Texan Hindu Temple Is Finally 'Authentic'

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San Antonio, TEXAS (Jan. 29, 2007): After a 16-year wait, San

Antonio's Hindu temple finally has received its crowning touch, a

mahraja gopuram —literally, a "kingly pagoda" — that identifies the

building with its roots in South India.

 

The gopuram, a 42-foot-high entrance tower built by Indian artisans

with statues of 52 Hindu deities sculpted in concrete on site over

the past eight months and painted white, was sanctified Sunday. The

ceremony was conducted by two resident temple priests assisted by

two other priests from Austin and Houston temples. Several hundred

people attended.

 

Each deity represents a particular manifestation of the one God,

temple members said.

 

"This is my dream come true," said Venkateshwar Goud, a member since

1991, when the temple building itself was completed. "The temple is

finally complete. It's wonderful. We're all blessed."

 

No Hindu temple is considered authentic unless it has a gopuram

built according to scriptural specifications by artisans from India

and sanctified according to Hindu rituals. The door must face east.

 

"It's like the entrance to a palace," said Dr. Rajender Thusu, a

longtime temple member. "It's the entrance to God's house. The

various deities protect both the house itself and the people."

 

Every gopuram is built to be seen from a distance. That way, even

people who don't have the opportunity to go to the temple may pray

whenever they see it or pass it.

 

Ram Kushwaha, president of the temple trustees, said the 15-year

wait for the $120,000 gopuram was necessitated by the requirement

that a specially trained team of 10 sculptors from India do the

work.

 

"This couldn't be done through local talent. These men have been

trained by their fathers, and they've done a wonderful job. This

craft has been passed down from generation to generation. It's their

family business."

 

The gopuram still awaits the arrival and installation of two massive

teak doors, expected by the end of next month, Kushwaha said.

 

Elaborate sanctification rituals began Friday with the purification

of holy water. Fire ceremonies to destroy evil were conducted

Friday, Saturday and Sunday.

 

Sunday's sanctification ceremony was set to begin at 9:36 a.m.,

considered an "auspicious time" for beginning an endeavor by the

Hindu calendar.

 

The four priests, joined by Kushwaha and four other temple members,

all dressed in ceremonial robes, were hoisted on a hydraulic lift to

a platform on a scaffold at the top of the new structure to perform

the ritual.

 

Each carried a ceremonial jug of yellow turmeric water topped by a

coconut — a symbol of purity. Turmeric is a yellow root with

germicidal qualities that is commonly used in cooking.

 

At the proper time, they poured the water over the gopuram as

mantras were chanted.

 

The priests performed a symbolic marriage ceremony between Shiva and

Uma, the manifestations of the male and female characteristics of

God. The wedding symbolized the unity of God.

 

It's another way of representing the sanctity of the temple, said

Dr. Rao Pemmeraju, a longtime temple leader.

 

Rukmini Ganeshappa said the gopuram makes the structure — at last —

look like a typical South Indian temple.

 

It's not only structurally but spiritually complete, she said. "It's

more authentic looking."

 

Dr. Varuni Kumara, who was born in San Antonio and has grown up with

the temple congregation as the daughter of one of its founders, said

it has always had a welcoming spirit, but now its building reflects

that spirit.

 

"I've seen this temple grow from an idea to reality. Our parents

wanted a temple for us and our children to come to. Now it

definitely has an authentic feel to it," she said.

 

SOURCE: Express News, San Antonio, Texas. Web Posted: 01/29/2007

01:36 AM CST. By J. Michael Parker Express-News Religion Writer

URL (WITH PHOTOS): http://tinyurl.com/2mnzlq