South Indian Temple

Today’s trip to the Hindu temple in Aurora, Illinois was surprisingly more interesting than I was expecting. Of the trips so far, I think this one was the most educational and enjoyable. I think there were a few different reasons why that was the case. First of all, the guide that showed us around and talked with us was very friendly and genuine. He was excited we were there which rubbed off on me and made me more excited to hear what he had to say. Also, the overall atmosphere of the temple and in general the religion was welcoming to everyone. There was a sense that everyone was truly welcome in their temple, as long as you followed one simple rule: take off your shoes.
I never really thought about the fact that Hinduism values their native country so greatly until he explained their rich heritage in India. It makes sense because so far in our class we have discovered each religions “home” country, why wouldn’t Hinduism have one? Judaism values Jerusalem and Islam values Mecca. For Hinduism, India is the land they treasure. There are many unique customs and cultures in India, including the various languages in the country itself. In America, the states are separated by state lines, in India states are separated by language divides. It was interesting when he explained the difference between North and South Indian temples. In a South Indian temple, like the one we visited today, the temple has many gods and idols displayed throughout the sanctuary, and they are made of black granite. In a North Indian temple, they have the same gods and idols displayed but instead of black granite they are made of white granite. This difference may seem insignificant but he explained why that is not the case. Due to the pure whiteness of the North Indian temple, they have a much higher emphasis on cleanliness than in a South Indian temple. That’s not to say the temple we were at today was dirty, just in comparison there is less emphasis.
Next we discussed the religion itself more specifically, explaining the gods and beliefs we discussed in class on Thursday. Hearing all of these things was interesting, but they really came to life when we toured the temple itself. He took us around to all of the almost mini-altars that displayed the black granite idols as he explained but it was absolutely beautiful how they were displayed. With gold, diamonds, and real flowers adorning the idols, they were definitely a sight to see. He showed us the milk and fruit juices used to bathe the statues daily, weekly, or monthly depending on which statue it is and also the guards that guard them. The part I liked the most about our visit was when we were able to actually interact with the religion. The priest asked us if we wanted to try the holy water, some of us agreed and he went through the process with us doing it as well. First we had to motion with our hands from a flame he was holding to our eyes. Then we all got a small amount of holy water onto our right palm to drink. Next, he held a crown shaped silver bowl over each of our heads as our hands were held together for respect. Finally, he handed all of us two almonds. This experience is definitely not one I will forget. As the saying goes, “when in Rome, do what the Romans do,” and we did. Also, Deepa gave each of us a dot on our foreheads; this also made me feel like a part of the community in their temple. However, once we got to Panera to eat lunch, we all noticed people were glancing over at us more than usual. I had already forgotten about the red dots on our foreheads, but I soon realized, that’s what they were looking at. It gave me a certain sense of what some practicing Hindu’s must go through when they get looked at for wearing what they wear including that dot. Overall, the experience was very fun and it made me want to learn more about the Hindu and Indian culture. I got to drink their holy water, eat some spicy rice, and learn a lot about what it means to be Hindu.