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TEMPLE & DHARAMSHALA

TEMPLE

A Hindu temple or mandir is a symbolic house, seat and body of divinity for Hindus It is a structure designed to bring human beings and gods together, using symbolism to express the ideas and beliefs of Hinduism. The symbolism and structure of a Hindu temple are rooted in Vedic traditions, deploying circles and squares. It also represents recursion and equivalence of the macrocosm and the microcosm by astronomical numbers, and by “specific alignments related to the geography of the place and the presumed linkages of the deity and the patron”. A temple incorporates all elements of Hindu cosmos—presenting the good, the evil and the human, as well as the elements of Hindu sense of cyclic time and the essence of life—symbolically presenting dharma, kama, artha, moksa, and karma.

The spiritual principles symbolically represented in Hindu temples are given in the ancient Sanskrit texts of India (for example, Vedas and Upanishads), while their structural rules are described in various ancient Sanskrit treatises on architecture (Brhat Samhita, Vastu Sastras) The layout, the motifs, the plan and the building process recite ancient rituals, geometric symbolisms, and reflect beliefs and values innate within various schools of Hinduism. A Hindu temple is a spiritual destination for many Hindus, as well as landmarks around which ancient arts, community celebrations and economy have flourished.

Hindu temples come in many styles, are situated in diverse locations, deploy different construction methods and are adapted to different deities and regional beliefs, yet almost all of them share certain core ideas, symbolism and themes. They are found in South Asia particularly India and Nepal, Pakistan, in southeast Asian countries such as Sri Lanka, Cambodia, Vietnam, and islands of Indonesia and Malaysia, and countries such as Canada, Fiji, France, Guyana, Kenya, Mauritius, the Netherlands, South Africa, Suriname, Tanzania, Trinidad and Tobago, Uganda, the United Kingdom, the United States, and other countries with a significant Hindu population. The current state and outer appearance of Hindu temples reflect arts, materials and designs as they evolved over two millennia; they also reflect the effect of conflicts between Hinduism and Islam since the 12th century. The Swaminarayanan Akshardham in Robbinsville, New Jersey, United States, between the New York and Philadelphia metropolitan areas, was inaugurated in 2014 as one of the world’s largest Hindu temples.

An illustration of Hindu temple Spires (Shikhara, Vimana) built using concentric circle and rotating-squares principle. The left is from Vijayanagar in Karnataka, the right is from Pushkar in Rajasthan.

 5 THINGS TO KNOW ABOUT VISITING A HINDU TEMPLE

Mantra meditation and congregational chanting

Much of Hindu temple worship, the pujas and various rituals, are not usually congregational in nature. There are no sermons or talks by a priest to those people attending the service, as you find in other religious traditions.
However, in some temples and communities, there is one important aspect of worship that is congregational in nature.
According to Vedic teachings, sound is the first and most subtle layer of Creation. Because of this, mantra meditation is considered an extremely powerful way in which a person can positively transform his or her consciousness.
The Sanskrit word “mantra,” from the roots “man” (mind) and “tra” (to deliver), can be defined as deliverance of the mind from material suffering. As a result, mantra meditation is commonly practiced in Hindu temples throughout the entire world. Usually counted on beads made of a natural substance, devotees chant the names of the God they worship as a way of purifying their thoughts, words, and actions, as well as ultimately, connecting to the Supreme.
Mantra meditation can also be applied in music. This type of chanting is called kirtan and is practiced in a call and response fashion, having one person lead, while the rest of the congregation follow. Through song, not only can a person call out to the Divine with even more feeling, that person also gets the opportunity to sing in harmony with others. Sincerely crying out to the Divine as a group creates a potent kinship that connects and uplifts people of all backgrounds. If music is the universal language, then kirtan is the medium by which that language can be powerfully utilized.

