Lamah 1

Ghadeer Lamah
Mrs. Lucarelli
Comparative Civilizations
9 November 2015
Visiting a Hindu Temple
A few other students and I visited a Hindu temple and experienced what it is like to
attend one on a casual day. I was able to connect my own previous religious experiences and
knowledge of my own religion to the teachings of Hinduism. Prior to visiting the Hindu temple,
my knowledge on Hinduism was evident but limited. I was aware of the high importance and
respect placed on their many different gods and deities, but actually visiting the temple improved
and deepened my understanding of these topics.
Upon arrival, the first thing we had to do was remove our shoes before actually entering
the temple. The reason for this is that shoes are filthy and in a place built for honoring and
respecting God, taking off shoes before entering is a way to display courtesy and humbleness. In
Hinduism, respect is one of the most valued character traits a person can have. When continuing
into the actual temple I could not help but marvel at the absolute beauty of the design and
structure. The floors were marble, doors had intricate designs, and the ceilings seemed to be
miles high. Little did I know that there was so much more I still had not seen. As we walked
upstairs to the upper level of the temple, waiting was beautiful countless shrines honoring
different gods and deities, as shown in the pictures. Each shrine honors a different God. The size
of the shrine is determined by the importance of the God and emphasis put on that specific God;
the bigger, the more important. One thing that I noticed specifically was that there was an oil
candle at each shrine. These are to bring good luck to those who are worshiping at the shrine. In

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Hinduism, followers choose their own God to direct more focus on, that guides them through
their life and helps them become the best version of themselves. Throughout the temple I made
an observation that there were different boxes that were for food and money donations. Of
course, these donations are for charity and helping to improve and build-up the temple. These
donations are given back in certain rituals performed throughout the temple. One ritual that I
took part in was drinking a small amount of herbal water and moving my hand over a candle,
called aarti. This ritual is the Gods giving back for donating money and food to the temple, as
well as a blessing to each individual of good luck.
I can relate Hinduism to my own religion because as a Muslim, charity, or zakat, is part
of the five pillars of Islam. My family is always donating money and food to charity and our
mosque as a way to fulfill part of our religious duties. Although, this also differs from Islam
because I experienced at the temple that these donations are given back by God not only
spiritually, but physically as well. In Islam, the charity plays a role in how you will be rewarded,
or punished, in the Day of Judgement. Also, the different shrines and large scale depictions of
different Gods and deities contradicts Islam because it is against Islam to show God or prophets
as an image. Even though my own religion varies greatly from Hinduism, I was surprised to find
that there were a few areas where Hinduism and Islam do cross paths.
Overall, this visit to the temple was on just a casual day, and each individual seemed to
have more freedom of what he or she chooses to do. I noticed people devoting their time to
praying in front of their own Gods shrines, and others just simply dropping off some donations
and leaving. I never realized the amount of freedom and individuality that Hinduism
encompassed until visiting the temple.

Pictures

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