Paste your essay in here… On November 16th, 2018, I made a visit to a temple called the Char Dham Hindu Temple in The Woodlands, Texas. The planned activity the temple had on this day was Ayyappa Abhishekham. This temple is extremely rare because it is actually the only temple with all four temples in one location in the United States. This prodigious temple site was made possible by the SKAI foundation. SKAI is acronym for Surya, Kabita, Amlan, and Ishan. SKAI was created in 2007, by Dr. Surya Sahoo and his wife Kabita Sahoo. Along with the assistance of their sons, they erected the unique Char Dham Hindu Temple. The mission of the SKAI foundation is to provide charity and relief to the indigent, promote cultural activities for their visitors, provide religious services, advance and advocate for education, and the determent of discrimination from the outside and the inside of the community (Char Dham Hindu Temple, 1). The SKAI foundation also contributes to many food banks and financially backs scholarships to aid young students in need of education. The Hindu Char Dham consists of four divine temples named after the most holiest locations in the entire universe for Hindus. These temples are named Badrinath, Dwarka, Jagannath Puri, and Rameshwaram. The North temple, Badrinath, is the place of residence for Shri Badrinath. This temple is also referred to as “BhuVaikuntha”, which directly means the earthly home of Lord Vishnu. Badrinath, found in the state of Uttrakhand, is located on the banks of the river Alaknanda in the Himalayans. In the west is the Dwarka Temple in Gujurat. This temple is the the abode of Lord Krishna. It is commonly referred to as Jagat Mandir. In the east is the Puri Temple in Odisha. It is the home of Lord Balabhadra, Jagannath, Devi Subhadra and Lord Sudarsan. In the south lies the Rameshwaram Temple, which is the the home of Sri Ramanatha Swamy. It is located in the state of Tamil Nadu in the Gulf of Mannar, at the very tip of the Indian peninsula (Char Dham Hindu Temple, 1). The foundation and roots of these four temples being unified can be traced back to the 8th century philosopher and theologian, Adi Shankara. On top of consolidating the Advaita Vendeta doctrine, he is credited with unifying Hinduism by establishing the Dashanami Sampradaya. He organized a section of ten Ekadandi monks and then split the monks up into four monasteries located in the North, South, East and West in an attempt to unify all Hindus all across the countries and revive Hinduism (Sri Adi Shankaracharya, 1). His attempt was successful and he is credited with establishing the main currents of thoughts in modern Hinduism, like in the Char Dham Hindu Temple.
I was very lucky to have a guide on my trip to this temple because my lifelong friend, Jeevan Krishna, was happy obliged to give me an understanding of his religion and walked me through the ceremony that we witnessed. We arrived at the temple and after parking, we walked to the Rameshwaram temple located at the southern part of the compound. We then took off our shoes and entered. Upon entering the temple, my nose was hit with a fragrance that I can only describe as an olfactory system overload. Upon questioning, Jeevan explained to me that the fragrance I was smelling is called Nag Champa. Jeevan explained that it is a sacred incense created with sandalwood and a floral mixture, among other things. The ceremony we witnessed that day was an Abhishekham. The literal meaning of Abhishekham is a Sanskrit term that means to wet around. However, it is generally meant as devotional activity that includes the ritual bathing of consecrated images. Jeevan explained to me that Abhishekham is the time that Devotees express their love for their respective deity. It gives them a change to physically interact with god Devotees, meditate upon the murthis and honor them with mantras or hymns. The murthis are regularly served through different ceremonies such as Abhishekam. Ritual worship is an opportunity for the devotee to express one’s love for their deity (Sweetman, 39). It is a chance to physically interact with God, to relate to him on an intimate human level. I noticed that the devotees were offering something to an image of the Hindu deity, Ayyappan. Jeevan informed me that the offerings were known as the “Panchamritam”, which means the five nectars. He explained that the nectars were in direct correlation with five elements and five senses. Yogurt represented earth and touch. Ghee represented fire and sight. Milk represented water and taste. Honey represented ether and hearing, and sugar represented air and smell. I asked Jeevan why they did this, and he explained that by offering the Panchamritam, the devotees are asking Divinity to balance and purify the outside physical world around (Understanding Hindu Abhishekam, 1). The devotees are also asking the same for their own subjective perception of it. The divinity they were offering Panchamritam to was Ayyappa, a popular South Indian deity that is the son of both Vishnu and Shiva. After the ceremony, a lovely woman named Saanvi explained the origin story behind Ayyappa to me and how the deities have many interesting origin stories.
