A Hindu Encounter with the Senses

On 1/16/09, I had my next encounter with my fourth religion, Hinduism. We traveled far and wide and my class found ourselves in Aurora, IL at the Hindu temple that is on the outskirts of town. I was also excited to go back to Aurora because it is my home town. With this visit to a Hindu temple I was impacted in a different and special way, this is why I decided to name the title of this post “A Hindu Encounter with the Senses.” I would like to put emphasis my experience of my senses at the temple.
Upon driving up to the temple, I realized that this was going to be like no other experience like I’ve had before. The temple’s design is what led me to believe these things because there were a variety of articulate and detailed patterns and designs consisting of elephants and gods along with many other things. When I entered my eyes viewed a long dining hall which was connected to another area used for performances and gatherings. It was the dining hall where my sense of taste experienced the powerfully hidden secrets of the Hindu tradition. After the quick bite to eat of spicy rice, we began to receive our tour of the temple. Our shoes were removed and we continued to the upstairs area where there was soft and comfortable carpet under our feet. Immediately there was a different sense in the air with it being a location that was very fragranced and quiet. Around the upper level I saw that there were many little rooms which could fit about 5-8 people each. In these rooms were black statues of the gods that the Hindu’s worship. It was amazing how beautifully adorned everything was, and it was even more interesting how they actually treated these statues as those they were living being, giving gifts, baths, put to sleep, woken up, etc…
The best part of my experience was when I was able to participate in a Hindu blessing done by a trained priest. I first put my hand above a flame, which the priest held forward, and I placed my hands upon my eyes, this signified a certain type of power which the god Vishnu was giving. I then proceed to hold out my hand where teaspoon of very fragranced holy water was put into my right hand, I drank it. Following that a larger silver bowl was place on the top of my head signifying the blessing of Vishnu since he was unable to move out of the statue and then i finished off the blessing with a few almonds that were given to me.
To me the whole experience was an insight to the way all the religions worship differently and in different spaces. Everyone from Christianity to Islam to Hinduism has their own sacred space, their own sacred rituals, and their own unique way to connect to God. This trip was something different but insightful.