Mary McGee
New York Landmarks Conservancy
Common Bond December 1997

American Religious Buildings

Hindu Temples in New York State

By Mary McGee is Associate Professor of Classical Hinduism in the Department of Religion and Director of the Dharam Indic Research Center at Columbia University in the City of New York.

Hindus of South Asian origin are an increasing presence I in our multicultural American society, now numbering approximately 800,000. To maintain their religious traditions and celebrate their cultural heritage, they have dedicated some 150 temples in the US. Over the last 30 years with many becoming centers of pilgrimage. A number of Hindu communities are clustered in the New York-New Jersey region, with notable temples in Flushing, Wappingers Falls, Buffalo, Rochester, and Albany, NY, and in East Brunswick and Edison, NJ.

The earliest temples in the U.S., such as the renowned Sri Venkateswara Temple outside of Pittsburgh (consecrated in 1976) and the Temple of Sri Maha Vallabha Ganapati Devasthanam in Flushing (begun in 1973) have followed traditional Hindu texts on sacred architecture. Their exterior walls are adorned with detailed sculptures of deities and intricate bas-reliefs as found on temples throughout India.

Only a few communities in larger metropolitan areas, however, can afford to build sumptuous structures in traditional styles. The Hindu scholar Surinder Bhardwaj has noted that "most temples [in North America] are not architecturally identifiable as Hindu temples from their exterior." Smaller communities are opting for more modest buildings with a simplified exterior, saving traditional detailing of motifs and figures for the interior.

Two of the traditional features of Hindu temple architecture that are incorporated into American designs are the east-west orientation of the main sanctum and a circumambulatory around that sanctum. Interior spaces of American Hindu temples are designed to be more communal as compared with the intimate spaces within traditional Hindu temples, and this reflects changes in ritual practices among the diverse Hindu community in the US.

Hinduism and Traditional Temple Architecture

Hindu temples are the earthly homes of Gods and Goddesses, who otherwise dwell in the heavens, one of five strata of the cosfnos. The Hindu religious tradition is rich in stories about Gods and Goddesses who manifest themselves or their powers in response to the supplications of their devotees. Many temples include subsidiary shrines for attendants to the main deity.

In India, the architectural profile of many Hindu temples resembles a small mountain range. In classical northern temples, this effect is created by a series of peaks (shikara), the tallest of which is centered over the main sanctum. In classical Southern temples, an elaborately carved spire (gopuram) depicting the feats of the gods rises above the main sanctuary while smaller gopurams crown the gateways situated in the cardinal directions that open onto the courtyard that encompasses the temple complex.

The traditional Hindu temple is not designed for communal worship, though the outer courtyards or a separate assembly hall are often used for special events that draw large crowds on special festival occasions. Entering a temple in India is like entering a mountain cavern: there is little natural light and one progresses through a series of dark and damp antechambers until one reaches the garbhagriha or womb of the temple, wherein the main deity resides.

Innovations in Hindu Temple Architecture in America

In India, where Hinduism in its many forms is the dominant religious tradition, one may find separate temples dedicated to popular deities such as Krishna, Shiva, and Mahadevi all within one neighborhood or village. However, in the U.S., where Hindus are a minority, temples serve a wider range of Hindu denominations, and their worshipping communities incorporate a much wider diversity of regional and linguistic groups than do most temples in India. For instance, at the temple in Flushing, some 32 different deities are available for worship, and devotees include Bengali, Tamil, Hindi, and Gujarati speakers, to name a few.

American temples are typically built in stages, according to a master plan developed with an architect. Often a community hall for multiple purposes comes first. Sanctums are added to enshrine the deities. Plans often incorporate housing for the pujarl (priest) and his family, although some communities rent housing. Most communities arrange to have shilpis (traditional stone cutters and carvers) and other artisans come from India to the US. To work on the decor of the temple. Interior ornamentation includes decorative painting and bas-reliefs, applied according to a master plan. The sculpting and placement of murtis or vighrahas (images of the deities) is regulated by religious tradition. These images are still made in India by sculptors knowledgeable about traditional iconography, and then shipped to the American temples which have commissioned them. The installation and consecration of these images signify that the temple can officially open to the numerous devotees who come to perform pujas (worship) and take darshana (bask in the divine gaze of the deity).

Whereas in India it is typical for temple patrons to stop by throughout the day for darsana and puja, in the U.S. this is less feasible, especially since temples are few and far between. These factors have led to the development of a communal puja on weekends, which can draw anywhere from 30 to 2,000 worshippers. This requires a large and flexible sanctuary space.

The brass medallion flanking the entrance to the Flushing temple is the Ibgo of the Hindu Temple Society of North America. It conveys the tolerance of Hinduism, showing an Indian oil lamp surrounded by symbols of major world religions. The sacred symbol "Orn" written in Devanagari script represents Hinduism.

The emphasis on light is also an innovation in emerging styles of American temple architecture, especially in those temples designed by Barun Basu, of Barun Basu Associates, New London, CT Most Hindu temples are windowless, but at the Hindu Temple and Indian Cultural Center at Wappingers Falls, a skylight and one large window draw the light from the auspicious eastern direction, creating an opening to the heavens that can invite and illumine the interaction between human and divine.

Most Hindu temples in the United States also serve as cultural centers for families of South Asian background, and the diverse cultural and religious needs of these communities are often taken into consideration in the design and layout of American temples. The temple in Wappingers Falls serves not only different regional groups but also different religious groups, namely, Hindu, Arya Samaj, Jain, and Parsi communities of the Hudson Valley. Despite the religious and linguistic diversity, the feel of the Wappingers Falls temple is one of communally shared space. The main temple is a large, open, carpeted room, which can accommodate the quiet devotions of a single worshipper or the bustling festivities and chant-filled rituals of a traditional Hindu wedding. In typical Indian fashion, there are no pews or chairs; the only seat in this temple is reserved for God. Filled with natural light, the great room that transforms itself from sanctuary, to wedding hall, to performance space, represents several of the significant innovations in Hindu temple architecture in the US.

Barun Basu has been the key architect for many Hindu temples in the US. Like several other of Basu's works, the Wappingers Falls temple blends modern and post-modern architecture with textures, colors, and geometric patterns familiar to South Asians. Modern stucco-like exterior finishes over concrete block are tinted to resemble the pinkish to burnt orange hues of South Indian sandstone. The main sanctum faces east, according to regulation, and two thick towers rise above the western-situated sanctum, each marked with the relief of an arch, an architectural motif predominant in South Asian Hindu temples.

The Wappingers Falls temple is representative of the growing communities of South Asian Hindus in the United States, who, having established roots in the American soil, now seek ways to preserve and transmit their religious values and cultural traditions to their American-born children. In laying a foundation for a Hindu temple and Indian cultural center, they ensure a place and community for those values and traditions to flourish.