the deities by placing their hands over the flame and then bringing its warmth up to their faces as well as eating some of the food which the deities have blest and graciously returned to them. The sanctum dominates the back of the main hall in the Bhavan. Tan marble tiles line the walls and floors of the main portion of the sanctum in the center of the back wall. The central murtis, clothed in garments ordered from India regularly, are about 2 and a half feet tall and sit on a marble platform, about 3 feet above the floor. When the Hindu Society of North Carolina built the Bhavan in 1986, members voted for the deities which they wanted placed in the temple. The most popular deity, Radha-Krishna, sits in the center, flanked by Ganesh and Hanuman on the left and, on the right, by Durga and Shiva, along with Parvati and Nandi. Members of the Jain community also installed an image of Mahavir Jain along the right side of the hall, near the sanctum, when the Bhavan opened. About two years after the installation of these deities, some members of the community requested that other deities be added, so the community installed additional murtis on similar platforms along the side walls near the main sanctum. Along the left side are murtis of Venkateswara; Ram, Sita, and Lakshman; and Minakshi. On the right side are Narayan and Mahalakshmi and Srinath, with the image of Mahavir Jain between them. The Hindu Bhavan is also a multi-purpose building for the Hindu community. The large hall, which can accommodate over 400 people, is surrounded by a foyer in the front, a kitchen and a stage on the left side, and offices in the back. The community frequently organizes cultural programs that include children’s performances, dance, drama, and music, using the stage and the majority of the large hall. They close a partition between the sanctum and the rest of the hall during these programs so that devotees can continue to pray and worship. The Bhavan also provides space for various classes. Several children’s classes meet weekly to study particular South Asian languages and the principles of Hinduism. Members of the community often assert that teaching their children about their religious and cultural heritages is a highly significant aspect of the work of the temple. Adult study groups also meet at the Bhavan to discuss texts such as the Bhagavad Gita or the ideas of Indian philosophers such as Ramakrishna. In fact, at times the schedule of the Bhavan becomes so crowded with various classes and group functions that new groups can only schedule their classes at awkward times. Because the community has grown considerably since they built the Bhavan, they are in the process of building a larger social hall behind the Bhavan that will accommodate approximately 1500 people. When that 2.5 million dollar building is complete, the social, cultural, and educational activities will move to the new building. This additional space will relieve some of the scheduling difficulties as well as create an environment in the temple itself that is more conducive for prayers and rituals. In fact, some members of the community hope to add other deities to the temple, as the new building will alleviate some of the existing space limitations that preclude the installation of more murtis. A sense of unity and egalitarianism pervades many of the activities at the Bhavan and distinguishes this temple from many other Hindu temples in several ways. From the beginning, the leaders wanted to unite immigrants from a variety of regions of South Asia. Consequently, they did not select one particular deity to whom they would dedicate the temple but allowed the members of the community to select a variety of deities. This sense of inclusion of various traditions continued with their decision to add the additional deities on the sides. In fact, a murti of Mahavir Jain, the most recent tirthankar of Jainism, is included among the deities on the right side. The members of the Jain Study Center of North Carolina conduct their own rituals at the Bhavan on Saturday mornings, and individuals pray before the image of Mahavir Jain during the week. The volunteer priest, Dr. G. D. Sharma, who was also among the founders of the Hindu Society, describes this inclusion of the Jain community,
The inclusion of diversity extends beyond the representation of deities in the temple. Various regional organizations are active in the community, and each regional group typically emphasizes its own style of worship and significant festivals. For example, approximately 25 Nepali families, who comprise the most recent group to arise at the Bhavan, worship together on Sundays, following Nepali ritual practices. Festival celebrations are often organized by the regional group for whom the particular festival is most significant. The leaders of the Bhavan then encourage the entire community to attend the festivals of the various regions. Dr. Vijaya Bapat, a physician who has participated in the Bhavan since moving to the area six years ago, particularly appreciates these practices. She asserts,
