
DATE: Friday, June 20, 1997                 TAG: 9706180199

SECTION: CHESAPEAKE CLIPPER      PAGE: 06   EDITION: FINAL 

TYPE: COVER STORY 

SOURCE: BY LIZ SZABO, STAFF WRITER 

                                            LENGTH:  132 lines

HINDUISM: A PRIMER DEVOTEES BELIEVE THAT GOD IS MANIFESTED IN MANY FORMS, CALLED DEITIES, WITH DIFFERENT PERSONALITIES.

THEIR COMMUNITY is only 10 to 15 years old. Among their approximately 2,000 members are speakers of 14 languages and 28 dialects, immigrants from Indian cities and states with their own gods, their own rituals and their own histories.

This week, one thing brought them all together.

The reopening of the Hindu Temple of Hampton Roads has helped to unify the region's Indian community, said Saileela Venkatesan, a temple member who is active in religious education.

``People have worked for the common goal, sacrificing everything else,'' Venkatesan said.

Geetha Raman agreed.

``This brings all the people together,'' Raman said. ``In daily life, we go through so many things. This is a place we can come to find peace.''

For more than two years, temple trustees worked to raise funds and secure permits for the building's reconstruction. And women congregation members spent days preparing dinners and delicacies to be dedicated to temple gods, then served to the crowds overflowing from the temple doors. Women such as Chandra Dahiya of Virginia Beach spent painstaking hours creating detailed mosaics in sand and painted rice. Others hand-painted and decorated 108 clay pots with red letters and coconut leaves for an elaborate procession around the temple.

The Hindu temple's rededication, which concluded Sunday, brought roughly 2,000 people to Chesapeake, from as far away as Washington, New York and India. Weekly religious services will continue to attract hundreds of Indian families every Sunday.

Yet many Chesapeake residents know little about their neighbors on South Dominion Boulevard, or about Hinduism, one of the world's oldest living religions.

Founded in about 525 B.C., Hinduism has the third largest following in the world, with only Christianity and Islam attracting more devotees.

Although Hinduism is considered a polytheistic religion, Hindus believe that there is essentially only one God or divine presence in the universe, said Vinod Agarwal, chairman of the temple dedication ceremony. Unlike Christians, Muslims and Jews, however, Hindus believe that God is manifested in many forms, called gods or deities. Each Hindu deity - whether male or female in form - represents a different aspect of God's personality.

The most important of these gods are those of the Hindu Trinity: Brahma, the creator; Vishnu, the propagator; and Shiva, the destroyer, Venkatesan said. Hindus do not think of the three gods' roles as good or evil, however. Each controls a different phase in the cycle of life and seasons - whether that cycle is birth, propagation and death, or spring, summer and winter. Each is necessary, Venkatesan said.

Vishnu has visited the earth 10 times since the creation of the universe, Venkatesan said. Although Vishnu's essential nature has not changed, he has assumed different forms to meet the changing needs of each generation. He comes to the earth in order to restore peace and harmony, she said. In this light, Jesus Christ or Mohammed could be seen as incarnations of Vishnu.

``People always say to me, `why do you have so many gods?' '' she said. ``The gods depict different strengths.''

Different regions in India also have developed unique rituals, stories and images of the same gods, Venkatesan said.

During the temple's dedication ceremony, the congregation installed seven marble statues. The temple also honored a different god during each day of the week-long ceremonies.

Each deity has a different mythology and significance. Women prepared different sweets - such as fruits, nuts and fried dough dipped in honey - to please each god, each of whom has his favorite delicacies. The community shared a common meal, known as a mahaprasad, and a worship service, known as a pooja, each day. The congregation also lit lights, symbolizing purity, every day.

The sweets, Dahiya said, celebrate the ``sweetness of life.''

Temple members described the Hindu deities.

Ganesh, a god with the head of an elephant, is always honored first in any ceremony, Dahiya said. He is the god who ensures that everything proceeds smoothly, and that there are no obstacles to one's goals. He is usually depicted sitting on a lotus flower, traveling with a mouse.

``You can have the money, the building and the land, but if you don't have the permit, you can't do anything,'' Venkatesan said. ``Ganesh is the god who cuts the red tape.''

Ganesh, and elephants in general, are respected as symbols of wisdom in India, said temple priest Acharya Ravindra Nagar.

``Why is the elephant considered wise?'' Nagar said. ``He has big ears, a small mouth and large belly. He listens much, talks little and keeps everyone's secrets inside.''

Hanuman, a god with the head of a monkey who represents protection, was honored during the second day of festivities. Temple devotees raised a red flag to honor this companion of the god Rama. He represents a true friend, a person without an ego.

Radha, the goddess of self-sacrifice and devotion, is the spouse of Krishna. She was honored third, on Wednesday night, with a procession of 108 women carrying clay water pots, called kalashes, around the temple three times. The water was used Saturday to bathe the deities after their installation on the altar.

Krishna, an incarnation of Vishnu, was honored next.

Venkateshwara and Srinath , installed second in the temple, are both forms of Vishnu, Venkatesan said. Vishnu takes on different forms in various Indian states, Venkatesan said. India has been invaded so many times over the centuries - by the Greeks, Arabs and British - that regional rituals and practices have take on many forms.

Saraswati, the consort of Brahma, is typically depicted on a swan, playing music. She is considered the goddess of education. She lends a person ``the sweetness in your voice,'' Dahiya said.

Durga, typically depicted carrying many weapons, is the consort of Shiva. Her weapons, and many arms, convey her strength. She uses her weapons to destroy evil thoughts, Venkatesan said.

During the fifth night of ceremonies, temple members burned four fires, called kundas, during a ritual known as havan. Members symbolically burned away seven kinds of evil thoughts, such as laziness, anger, lust, greed, attachment, pride and jealousy, Nagar said. ILLUSTRATION: Staff photos including color cover by STEVE EARLEY

Misty Mirpuri, 16, of Virginia Beach carriesa water jug decorated

with a Sanskrit symbol for peace and prosperity.

Worshipers walk around the temple after raising a red flag over the

rebuilt Hindu Temple of Hampton Roads on South Dominion Boulevard.

Women congregation members spent days preparing dinners and

delicacies to be dedicated to temple gods, then served to the crowds

overflowing from the temple doors.

Archarya Yogendra Bhatt, a religious educator, speaks to temple

members gathered on the first day of the six-day opening ceremonies.

Ashok Patel, president of the Hindu Temple of Hampton Roads,

prepares for worship on the fourth day of the ceremonies.

Yogendra Bhatt, an archarya or religious educator, speaks to temple