New temples built at the expense of the old
ERIOUS consideration must be given to putting an end to the construction of any new temples. There are too many temples, and congregations are spread too thin.
For the safety, security and survival of temples, as well as mosques and churches, those already in existence must better optimise human and material resources.
There has been widespread outrage after worshippers were robbed of cash, jewellery, cellphones and vehicles in two separate incidents, at the Maha Shiv Mandir in Sea Cow Lake and the Luxmi Narayan Temple in Mobeni Heights, during the past fortnight.
While such barbaric assaults on soft targets cannot be condoned, it must nonetheless be accepted that attacks on congregants will continue to escalate for as long as the number of worshippers dwindle and security is neglected owing to lack of funds.
The solution is to consolidate congregations by merging temples – there is safety in numbers – and more people will mean more donations that can be used to beef up security. (Sorry, since beef is anathema to Hinduism, think “stronger” security.)
It is lamentable that there should exist the threat of violence at a place of worship. Down the ages, houses of worship have been open to outsiders and desired to welcome strangers.
There is a natural antagonism between security and openness in temples.
The house of God must be open to all, is the dominant doctrine.
But tough times demand tough choices. Why, even the SAPS spends millions of rands a month on private security companies to guard police stations.
More than five decades ago, when communities lived in pockets dotted all over the city and private transport was a rare luxury, temples were built to serve residents close to their homes.
Hence, a district would have one or two temples within walking distance to serve hundreds of residents.
When peace-loving families were forcibly uprooted under the Group Areas Act and settled, first in Chatsworth and later in Phoenix, congregations at the temples in the former places of residence declined drastically.
With the fervour of exiles who had left their Holy Land, Hindus donated money in vast numbers to build temples, which mushroomed all over the new municipality-developed townships.
Since families were resettled from different areas into a single unit in Chatsworth or Phoenix, each community built its own temples to replace those that had been destroyed or left behind.
Hence, within one unit such as Bayview or Westcliff in Chatsworth, you would find temples catering for worshippers of different Hindu deities such as Shiva, Lakshmi, Vishnu, Durga, Hanuman, Ganesha and Muruga.
Today, Chatsworth alone has more than 60 public temples and at least twice that number within private properties (there are fewer than five clinics and soup kitchens).
Middle-aged prosperity has also resulted in those who had already acquired sufficient material satisfaction pondering the next move.
After the palatial mansion, fuel-guzzling German sedans, flawless diamonds and exotic holidays have lost their brag appeal, the question begs, what to do now to be noticed?
Ah, build a temple, of course.
Also, many people do not want the hassle of getting up early on a Sunday morning and driving 25km to worship the Almighty.
So more and more temples have been built to serve tiny communities with a few hundred Hindus.
Indians who have settled in former white suburbs such as Queensburgh and uMhlanga have also built new temples, instead of jumping into their SUVs and 4x4s and driving to existing temples in other areas where they can boost the number of worshippers.
In their zeal to erect new temples, Hindus aren’t asking who will maintain their shrines years from now.
The majority of temples in South Africa – and even in other Western countries such as the US and Europe – are already suffering the serious challenge of lack of manpower to perform the obligatory rituals and maintain the premises.
It is customary that the stone idols of deities (murtis) are given a daily bath (abhishegam) with purifying liquids.
This requires some effort. It is believed that it shows total disrespect for the gods if the daily bathing ceremony is not performed.
Given the difficulty in finding enough committed members of congregations to help temple priests perform this ritual, the late spiritual head of the Divine Life Society, Swami Sahajananda, frowned upon the installation of more and more stone idols in temples.
Respect
“Don’t install stone idols if you cannot show them due respect,” he once told me during a visit to a temple and added that was why he had decided to have beautiful colour photographs of deities as well as birds and flowers instead of murtis at the Divine Life Society’s ashrams.
It is also a fallacy to believe that building more temples will help to sustain and promote Hinduism.
With the exception of a few who can be counted on the fingers of one hand, temple priests do not deliver character-building sermons.
Other than reciting mumbo jumbo mantras and purveying sorcery and superstition, many have little or no understanding of Hindu philosophy.
But for rituals which have little meaning for worshippers except for providing them with time-honoured means for expressing and experiencing appropriate devotional emotions, temples do not serve to build solid characters in men, women and their children, characters that will stand firm against the negative influences of the world.
In a world of change, diminishing family values and moral laxity, temples should be moulding spiritual character.
However, instead of returning from a visit to a temple with teachings in right living, all you take away nowadays is the smell of lobaan or sambrani (frankincense) on your clothes.
While some teenagers are involved with Hinduism, it would be a gross exaggeration to say that they share the same devotion – and philanthropy – of their parents.
Religion is not a priority for young Hindus, just as it is not a priority for many teenagers of any faith.
At major prayer events, a few teenagers in ripped jeans will stand on the periphery, having been dragged to the temple by their parents or grandparents.
It’s easy to understand the obliviousness.
So- called Hinduism at temples has grown up to be a huge hotchpotch of sorts.
Charlatans and quacks of religion make up their own stories and rituals that serve their ends – and their wallets.
This has led to confusion, contradictions and meaningless competitions between temples vying for followers.
As a result, most of the youth of today have absolutely no clue what true religion is. Neither do their parents.
So, while a Muslim youth would take pride in his skull cap, a Hindu youth would loathe the vibhuti (sacred ash) used on the forehead and even make fun of it, because he is not educated about its significance. Caught in the enthusiasm to sustain and spread their culture and religion, the one thing that Hindus are not thinking about is the future.
Today’s youth will not bathe murthis tomorrow.
On visits to north and south India, I have seen magnificent temples hundreds of years old languishing without the funds to support them.
The detailed sculptures would be priceless pieces of art had they been placed in a museum.
Instead, the carved walls, stone sculptures, ancient paintings, and geometric pillars are eroding to a shadow of their former glory in the absence of restoration and preservation.
Neither devotees nor conservationists are interested in them.
There are simply too many temples for the Indian government to allocate funds towards their preservation.
Regrettably, temples in South Africa face a similar future.
What will happen to these temples two or three decades from now when the current crop of committed devotees has passed on?
Who will maintain these temples, or even visit them?
The younger generation of Hindus are far less religious and committed to the religion than their parents.
Their sea-facing apartments, luxury German sedans and their spouses are their newfound gods.
I have a front-row seat to the sad spectacle of today’s youth not having the same visceral attachment to the sprawling temples that their forebears built through sweat and toil.
I am of the considered view that it is socially irresponsible to keep building temples without thinking about what will happen to them in the future. The solution is simple. Instead of building new temples, communities must join together and maintain and worship in existing temples.
The swelled congregations would be able to afford suitable security to ensure devotees pray in peace.
After all, God and Hinduism do not require monolithic temples.
Good karma can still be accumulated by saving existing temples instead of building new ones.
Devan is a media consultant and social commentator. Share your comments with him on: yogind@meropa.
co.za