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Washington Post
a day ago
- General
- Washington Post
A fight to save a Hindu temple for the 'unheard and unseen'
NEW YORK (RNS) — Illuminated by a skylight at the center of a small factory-turned-Hindu temple in Queens sits a murti of the Divine Mother — a 1-ton, 6-foot-tall icon of the South Indian village goddess Mariamman, an incarnation of Kali, the deity of time and death. Smoke from cigarettes and incense fills the room, and bottles of rum sit next to fruit at the altar. 'Our religion is very rural, very villagelike,' said Chandni Kalu, 31, a priestess at the Richmond Hill temple . 'It's very raw.'
Associated Press
a day ago
- General
- Associated Press
A fight to save a Hindu temple for the 'unheard and unseen'
NEW YORK (RNS) — Illuminated by a skylight at the center of a small factory-turned-Hindu temple in Queens sits a murti of the Divine Mother — a 1-ton, 6-foot-tall icon of the South Indian village goddess Mariamman, an incarnation of Kali, the deity of time and death. Smoke from cigarettes and incense fills the room, and bottles of rum sit next to fruit at the altar. 'Our religion is very rural, very villagelike,' said Chandni Kalu, 31, a priestess at the Richmond Hill temple. 'It's very raw.' Even other Hindus might find Sunday worship services at the Shri Shakti Mariammaa temple unfamiliar. The mostly Indo-Caribbean congregants worship goddess Kali, who also represents transcendental knowledge that can manifest within, or spiritually possess, her followers. At a recent service, a young male pujari, or lay priest, shook and danced vigorously through the crowd, entranced with Shakti, the feminine energy that inhabits someone possessed by Kali. 'We are a healing temple,' said Sharda Ramsami, one of the original members of the temple when it was founded in 2008. 'Whether it's something physical or something spiritual, we arealways the last resort, and when people come here, they're desperate for help. I think that's what's most powerful: that desperation, and then here's the answer that no one else could provide for them. Mother knows.' ___ This content is written and produced by Religion News Service and distributed by The Associated Press. RNS and AP partner on some religion news content. RNS is solely responsible for this story. ___ But the temple is also known as one that is open to all. Its clergy have married same-sex couples after they were shunned or rejected from other Hindu temples in the area, and, uniquely, those clergy, the temple staff and congregants are mostly women. Women come to seek refuge at the temple, Ramsami explained, sometimes to escape dire situations. They have been quietly offered money from temple staff or even given the keys to the building to stay there. Other temples, Ramsami said, would throw women out for menstruating or not allow women to approach the altar. 'That's just not something we believe in,' she said. 'We worship a woman.' 'Even in mainstream Hinduism,' Kalu said, 'there's so much patriarchy. Women aren't really given roles, and whenever they are, it's just mediocre roles in the kitchen making prasadam (offerings). I was really given a platform here to become a priestess.' Now, the temple is in danger of closing. Without more than $150,000 in necessary upgrades to the space, the landlord and the city will move to push the temple out. 'I think Mother had a plan for us all to be here, because our lives changed so much and in so many ways,' said Hilda Thamen, Ramsami's aunt and another founder of the temple. 'She did so much for us. So now what's going on here is really sad. It's really hurting us.' Back in 2018, a noise complaint from a neighbor led to intervention from the city's Department of Buildings, resulting in a small fine. In 2024, after another noise complaint by the same neighbor, the city determined the temple needed to legally register as a community space. To do so, said Ramsami, the building needs several costly improvements to electricity, plumbing, fire safety and accessibility. But it is unclear whether these changes are viable in a building intended for manufacturing, not worship. Though renting another location for more money may eventually be possible, 'if we move somewhere further, we lose some of our congregants,' said Ramsami. 'A lot of older folks come here, and the bus stop is right down the block, so it's just easy for them to walk here.' The neighbor, who lives in a single-family home behind the temple, heard the loud bhajans, or devotional songs, and drums nine nights in a row during the holiday of Navratri, an homage to the goddess Durga. At the time, he told congregants he would 'rather there be a bar' than a temple so close to his windows. The neighbor has denied the temple's request to build an exit in the back, and has constructed a 12-foot fence in between them.' He came once and he saw our logo painted on the gate and he said, 'Oh, Diablo, Diablo meaning the devil,'' said Ramsami. 'So it definitely stems from fear. 'Most Kali temples in the area are tucked away in basements or backyards. 'If you look at the murti or an image of Ma Kali, she's so different from other mothers,' said Kalu. 