WMST 3250

For my Spirituality Project I decided to visit the Hindu Temple. Specially, I went to the BAPS temple in Lilburn, Georgia. I did this because I wanted to broaden my understanding of the Hindu religion. I also wanted to be spiritually enlightened and have a memorable experience. Since Hinduism was studied in class, I thought it would the perfect opportunity to visit the temple.

As I walked into the temple, the exotic designs and carvings stood out more than the atmosphere itself. There was a big sign prohibiting any use of photography and video recording devices. I was inclined to pull my camera out and capture beautiful images of the carvings. The smell was equivalent to thin incense that was burning through all four sides of the room. The priest made it clear that males were to only sit in the front of the room, while females are only to sit in the back of the room. This caused a great feeling of anxiety with me as I would be separated from the girls I went to the temple with. As the prayer began the swami’s (Mini Priest come out with the Bowl in their hand with lite fire. Then the religious music starts. As I close my eyes are listen to the religious hymn, I feel this incredible sense of power. I felt as though I could feel god. I could feel the intensity and nirvana almost like God was sitting right there with me. I also felt much immersed inside the Hindu culture. The feelings I had during the prayer were almost indescribable. I felt like the Hindu religion is very righteous and that following what is expected of you is not an option but an order. The individuals feel very devoted to praying and incorporating religion in their lives. I got a chance to speak with the head priest and ask him several questions pertaining to the Hindu religion. It was clear that the religion believed in many different goddesses and definitely believed in reincarnation. The priest explained to me that as we finish our Karmas and deeds, we reincarnate to the next caste and ultimately reach Brahim which is the goal. As I began to listen to the priest, it was very evident that I started to think about my own religion. As a follower of the Sikh religion, we believe in one god, and also believe in reincarnation. I like how to the religion prays to many different goddesses. I like the idea of there being a goddess of Love or peace, or anything rather. I would like to follow the Hindu religion as well as the Sikh religion because I finally found a sense of peace within when I