I have also trained under the maestro, Padma Vibhushan Pandit Birju Maharaj and have received coaching in rhythm and rhythmic cycles from the tabla maestro Taalyogi Pandit Suresh Talwalkar.
13.My dance journey began when my Guru Smt. Asha Tai Joglekar, accepted the then ten-year-old me as a student of Kathak. Cookbook author Niti Sanghrajka co-hosts a vegetarian Thanksgiving cooking demo Nov. Land of milk and honey and ghee: In a gala ritual called a Grand Maha Abhishek, a priest at the weekend festival bathed the temple's Ganesha statue in cascades of water, milk, honey, ghee (clarified butter) and a succession of other washes.įor the special occasion, the priests also hung garlands of colorful vegetables and flowers from the elephant god's neck.īollywood on County Line Road: Like large congregations from other faiths, Bharatiya offers a wide slate of classes, including Sunday school, cultural programs and even exercise classes.Ī weekly Bollywood-style cardio and strength-training class starts next Saturday. "They perform the rituals perfectly - to a 'T,' " she said. When Hindus say "namaste" and fold their hands, he said, "We are going to that part within."īig moral issues we grapple with: Keeping American-born children engaged with their culture and religion is one challenge.Įvents like the Ganesh Festival help them connect with their roots, said Kinnari Desai, a mother of two from Allentown whose family travels from the Lehigh Valley to attend Bharatiya Temple. "Within yourself, there's a god," Todi said. Members who provide specialized assistance include doctors and therapists. Good works: One of the temple's noteworthy projects reaches out to members who have special needs, encompassing disabilities from Down syndrome to stroke to mood disorders. Worshippers also pray and perform daily rituals at home. They don't have a weekly temple worship service but instead attend for festivals that are scattered throughout the year - about 30 total. Hindus also believe in reincarnation and in karma - essentially, that what goes around comes around and that how you act determines your destiny. The various Hindu deities - scripture says there are 330 million of them - are all different forms of this one supreme being.ĭifferent forms are popular in different parts of India, Todi said. What we believe: Hindus believe in one God, who is present in all things (including people). "They can recite for hours and hours," Todi said. Worshippers bow to pray outside the shrines, but only priests can enter them.īharatiya's four full-time priests all trained in India starting in their childhoods for the intellectual, philosophical and physical rigors of reading, interpreting and chanting Sanskrit. Inside the temple, freestanding shrines display icons of a dozen Hindu and Jain deities, including Lord Ganesha. Worshippers place their shoes on a large rack in the first-floor lobby before walking upstairs to the second-floor temple space. Where we worship: The building is at 1612 County Line Road in Montgomeryville.
It attracts 1,000 to 1,500 worshippers for celebrations of Hindu festivals. Who we are: Bharatiya Temple, founded in the late 1990s, has 600 member families. "Our concept from the beginning was to unite the whole community," said temple president Nand Todi. Its tent is so broad that members of the Jain religion, which is similar to Hinduism but has its own practices, also worship at Bharatiya.
(Most temples serve Hindus with roots in one particular region.)
As a "multi-deity" temple, the modern, 8,500-square-foot building houses shrines to a number of gods that are revered in different regions of India. The temple itself is a big tent, too - metaphorically speaking - for followers of the Hindu religion. LAST WEEKEND, big outdoor party tents brimming with Indian food, Indian music and dancing filled the parking lots and grounds at Bharatiya Temple on County Line Road near Willow Grove.įamilies from across the region converged on the Hindu temple for the annual Philadelphia Ganesh Festival, honoring the popular elephant-headed deity Ganesha, who is said to remove life's obstacles.
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