Over fall break, my best friend, who attends a local college
in Los Angeles, invited me to go with her Survey of Asian Art class to the LA
regional Hindu temple in Chino. It was a
really fun day of learning about a different culture, eating good Indian food,
and seeing the beautiful art that goes into the temple. The first thing that we learned is that
everything is hand carved. It is a truly
beautiful place. The BAPS cultural
center is made of wood, and all of the panels were made by Indian
craftsmen. One of the things that struck
me that the tour guide said was that the kind of art that the building was made
from is not something that can be taught.
He said that all of the craftsmen came from a long line of craftsmen, and
they grew up watching their parents and grandparents carving. This is what the wood paneling looked like:
BAPS cultural center, Wood carving, 2011, various Indian craftsmen
Each of the panels and their placement have a different
meaning, combined together to make a beautiful work of art.
The actual
temple was one of the most beautiful things.
We were not allowed to photograph it.
The Hindu scriptures have detailed instruction on how to build the
temple. The building is made out of
36,000 different pieces, each interlocking to hold the building in place. The temple does not look very big until you
are walking up the marble steps. I felt
very small climbing up to the top to enter.
To respect tradition, we took off our shoes before entering the
building. When we entered, I was in awe
of the beauty of the inside of the temple.
There were marble columns, all hand carved, and statues of the deities,
as well as some golden statues. I walked
around admiring the work, and then we were told that a service was starting and
we sat down to watch. The music started
to play and they lighted candles by the golden statues. It lasted for about ten minutes and they
blessed us. We were not allowed to take
pictures, but here is what the building looks like (taken from the internet).
LA regional Hindu Temple, Marble, 2011, various Indian craftsmen
One of my favorite things about our trip to the temple was
learning about some of the misconceptions that people have about the Hindu
religion. Something that a lot of people
do not know is that they are monotheistic.
All of the deities that they have are actually different representations
and qualities of the one unifying god that they believe in. This belief is translated well into the art
that is incorporated into their religious services.
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