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Murugan Temple of North America
6300 Princess Garden Parkway, Lanham, MD
301-552-4889

On Friday night I visited the Murugan Temple of North America. The building was rather large, and white with detailed stone carvings and statues. Once inside, I entered a small foyer area and a teenage boy was there waiting for me. He said to take off my shoes and to follow him. Before I entered the prayer hall I saw a large sign that stated " No cell phones, no cameras, no food or drink, and no talking."

The prayer room was huge compared to the Rajdhani Mandir, which was the other Hindu temple I visited. There were about 15 normal sized rugs on the concrete floor, all of middle eastern style. There were 5 major shrines, each was made of all stone and beautifully articulated with detail. There were 4 big ones in each corner of the prayer and then 1 huge one, and these of course housed the statues of the deities. In front of each shrine there was a sign that said "priests only beyond this point."

The puja had already started, the 2 priests and the worshippers were surrounding one of the shrines which was labeled "Sri Varasiddhi Vinayaka". I realized that this was a statue of Ganesh (a man confirmed my guess later). The priests were chanting loudly and pouring liquids on the statue of the deity. I remember seeing them pour a colorful liquid, and then they would pour water on it to rinse it off. I later found out that some of the liquids were: orange juice, milk, yogurt, and sandalwood (the last liquid poured on before the ceremony was over) to name a few. One priest would chant and one would frequently ring the bell (sometimes other people also joined in and rang bells too). A boy told me that the priest was chanting the Holy Mantras, and the other priest would ring the bells so that the people could not hear him. I do not know the reasoning for that, though. The priest also dressed the statue with colorful beads, and colorful lays (like the Hawaiian ones), and then he would undress the statue. This was done many times. He also took incense in a candle holder and circled it around the statue, he did this numerous times while chanting. At one point the priest had a candle holder that held about 6 sticks of incense and he also circled this around the deity (but towards the end). I wonder why different numbers of incense sticks are used throughout the ceremony? The priest then cleansed the deity and undressed it, then put up the curtain.

Then the priests moved onto puja for another deity, and I had some time to speak with a few people. I had to keep my voice down though so I did not disturb the others. I noticed that when the puja was ending the priest took a substance and wiped it across each persons forehead, leaving a residue on their heads that looked like ash. One lady told me that the ash is called vibuthi in Sanskrit and thru meru in Hindi. She said that this ash is from cow dung. The dung is dried out, and then burned to create the ash. She told me that it is very pure and is used as a disinfectant in India to clean huts. She also mentioned that this is like the ashes that I would receive on Ash Wednesday at my church, which reminds us that our bodies come from ashes and will return to ashes. I was impressed with her knowledge of my faith, and she told me she frequently goes to other churches b/c of her interest in religion.

Her husband also spoke with me for a while. He told me he was not born a Hindu, but he is one now because in Hinduism you can do what you want (in the means of worship). He also gave me a little history of Hinduism in the U.S. He said that Hinduism was introduced to our country about 150-200 years ago in Chicago. He pointed to the shrine behind us, and told me it was a linga stone. I had remembered this from the video, and it looked exactly the same. It was dressed with very vibrant flowers and colorful lays. He told me that their temple was dedicated to the deity Muruga, who is lower on the hierarchy that a deity like Ganesh. He pointed out a statue to me of a deity who was standing on a dead body, which shows the circle of life. He did not know the name of this god though. Does anybody know?

We stopped talking when the priest came back to the shrine of Ganesh. This is where the final puja of the night would be performed. This time only one priest was doing the ritual. Candles were light all around the deity, and the deity was again dressed with lays and flowers and the incense was again waved around the statue. Then they turned out the lights around the deity, and continued to wave incense. After the deity was completely dressed the chanting turned to signing. It was quite beautiful. A woman also joined in with him singing, she had a pretty voice. The people started bringing up their donations to the priest which consisted of mainly fruits like bananas, mangos, coconuts, apples and grapes. All of the people now joined in at certain parts of the song. At one point the bells were rang, and everyone stood up (some people had been sitting on the floor throughout the ritual). The priest then walked around with incense and all of the people would cup their hangs around the flame. I am not sure what this meant.

I left before the ritual was over, but I felt that I had seen plenty. I had been to a Hindu place of worship, but not witnessed a puja. This was a neat experience. On Fridays, at this temple they do 5 different pujas. The people are very friendly, and wanted to help me learn as much as possible. The people on behalf of the temple even gave me a book! It's called "Dancing with Siva and The Cosmic Matrix." I did not know what to say, and they insisted that I must take it so I could learn more. I have not started reading it yet, but definitely plan to. I had a wonderful time, and was pleasantly surprised. I recommend to anyone who has not done both of their Hinduism reports to go to the Murugan Temple. Friday at 7 p.m. is when the pujas start. I did call ahead, and they were expecting me...the number is 301-552-4889. The address is 6300 Princess Garden Parkway, Lanham, MD 20706 (this isn't one of the places listed to visit for field research). I am also expecting an email with more explanations for why certain things were done, so I will post more if I receive that information before Saturday. I hope if anyone decides to go they have as good of a time as me, and feel as welcome as I did!

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