Inside America's oldest Hindu temple

The Ganesha temple in Flushing, New York is buzzing with activity. A large number of devotees have been visiting the revered temple following the Maha Kumbhabhishekam ceremonies that began on July 9.

The ceremonies in the temple, which has been remodelled extensively in the past six months, will go on till July 13.

Shivachariar Bairava Sundaram, one of the dozen priests who are part of the ceremonies, told rediff.com: "Some immigrants came to America four or five decades ago with just one suitcase and perhaps $10; some came with hardly anything and a letter from a university vouching for their expenses. But a decade later when they would return to India or even go for a visit, they would need a ship to carry their possessions."

The Ganesha Temple, for which construction began in 1977 in an unused church, is also known as the Hindu Temple Sri Maha Vallabha Ganapati Devasthanam. The oldest temple in America, it has evolved into a big complex that offers classes in Hinduism for the youngsters among many of its activities.

"We are marking a very important week in the history of this temple," said Sundaram, adding, "So I thought I should tell the congregation that devotion at the temple alone is not enough. They should carry in their heart, all the time, concern for welfare of their immediate family, and then the community around them. There is a word for this, vatsalya, and that word should be remembered all the time."

He said: "If you are caught up in maya (illusion) and not upgrading yourself, you are not connected with God." 

The discourse caught the attention of many teenagers.

"I came to the temple to look at the deities and see how beautiful the temple looks now," said a teenager.

"It was always beautiful, but now there is even more charm and beauty in it. To add to the excitement and devotion, we heard the thoughts of the priest."

Natasha Vashist, a high school student from Florida who was visiting the temple with her parents and brother Nikhil, 18, said the ceremonies were highlights of her New York visit.

"When I go back to the school, many friends will want to know what I did in summer," she said. "I will tell about the visit to the temple, of praying, of watching others perform the poojas (ceremonies) and how I also joined the prayers and rituals," she said.

"I am filled with pride and devotion when I think of this and I will convey those sentiments to my friends."

"When I tell them about how awesome this temple is," she said, chuckling, "I want them feel that they should also visit it when they come to New York."

The feeling of pride and devotion was evident everywhere at the temple. The congregation consisted of people from across India -- one could hear more than 10 Indian languages, including Sindhi, Tamil and Bengali.

Also present were dozens of Americans who are married to Indians. "This temple belongs to Hindus from all over the world," said a woman from Trinidad.

"I have been coming here for more than 20 years. It is one of the most beautiful sights in New York, and what is more important, it is also very sacred."

One of the highlights of the temple, remodelled according to the Vastushastra principles, is an outdoor passage with over a dozen mounted Ganesha deities.

"Seeing the newly installed deities and watching the ceremonies is a very deep experience," Dr Uma Mysorekar, the president of the Hindu Society that runs the temple, said.

"For the young Americans of Indian origin, especially, this is something of immense significance. There is still much work to be done," she said, adding that two other deities will be consecrated next year.

During the renovation, the temple was still open to the public. But only a small portion that had the metal deities while the stone deities were kept in a safe place.

"It is a joy to walk around and see the beautiful structure and listen to the chanting and pray for the prosperity and peace of our community, in fact all communities," said a 60-year-old former school teacher from Chennai.

She had come with her husband, son, and American daughter-in-law, who was dressed in Indian attire. The teacher had two grandchildren, and as she went around the temple several times, she would explain a few things about the architecture and about the deities.

"Thirty years ago, we had just a few temples in America," she said. "Today, there are dozens. But we must make sure that they also mean something to our children and grandchildren."