Temple etiquette

For thousands of years Hindu temples have been constructed, allowing people to immerse themselves in an atmosphere where they can worship a particular form of God, gather with other devotees, and become more connected to the Absolute. Though most Hindu temples are usually open to the public, it is important to enter each one with the understanding that it is a sacred space. Being conscious of certain etiquettes can help one navigate the hallowed grounds of a temple respectfully.
Before entering a temple, it is generally recommended to be clean and modestly dressed. For both men and women, this generally means not wearing shorts and keeping the shoulders covered. Traditions can vary, however, from temple to temple. Some place a greater emphasis on dressing simply, requiring men to be shirtless and to wear only unsewn cloth.
Temples are like homes of the Gods. When you enter, you are a guest in that home. Before entering a temple everyone is required to remove shoes. Sometimes this is entirely outside the temple complex and other times at a designated space inside the complex, but before entering the temple proper. If it’s not obvious where to do so (racks for shoes, informational signs) just ask where to leave your shoes. Removing dirty shoes makes you cleaner, and is a sign of respect for the proprietor whose house you are about to spend time in. Many temples have a brass bell hanging near the entrance, which devotees ring before entering. Like knocking on the door of a person’s home to notify them of your arrival, ringing the bell informs the deities you’ve come to seek their association.
Paying obeisances comes next. The act of bowing down and touching the head to the ground demonstrates and instils humility and helps to cultivate the consciousness of respect a person should have while in a temple room. As when visiting a friend’s home you might bring a token gift, it is common practice for Hindus to bring a flower, fruit, or some other item as an offering to the God of the temple they’re visiting. Though it is not required, presenting an offering is an act of service that can deepen one’s sincere devotion.

Deity worship

Upon entering a temple room, one of the first things you’ll probably notice is the presence of one or multiple statues of deities, known as murti. These deities are central to all temple activities. Hindus believe that truly worshiping a certain God is more than just visiting the temple once a week to atone for misdeeds and ask forgiveness.

Real worship is immersive, it’s about daily engagement of all the senses in the service of the Supreme. Though true Divinity is in everything, and can therefore be meditated on at any time in any place, having a physical form to worship is vital in helping employ the five senses in worship.

Murtis are made following specific scriptural guidelines, handed down through generations by trained lineages of skilled artisans. These forms can then be installed in a temple where they are worshipped through puja, in which a priest generally offers flowers, water, incense, some food, and a lamp. Puja rituals are varied depending on the place.

At the Jagannatha temple in Puri, for example, skilled dancers perform for the deity as part of the offering; and at the Meenakshi temple, where forms of Parvati and Shiva are worshipped, a fire sacrifice, in which oblations of various grains are offered, is usually performed. The puja items are then passed around the congregation as mercy or a blessed gift, also called prasadam.

In a temple, the deity’s form can be seen; the offered flowers and incense can be smelled; the water and light can be felt; the food can be tasted; and the sound of the bell that is rung as puja is being performed can be heard. In this way, all of a person’s senses can become spiritually enlivened.

Spiritual guidance

Daily spiritual practice, known in Hinduism as sadhana, is essential in making real progress on the path of transcendence. Having a temple in the home might help keep one engaged, but sometimes it can be hard to be self-disciplined. As experiencing the atmosphere of a gym where others are working out can help inspire a person to work out, going to a temple where others are focusing on their spiritual lives can help to inspire a person to focus more on his or her own spiritual life. Public temples are about more than just seeing the deity; it’s about getting the association of people who are serious about their sadhana. Being around them motivates you to become more serious about your sadhana as well. This association is referred to as satsang or to be in the company of such like-minded people.
It is key to seek out someone you know is more advanced than you who is willing to impart spiritual guidance. Instructions from advanced transcendentalists are considered invaluable on the path of divinity. In fact, it is common practice for gurus or teachers to regularly give lectures in temples. If you happen to step into a temple when a guru is giving a public talk, consider sitting for a few minutes to listen. Something you hear could have a profound effect on you.