Saanvi was delighted to offer information and assist me with research for my visit. She started with the backstory behind the pictured deity, Ayyappa. Saanvi explained to me that soon after the gods and demons obtained nectar by churning the Ocean of Milk, problems began to arise. The gods and demons started fighting about it. To solve this issue, Vishnu took on the form of a gorgeous woman named Mohini. He then offered to divide the nectar among them. Mohini made the demons forget about nectar, meanwhile, the gods consumed all of it. By doing so, Vishnu directly prevented the demons from acquiring immortality. Shiva soon discovered of the feat that Vishnu successfully pulled it off and wanted proof of it. Vishnu showed Shiva Mohini’s beauty and Shiva fell in love, and ultimately proved him wrong. Shiva and Mohini had a child, and the child was named Ayyappa. Soon after he was born, they tied a golden bell around his neck. Not long after, they abandoned the child on the riverbanks of the Pampa river. Ayyappa was eventually discovered by a childless monarch in Pandalam named King Rajashekhara. The king then adopted and raised the child as his own (Chandra, 47). As I walked around the temple, I stumbled upon a peculiar painting of a deity. This deity had five faces and looked to be staring in different directions. Saanvi explained that this deity was named Shri Panchmukhi Hanuman and is the five faced form of Lord Hanuman. Hanuman was in a battle with Mahiravana, king of Patala Lok, otherwise known as the underworld. Hanuman was in a losing battle with the king when he discovered that the only way to defeat him. He had to extinguish five lamps in five different directions, all at the same time. To do this, Lord Hanuamn took the form of Panchmukhi Hanuman and used the five faces to defeat Mahiravana (Chandra, 4). As we walked more, I came across an interesting statue of an elephant with his arms up. Jeevan explained to me that this was Lord Ganesh, and he was known as the remover of obstacles. Jeevan joked with me that he prayed to Ganesh before starting a hard test, because he would remove all obstacles. He explained that Ganesh is the son of Shiva and Parvati, and his birthday is a much celebrated event. The day is known as Vinayaka Chaturthi and is widely celebrated by hindus all around the world.
The differences between the secular space versus the sacred places within the temple can be felt without knowing much about the temple itself. Hindu temples are typically referred to as the Mandira, or Mandir. Mandir is a sanskrit word that means a house. Hindus refer to the temples as the Mandir because it is the earthy home of a god or a goddess. If a deity is present there, it is a sacred place (Sacred Space, 1). All four temples within the Char Dham Hindu Temple are sacred places because of what lies inside of temples. All four temples contain an image of the deity housed in the temple is the main point of focus. The murti, the physical image of the deity, is different from other religions because it is a treated as a living god. The profane spaces are separated entirely from the sacred spaces in the temple. The visitors area which is located near the temples is where people can congregate and socialize. These areas are meant for socialization on the compound and aren't strictly meant for sacred worship. Another secular space that is separated entirely from the temples is the Temple Cultural Center. This space is used to promote hindu activities such as yoga, festivities, Indian classical dance classes, and children’s classes.
People adapt their traditional customs to wherever they move to in order to keep a sense of community and cultural regardless of their location. Many of the Hindus that I spoke to are very passionate about their customs. Hindus at this temple took off theirs shoes before entering the sacred temples, applied kumkum between their eyebrows at the time of worship, and were vegetarian. They greeted each other with namaste, all worshipped many gods, and all seemed to hold the notion that the elderly were highly respected (Hindu Customs and Traditions, 1). The women wore traditional dress attire and had their noses pierced. However, although many of the people I saw or spoke to practiced traditional customs, some of the younger Americanized patrons of the temple did not share similar sentiments. Although Saanvi and Jeevan expressed how important their traditions meant to them, some of the traditions were a bit outdated for the both of them. Arranged marriage is very popular in traditional customs, however this custom is not sitting well with many millennial Hindus. They explained that although they follow almost all traditions, they do not like the idea of having their partner chosen for them. Many young Hindus in the United States are caught up in cultural clashes because they identify with most traditional customs, however this traditional custom has put many at a crossroads. Disappointing elders with noncompliance is extremely frowned upon, however following through with a tradition they do not want to adhere to is equally disappointing (Ganeshaswarupananda, 2). Many younger hindus born and raised in the Unites States seemed to pick and choose which traditions they followed, unlike the elders who followed most, if not all of them. This trend can be seen in most religions in the United States and around the world. Globalization and a change in political climate has changed the viewpoints of many young adults, regardless of the religion or culture.
The information gathered during this visit to the Char Dham Hindu Temple was absolutely essential to the research process. Jeevan supplied me with vast information regarding traditional culture practices, Abhishekham, the components that make up Panchamritam, and how they all go hand in hand. The data collected showed me the importance the sacred and secular places in the temples and surrounding buildings. He also explained the origins of Lord Ganesh, and the holiday surrounding his birth. Saanvi also gave essential information and origin stories to help with the data collection. Saanvi explained the origins of Ayyappa, the deity that the Abhishekham was centered around. She explained the statue of Shri Panchmukhi Hanuman and his origins and importance. Both of the people I interviewed gave me an interesting perspective of their religion through the eyes of a Hindu born and raised in the United States and how it influences their lives. From people watching, I learned that many Hindus still uphold traditional values in clothes, social interactions, and religious beliefs.