'She's dark,she's disheveled, she's naked. She has blood dripping from her tongue. And I think all of that makes people uncomfortable. Blood is kind of deemed inauspicious, and I think from fear it became so taboo.' Even in Guyana, said Thamen, 'you were afraid to say you go to a Kali temple, because people look at you different.' In the 19th century, the British brought scores of indentured Indians to Trinidad, Guyana and Suriname in the Caribbean. Many came from southern India and brought their animistic and folk religions with them. Caribbean Shaktism was thus born, with rituals passed down in a 'broken' version of Tamil by word of mouth to the mostly English-speaking Indo-Caribbean population, with no Scriptures to consult and no book of mantras. Yet the tradition still thrives thanks to the Queens temple's founders, some of whose parents were priests in Shakti temples back in Guyana. A small group of second-generation New Yorkers gutted out the factory, built a kitchen and redid the roof, all while holding day jobs in commercial and residential cleaning, catering and nutrition school. The mission of Shri Shakti Mariammaa was clear, said Dave Kutaiyah, the temple's chairman.'This is not only a place for religion or a place where you come to pray on Sunday,' he said.'This is a place where you come and you see people who look like you, people who are familiar to you. 'That's one of the things we instill in our temple: Treat everyone the same, whether you work for city government and you're the right-hand person to the mayor, or you're working at Dunkin' Donuts on the 12 a.m. shift. People need to be loved and respected, and that's what we try to bring here.' The temple has survived through individual donations from families wanting a particular puja, or ritual, to be performed. But Kutaiyah and his team, even during the current financial struggle, have never asked for money from the congregation, or passed out a tithing plate. 'We believe worship should be free, health should be free, and we shouldn't gain financially from that,' said Ramsami. 'I think 90% of people who attend here will tell you they work in a department store, factory or at JFK (International Airport), so we don't have a lot of white-collar professionals that have a lot of disposable income to donate,' added Kutaiyah, who works in human resources. 'I always tell people, use your pension money to pay your bills first, and then think about God. God will not be upset with you if you can't give anything.' A GoFundMe campaign, co-signed by a number of organizations that have used the temple's space for meetings, such as Jahajee: Indo-Caribbeans for Gender Justice and the Caribbean Equality Project, has been circulating since June. In November, at a court date to pay an outstanding fine, the temple will ask the city for an extension to figure out its next steps. Rohan Narine, NYC organizer with the national organization Hindus for Human Rights, one of the supporters of the GoFundMe campaign, has a personal stake in the temple's success. A Queens native, Narine has been hosting Om Night open mics at the temple for years. Narine considers himself an 'orthodox Hindu' and was surprised on his first visit to see worshippers throwing menthol cubes of fire into their mouths and dousing themselves in rosewater. But despite theological differences, 'I felt that beauty and that raw spiritual energy thatyou don't feel in other temples,' he said. 'It's not like sitting down at an ashram, offering prasad, do a little aarti (lamp ritual) and you eat and go home. Here, it's very involved. It's almost like being part of a live interactive performance.' In Indo-Caribbean spaces in Queens, according to Narine, the temple's style of worship is becoming more mainstream. More people are coming to the temple not just for curiosity's sake, but to worship alongside the Shakti community. 'I think the entire expanse of Hinduism should be represented,' said Narine. 'All of the Hindu pantheon should have the ability to practice their faith freely. We as Hindus, and especially Indo-Caribbean in America, are very comfortable with the more simplistic way of worship, and Shakti worship might be more complex. But we can't shy away from that. I think we should be more open to that.'
South China Morning Post
2 days ago
- South China Morning Post
‘Are you from Japan?' Foreigners must pay to pray at this temple
A temple in southwestern Japan is drawing controversy and criticism for its recent decision to charge admission only to foreign tourists, at a time when issues related to people from abroad are gaining attention in the national election. Since May, Nanzoin in Fukuoka Prefecture, known for its 41-meter (135-foot) long reclining Buddha statue, has been charging foreign visitors 300 yen (US$2) to enter, saying the funds are needed to address nuisance behaviour. An expert said that the move 'lacks transparency', as debate over the pricing policy for foreign tourists – whose numbers have reached a record high – has intensified. A sign reading 'Visitors' in English stands at the entrance to the area surrounding one of the world's largest statues of its kind, where foreigners queue up to pay a fee at a reception window. Those with proof of long-term stays in Japan for work or study are exempt. Visitors crowd a street leading to Kiyomizu Temple in Kyoto on Friday. Photo: Reuters As Japanese people are not charged, no explanation in Japanese appears on the sign. Staff or security guards confirm verbally, asking questions like 'Are you from Japan?' before directing them to bypass the line without waiting.