Temples in the home

Temples, while usually thought of as a place one has to travel to, can actually be constructed in the home. Though community and relationships are important uplifters in one’s spiritual development, spirituality in Hinduism is, ultimately, an individual experience.

Temples can accommodate communities, but they are meant for the individual, providing a space for a person to take darshana or viewing of the deity in an intimate setting. This setting can be created anywhere a person lives. All one has to do is designate a spare room, or even just a spare space, as a place for prayer and meditation. This space can be further spiritualized by setting up an altar — however big you like, and then placing a murti or divine image on that altar.

The advantage of having a temple room in the house is that it provides an easily accessible place to worship and meditate, helping one to live a more spiritually conscious life. Remembering that God is situated in the home might also inspire a person to keep the house clean, as well as maintain an atmosphere of peace and tranquility.

 DHARAMSHALA

A dharamshala, also written as dharmashala is a public resthouse or shelter. Just as sarai are for travellers and caravans, dharamshalas are built for religious travellers at pilgrimage sites. In Nepal there are dharamshalas especially built for pilgrims as well as dharamshalas for locals.

ETYMOLOGY

Dharamshala (Devanagari: धर्मशाला; ITRANS: Dharmashaalaa; IAST: Dharmaśālā) is a word (derived from Sanskrit) that is a compound of dharma (धर्म) and shālā (शाला). A loose translation into English would be ‘spiritual dwelling’ or, more loosely, ‘sanctuary’. Rendering a precise literal translation into English is problematic due to the vast and conceptually rich semantic field of the word dharma, and the cultural aspect of India.
In common Hindu usage, the word dharamshala refers to a shelter or rest house for spiritual pilgrims. Traditionally, such dharamshalas (pilgrims’ rest houses) were commonly constructed near pilgrimage destinations (which were often located in remote areas) to give visitors a place to sleep for the night.

Transcription and pronunciation

Due to a lack of uniform observance of transliteration and transcription conventions for Hindi (and the Devanagari script in which Hindi is written), the name of the town has been transcribed into English (and other languages using Romanic scripts) variously as Dharamshala, Dharamsala and, less frequently, Dharmshala and Dharmsala.[2] These four permutations result from two variables: the transcription of the word धर्म (dharma)—particularly the second syllable (र्म)—and that of the third syllable (शा).

A strict transliteration of धर्म as written would be ‘dharma’ [ˈdʱərma]. In the modern spoken Hindi of the region, however, there is a common metathesis in which the vowel and consonant sounds in the second syllable of certain words (including धर्म) are transposed, which changes ‘dharma’ to ‘dharam’ (pronounced somewhere between [ˈdʱərəm] and [ˈdʱərm], depending on the speaker). Thus, if the goal of the transcription is phonetic accord with modern spoken Hindi, then ‘dharam’ and ‘dharm’ are both legitimate options.
Regarding the third syllable, the Devanagari श corresponds to the English sh sound, [ʃ]. Thus शाला is transcribed in English as ‘shala’.

Therefore, the most accurate phonetic transcription of the Hindi धर्मशाला into Roman script for common (non-technical) English usage is either ‘Dharamshala’ or, less commonly, ‘Dharmshala’, both of which render the sh (/ʃ/) sound of श in English as ‘sh’ to convey the correct native pronunciation, ‘Dharamshala’ [dʱərəmˈʃaːlaː] or ‘Dharmshala’ [dʱərmˈʃaːlaː]. Nonetheless, the alternate spelling ‘Dharamsala’ continues to be used in some cases despite its inaccuracy, and all four spelling permutations can be found in the English language materials of the local and state governments, in publications, and on the Internet.

Regardless of spelling variations, however, it is that the correct native pronunciation is with the sh sound (/ʃ/).Therefore, the spelling variant that is most common and most concordant with standards of transcription and native pronunciation is ‘Dharamshala’. The official Indian English spelling is ‘Dharamshala’. It is both written and pronounced as Dharmaśālā in Nepali.