The community also unites to celebrate Indian Independence. On the 15th of August 1999, a standing-room-only crowd attended a pan-Indian fair. Representatives of each region prepared the culinary specialties of their regions and performed dances and music for the entire community. While the community tries to instill a sense of unity through promoting these diverse regional festivals, at times the diversity and size of the community challenges this unity. Some popular festivals actually are celebrated multiple times in the Bhavan, as differing groups organize their own celebrations. For example, in 2000, although the Hindu Society conducted a Holi celebration for the entire community, the Gujarati association and at least one other organization held their own festivities at the Bhavan. While some people attend several of the Holi celebrations, naturally the celebrations organized by a person’s own regional association has an added significance. Moreover, the diverse languages of South Asia make it difficult for everyone to come together for festivals or other occasions, as no single language is effective for communicating to everyone. The egalitarianism in the community extends to the rituals as well. In many Hindu temples, only the priests are allowed to enter the sanctum and touch the murtis. Dr. Sharma initiated a different policy from the beginning. He explains, Since the devotees are free to conduct their own prayers and rituals, including touching the murtis themselves, the temple has not felt the necessity to hire a full-time priest. Dr. Sharma is the volunteer priest, and he conducts community rituals and individual rituals whenever people request them. Though he spends much time at the temple, he is not always present, and devotees can worship without his assistance. Community leaders only restrict a devotee’s approach to the deity when the temple is too crowded to maintain an orderly atmosphere. In the future, though, this policy may change. Dr. Sharma has retired as the volunteer priest (though he still serves in that capacity), and the community is planning to hire a priest, perhaps by the end of 2000, who might change the policy. Maintaining the unity of such a large, diverse community is not a simple task, particularly considering the impressive growth of the community through the 1980’s and 1990’s. Disagreements have arisen over various issues, most notably the ritual practices. Some members of the community appreciate the ritual openness and its emphasis on the one-ness of the human and divine while others desire a greater focus on the sanctity of the murtis. One portion of the community has established a second temple only a few miles from the Bhavan. This temple is dedicated to Lord Venkateswara, a manifestation of Vishnu especially popular in South India. The new temple currently has two full time priests and conducts its rituals according to specific South Indian ritual guides, including preventing anyone except the priests from touching the murtis. This rift within the community, though, is not absolute. Most of the members of the new temple are still members of the Hindu Society and come to the Bhavan to worship as well. The new temple also uses the Bhavan’s facilities for larger gatherings which their building cannot accommodate. Moreover, during the ground breaking ritual for the new temple, the leaders of the new temple honored Dr. and Mrs. Sharma for their efforts in establishing and maintaining the Hindu Society of North Carolina and the Hindu Bhavan. Throughout the past quarter century, the Hindu Society has not only grown significantly, but it has also experienced both positive and negative reactions from the surrounding communities. When the Hindu Society applied to build the temple in the mid 1980’s, some people opposed the application. One of the neighbors of the temple, however, spoke at the hearing in favor of the temple, saying that he would prefer a Hindu temple next door to him than a gas station or club. He has continued to help the temple immensely over the years, including cleaning and caring for the building and keeping a key to the temple so that whomever comes to the temple in the off hours can ask him to open it. Once, when the security alarm sounded while Dr. Sharma was inside, this neighbor came with his shotgun to check on the situation. As this incident suggests, he does not fit the stereotype of a pluralist. One member of the temple described him as both "the best friend of the temple" and "a very Southern, veteran, conservative man." In his front yard, he proudly displays an American flag and a cross. According to the oral history of the community, he became interested in the temple and started helping them after a medical doctor, who happened to be Hindu, cared for him when he was seriously ill. The friendship between this neighbor and the temple is only one of numerous positive relationships the community has developed over its history. Though the community faces opposition and racism at times, the long-time members see an increasing receptivity within the surrounding community. Various classes from local colleges and universities visit the temple to learn about Hinduism. Similarly, several local churches have invited Dr. Sharma to speak to their congregations about Hinduism. Dr. Sharma describes the experiences, The leadership of the Bhavan has facilitated these positive relationships by ardently rejecting any ideas of converting others to Hinduism. According to Dr. Sharma, "The main basic principle of Hinduism is no conversions. We do not believe in conversion. What we are, we stay." Consequently, he feels that churches should not feel threatened by the presence of a Hindu temple. Through such pro-active stances and positive interactions, the Hindu community has created a place for themselves in the religious landscape of central North Carolina.
Back to the Ackland Art Museum Project Affiliate page
|