Surprise at a Hindu Temple

 

Sri Lanka, 2005

One of my classes in Sri Lanka was analyzing E. M. Forrester's masterpiece Passage to India, one of the most important works of the 20th century. In an attempt to convey the mysticism of India to these young people, I learned about a very unusual Hindu temple in Colombo. In short order, I arranged a field trip.

The picture above represents the type of structure we would see around Colombo. But the temple we visited was unlike any Hindu temple in Sri Lanka.

After talking about proper behavior in a holy place, we traveled to this temple. I wish I could remember the name.

Arriving, I was struck by the concrete structure before us, nothing like I expected. Fortunately, there were only about twelve students, and they huddled around me as we entered the dark interior, leaving our shoes at the door.

Unexpectedly, we had come on a particular holy day. Hundreds of candles lit the interior, creating an otherworldly sense. Devotees had brought offerings of flowers whose sweet smells filled the smokey air.

The room was huge, 50 yards by 20 yards, and a large concrete structure filled the center of the room where offerings were placed. I don't recall one Hindu god or goddess on the interior or exterior. However, there was a spare holy man with a long white flowing beard, clad only in a white loin cloth. He was sitting on a raised bench in a meditation pose with a garland of marigolds around his long, thin neck.

Our group stood awed in silence, looking at the startling scene. Before us were at least 50 people circling the room, dressed in pristine white, processing at a snail's pace around the massive circle of the room; at each movement forward, they knelt, bending their heads to touch the floor and then, laid flat on the floor for a short time before standing with heads bowed, taking one small step, then returning to their knees, head to the ground and next flat on the ground. This scene of devotion and supplication was indeed a once-in-a-lifetime experience. 

Motioning my students to follow me, we respectfully circled to the room. No one looked at us, and we were equally quiet.

The school van was eerily quiet on the ride back.

Chapala, March 2024