The Standard
5 days ago
- General
- The Standard
Misbehaving monks: Sex scandal shakes Thai Buddhist faithful
TOPSHOT - This aerial photo taken on July 18, 2025 shows the giant Buddha statue at the Wat Paknam Phasi Charoen Buddhist temple complex in Bangkok. (Photo by Watsamon TRI-YASAKDA / AFP)
Malay Mail
5 days ago
- General
- Malay Mail
Honouring Guan Gong at Penang temples for health, safety, and prosperity
GEORGE TOWN, July 18 — Amid the thick scent of burning joss sticks and the steady rhythm of drums, the Toishan Ninyang Wui Kwon committee members stood with joss sticks in hand to make offerings to the resident deity, Guan Di at Nin Yong Temple. The table in front of the main altar was laden with offerings from devotees who have started arriving at the temple to pray since 9am. Today is the 24th day of the sixth lunar month and it marks the birthday of Guan Di, the god of war, wealth and literature. The 194-year-old Nin Yong Temple along King Street is one of the oldest temples in Penang that worships Guan Di, who is also known as Guan Sheng Dijun and Guan Gong. Toishan Ninyang Wui Kwon committee chairman Chin Chin Wah led the committee members in an elaborate ceremony to celebrate the deity's birthday. Toishan Ninyang Wui Kwon chairman Chin Chin Wah (fourth from right) and committee members with the lions after the ceremony. — Picture by Opalyn Mok As a temple member announces each step of the ritual in the Xinning or Toishan dialect, Chin performed the ritual, first by offering joss sticks, followed by tea and food offerings such as roast chicken, whole roast pigs, kuih and fruits. Finally, folded gold joss paper was also offered as they prayed for health, safety and wealth. After that, the committee members continued to the ancestral hall where they conducted a similar ritual to make similar offerings to their ancestors. Firecrackers were lit and a pair of red and gold lions danced and paid homage to the altars of deities within the temple before ending with a photo session with the committee members. A pair of red and gold lions at the Nin Yong Temple. — Picture by Opalyn Mok 'For generations, the Toishan people have paid great respect to Guan Di who is known for his loyalty, courage and righteousness,' said Chin. He said Guan Di, whose name was Guan Yu when he was alive, is a role model, so the birthday celebrations are a way for them to pay their respects and honour him. The committee also held a lamp-lighting ceremony as a symbol of lighting up the darkness for peace, wisdom, and hope. As they made their offerings, Chin led the committee members to pray for Guan Di to shine brightly in his divine power so that the temple continues to flourish and for the people to continue to live in peace and full of blessings. 'When there is righteousness in the heart, success will follow,' he said. Just next door, the Thai Pak Koong (Ng Suk) Temple committee members are also making similar offerings and prayers to Guan Gong but in a more subdued tone. Thai Pak Koong temple committee president Foo Yen Chow (centre) led the prayers in the birthday celebration ritual in honour of Guan Gong. — Picture by Opalyn Mok While the Nin Yong Temple was led and managed by the Toishan community, the Thai Pak Koong Temple is managed by five Hakka associations, namely the Fooi Chew Association, Kar Yin Fee Koon, Tai Pu Association, Yung Ting Association, and Tsen Lung Fui Kon. Representatives from the five associations, led by the Thai Pak Koong temple committee president Foo Yen Chow, made the offerings of food and fruits to Guan Gong in a similar ritual. They also offered a new paper outfit for Guan Gong which was burned after the prayer ceremony. In both temples, the ceremonies lasted between 30 minutes and an hour, but both temples will remain open until evening for devotees to pray and make their offerings throughout the day. Toishan Ninyang Wui Kwon Committee members praying to their ancestors at the ancestral hall. — Picture by Opalyn Mok Guan Gong was once a real-life general during China's Three Kingdoms period. During the Three Kingdoms period, Guan Yu's pact with Liu Bei and Zhang Fei as sworn brothers to revive the Han Dynasty symbolised his loyalty in looking out for his friends in times of hardship. As a general, he was known for his bravery, moral integrity and righteousness. Today marks his 1,865th birthday.
