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rkpande
09 May 2010, 03:34 AM
friends;

view this link to find some beautiful temples.
http://www.religionforums.org/archive/index.php/thread-1840.html

pranam
rk

Believer
12 July 2010, 04:31 PM
Namaste,

Thank you all for posting these pictures and making it possible for me to visit all these beautiful temples and see the presiding deities. Many of the temples are mind blowing in terms of their sheer size and architectural detail. May they survive for many millennia to come.

Odion
13 July 2010, 01:35 AM
Absolutely beautiful. I would love to visit many of these temples, and Angkor Wat has been one I have always wished to visit since I first laid eyes upon it.

How many of these are open to the public, and how many would accept non-Indian Hindus in them, does anyone know? :)

If I ever get the chance to visit India--which I hope I am comes to pass--I'd love to know some temples to visit, if anyone can suggest any for me?

Eastern Mind
13 July 2010, 07:10 AM
Vannakkam Odion:

Most, but not all temple will let non-Indian Hindus in. Some might ask for 'proof' of your being Hindu, which may be hard to obtain. It is important, I think, to look Hindu in dress and have familiarity with the customs. Just over a year back I was there on pilgrimage through Tamil Nadu, and only had to show my proof once. We went to about a dozen temples.

There is one famous Krishna temple that did have a ban, but I heard recently that was also lifted. I've also heard that some in Kerala are also strict. The irony is of course, that if you are traveling with a guide, he can be Christian, Muslim, or atheist, but will easily get in by talking the talk. Of course that is his job and livelihood.

It is a well discussed issue on Indian travel sites like Indiamike. So I wouldn't worry about it much., other than perhaps trying to learn a few protocols first.

You can learn a bit about some of the greater Tamil Nadu temples by reading this : http://www.hindudharmaforums.com/showthread.php?t=3738&highlight=Tanjore

Aum Namasivaya

Believer
13 July 2010, 05:10 PM
JaganNath Puri temple is one that does not allow people who are not born hindus into the temple. This came up when ISKCON founder Bhaktivedanta Swami tried to take his followers with him into the temple for a darshan of the deities.

Odion
14 July 2010, 03:48 AM
Thank you guys. :)

Is there a way I can obtain proof of being Hindu, Eastern Mind ji? May I ask what yours is? Thank you for the link, too. I'm reading through it at the moment.

Believer ji, Do you know if the followers of Bhaktivedanta Swami managed to get into the temple for darshan, or was it unsuccessful?

Eastern Mind
14 July 2010, 07:07 AM
Vannakkam Odion:

The only temple in Tamil Nadu I had to show it in was Madurai Meenakshi, but I believe there are more. Then again I pretty much looked the part with one exception (skin colour) I haven't heard of any in the north, but I could be wrong. So really it isn't much of a worry.

But since you asked, my certificate is identical to the one on this page.
http://www.himalayanacademy.com/resources/books/hbh/hbh_ch-7.html

Here is another article on the subject which mentions Arya Samaj method.

http://hubpages.com/hub/How-to-convert-to-Hinduism

It is definitely not necessary. We have lots of western people on HDF like you who are just as Hindu as the Indian Hindu, but haven't officially converted in any way. You can tell by the way they speak and act. You are Hindu if you believe in Vedas, and know it from your soul. I personally believe it is not this physical body that 'has' a religion, but rather the soul. I would caution anyone to go slow in the process, as explained in 'How to Become a Hindu". Sometimes people think they have taken on a belief when in reality it is just a passing fad. When push comes to shove, they resort to an earlier subconscious mindset. This is quite understandable.

So if you do decide to do something, make sure you are intellectually honest with yourself, and take some time.

This type of 'going back' happens a lot in religious mixed marriages when the first child comes along. I read somewhere the other day that the divorce rate in mixed faith marriages is 3 times as high as in same-faith marriages. Of course all situations are different.

If you have any other questions, feel free to ask.

Aum Namasivaya

Odion
14 July 2010, 10:14 AM
Namaste Eastern Mind ji

Ah! I've seen the Himalayan Academy website before. I even downloaded their certificate. :)

I don't know too much about the Shuddhi ceremony, but I'm kind of interested in learning more about it (like what is said in it and so on), although I don't see it as too important to my own spiritual growth, so I guess it can wait. :)

I most definitely agree with you entirely that it is the soul that has the religion as opposed to the body. I have encountered people for whom they have tested out a religion and it has been a passing fad, and I can understand why they do it as they try and find out who they actually are.


This type of 'going back' happens a lot in religious mixed marriages when the first child comes along.
What do you mean by 'going back'? Converting to one religion and then de-converting back to the previous religion?


If you have any other questions, feel free to ask.
I'm a bad person to say that to, I'm full of questions. :D

May I ask a few personal-ish questions?

Did you have any conversion ceremonies? Did you adopt a new name? How was it chosen, and who chose it for you, and did you get any influence in the name you were given? What brought you to Hinduism, and did you marry a Hindu yourself? (I'm presuming you are married here) If you have kids, how did you tell them about the stories of Sanatana Dharma (I don't know how to explain what I mean with this one. I will try and compose my thoughts a bit and come back to it)?

You don't have to answer any of these questions if you don't want to, of course. :)

(Is this going a bit off topic?)

Thanks!

Eastern Mind
14 July 2010, 01:44 PM
Vannakkam Odion:

I sent you a PM to answer most of your questions, but some I don't mind giving my point of view here. What I meant by going back is that the early subconsciouss programming is the strongest. A person might think completely that they have adopted a new faith. But then a personal crisis comes along, or karma or marriage, or a belief they hadn't previously heard a bout in the new faith. It is natural to return to the comfort zone under stress. The mind can fool itself, in other words. That's why in Himalayan Academy method, it is called 'ethical conversion' and it is a 3 to 4 to 5 year process. Even then not all people have been able to stick with it.

In mixed marriages that don't work (Many do work.) there is often a desire to raise the children in each parent's faith. So if the Mom is Jewish, she wants Jewish traditions. If the father is Catholic, he wants that. Often the couple never really talked it over before getting married because that old love/lust/interests things were so strong.

What do you mean by the shuddhi ceremony. I'm not familiar with the term.

Aum namasivaya

Odion
14 July 2010, 02:13 PM
Thank you for explaining EM ji

What I mean by Shuddhi Ceremony is the ceremony that Arya Samajis give converts (and those coming back to Hinduism from another religion). It's supposed to be a purification ceremony, but I don't know much about it at all so I can't give any more information on it other than I have here, since I'm not a Samaji. It's interesting but I don't think it's for me. :)

Believer
14 July 2010, 11:25 PM
Thank you guys. :)

Believer ji, Do you know if the followers of Bhaktivedanta Swami managed to get into the temple for darshan, or was it unsuccessful?

The effort was unsuccessful. It is a no-go for people not born as Hindus.