Viet Namese Buddhist Temple, Houston

Ashoka Chakra right at the entrance of the temple

Last weekend we had been to Houston to participate in the wonderful Krishna Janmashtami celebrations organized by the Hindus of Greater Houston. The day after the event we hung around in Houston to visit couple of friends and take in the Hindu sights of the city. We have seen everything there is to see in this city last year the museum of modern art, Downtown Aquarium, zoo, water wall, NASA space center, George Ranch and others. That is why this time we decided to take in only the spiritual sights of Hindus. It seems like there are millions of churches in every city in the US so I don't bother with them unless they are really spectacular or historically relevant.

Anyway coming back to our exploration we had planned on visiting the Swami Narayan temple. Unfortunately for us we found the wrong address on google and landed up in the wrong place. This was a misfortune in disguise because right next door to the address we found was this magnificent Viet Namese Buddhist temple. This shrine with its towering milky white statue of Buddha, artificial lakes, rolling grassy lawns and gardens, held me spellbound even as I enjoyed myself capturing photographs of the location.

I was heartened to see the Ashoka Pillar right at the entrance of the temple and also the Dharma Ghanta (Bell of Justice) installed in a tower adjacent to the sanctum. This is one temple which is resplendent of the glory of Eastern religions and non-violent philosophy. I wish some of our Hindu temples would be as imposing. The temple was choc-a-bloc with pious Viet Namese listening to a discourse.

Sanctum of the temple

The Dharma Ghanta inside its tower

I will be posting more pictures of this wonderful shrine, once I get them sorted out. And then there are several pictures of last week's trip to Katrina-devastated and government neglected New Orleans. Do keep visiting the blog and check out the updates. Last and most important do leave your comments and feedback.

Krishna Janmashtami Celebrations in Houston

Lord Krishna, the god of love with his consort Radha

Over the weekend we had been to Houston to participate in the well organized, colorful, and wonderfully scintillating Krishna Janmashtami Celebrations. The festival was organized by Hindus of Greater Houston, a non-profit organization formed to promote Hinduism and remove the popular misconceptions about the oldest religion in the world. The beauty of the event was that there was no fees charged either for visitors or for vendors who kept booths. The only condition however was that only Hindu non-profit organizations were permitted to have booths.

This was the first time I felt a Hindu presence in the United States. Temples and other spiritual locations apart this was the only ceremony which had a pure Hindu feel to it. The ceremonies were quite similar to those festivities organized in ashrams of modern Hindu Swamis like the Prasanna Trust or Art of Living Foundation. The highlight of the evening was live performance by Ghazal Maestro Anup Jalota who held the audience spellbound by his rendition of devotional songs dedicated to Lord Rama and Krishna.

There were numerous other performances by children, Krishna costume competition and the event was capped up by a Dandia or community dance which went on for about an hour and half. The devotional evening started off at 5.30 pm and continued until 1.00 am. As I came out of the auditorium I was heady in the spirituality and felt really happy that at last I have participated in a proper Hindu festival celebration. Here are some pictures... more to come..

Ceremonial welcome to guests on a carpet flanked by traditional figures

The center of attraction a mega rangoli with Radha-Krishna idol in the center

Ghazal Maestro Anup Jalota rendering soul soothing devotional songs

Packed auditorium during Anup Jalota's performance

The band of Guruvaurappan temple getting ready for performance

The imposing performance graduates with my highlight.