Visiting Hinduism Temple
My friend, we are in the heart of India, we are in Ranganathaswamy Temple, in Srirangam, built especially to worship one of Hinduism gods – Vishnu. Thankfully, you know little about Hinduism, so today you will know much knew, which is just great!
You probably hear that Hinduism is the largest national religion in the world. According to the statistics, almost there are over a billion of its followers, which accounts for more than 14% of the total population of the globe. As you have guessed, Hinduism is the dominant religion in India. But you probably did not know that absolute majority of the Nepalese are also Hinduists.
As you can see there are many Hindus in white clothes – most probably they are the Brahmins. Let`s ask one of them.
– Sorry for bothering, do you have a free minute? I and a friend of mine are on excursion in the Temple. And it looks like you could tell us something interesting about Hinduism, this temple and probably why you are here.
– Sure, I am not in a hurry. I spend day after day here – this is my duty to Vishnu. I belong to a caste of Brahmins or Hindu clergy. It is impossible to become a Brahmin; a person has to be born as a part of Brahmins` caste, of which I am rather proud. Hinduism originated in India in the period between the I and V centuries. Before Hinduism, main ideological source was a religion, which is called Brahmanism. My ancestors were of those who were worshiping our gods, and now it is my turn to devote my life to Hinduism.
– No. In Hinduism, there are different gods worshiped as supreme. But neither confession considers Brahma as a supreme god. This is the main thing that differs Hinduism from Brahmanism. I am a Brahmin who worships Vishnu, to whom Ranganathaswamy Temple was built. You probably know, In India, we have a lot of castes – groups of people belonging to which is determined by birth. In the past, belonging to a different caste determined life-long activities of people. Now everything is different, and Indian authorities forbid this custom, but not always successfully. As you can see, I am a Brahmin and have been it my entire life. Here, in the premises of the Temple, I have privileges since only I and other Brahmins can be ministers of Hinduism. Today we longer have Brahma as our patron supreme god. Personally I am a follower of Vishnu.
– Do you believe in Vishnu only or do you acknowledge also existence of other gods?
– My primary god is Vishnu, but I believe in others which are defined in sacred texts of Hinduism. I wish I knew a certain number of Hinduism gods. But as I was told, there are more than 3 thousand of them. Hinduism is a polytheistic religion, in which each of the Gods has its own specific functions. Some gods look like ordinary people, but others tend to be of tremendous growth and strength, some – with peculiarities in the body structure (four arms, three eyes, etc.), some – like animals (such as monkeys), others – half people, half animals.
– What is Vishnu like?
– To start with, Vishnu is a Supreme God in Vaishnavism, a branch of Hinduism that I follow. In addition to the functions of the supreme god, he has two more specific functions. Firstly, Vishnu is the guardian of the universe. Brahma created the universe, but it is necessary to protect the universe from the premature destruction and seizure of power in it by various demons. Secondly, Vishnu is an assistant to people to solve their life problems. Now you will enter the temple in which you will see numerous images on the Temple`s walls and sculptures on every corner. You will recognize Vishnu as portrayed as a four-hand man. In one hand he has a fighting conch (he blows into it during a battle), the second – mace, in the third – chakra (throwing weapons in the form of a metal disc), in the fourth – the lotus flower. Weapons in three Vishnu`s hands symbolize his willingness to fight against the forces of evil, the lotus flower symbolizes his love to people and a willingness to help them.
– What about other gods? What do the look like?
– Well, Shiva is a supreme god in Saivism. According to his specific functions, Shiva is the god of destruction of the universe (he destroys it when it comes time to do so), he is the god of death and the birth of people (Hindus say Shiva stays at the tomb and the cradle of a Hindu), he is the god of nature (he cares and about the plants and animals). Shiva is often depicted as a man of dark blue or purple color of skin with four arms and three eyes. The third eye, which is located in the middle of the forehead, not only sees, but also radiates a supernatural fire that burns everything in its path. Another rather respected god is Ganesha who is the son of Shiva and Parvati. He is the god of good fortune and business. Many Hindu thieves and fraudsters consider Ganesha to be their patron. Ganesha is depicted at the teenager age with four arms and the head which is similar to an elephant's head.
– Thank you for this interesting information. As you said, there are demmons present in Hinduism beliefs. Do you also believe in their existence?
– Yes, there are demons, in which we, Hindus believe. Demons are divided into three types: the Asuras, Rakshasa, and Pisachas. Asuras are the opponents of gods, and Rakshasas and Pisachas are the opponents of people. Rakshasa harm people by all possible means, and Pisachas – mainly through diseases. Among functions demons, there are the following: do evil, be opposed to the gods, be enemies of people.
– I think this is a high time for us to enter the Temple. Thank you very much for such a detailed narration about Hinduism. Now it will be much easier for us to understand concepts and signs present in the Temple. Lastly, what interesting things could you tell us about Ranganathaswamy Temple?
– Well, you have to visit a Hall of 1000 columns. You may not count the total amount of them, I will say you that there are 953 of them. And do not even try to enter the central Temple`s sanctuary since the entrance is allowed only for the Hindus.
– We are enormously thankful to you for this detailed and interesting story. Good bye!
– You are always welcome! Enjoy your stay in India!
