First Visit

I took my first visit to the Vishwa Dharma Mandalam at 96 Ave B about two weeks ago. The temple had a very inconspicuous facade and was located on a quiet one way street. I had called earlier to ask for permission to do the ethnographic study. Rhoda, the woman who answered the phone call, was hesitant about the process explaining to me that the temple was strictly a place of worship not academics. She eventually agreed but emphasized that I should not be taking notes or pictures.

When I arrived the door was locked. Peering inside I saw a bald Caucasian man performing yogo in the main room. He did not seem to notice me. I pressed the doorbell and a bearded Caucasian man stepped out from a room on the side to greet me. I stepped inside and was prompted to take off my shoes.

The reception area was a small entryway leading to the main room. It was decorated with photos of worshippers, photos from various events, and images of the deities. There was a small desk between the front entrance and the doorway to the main room. On top of the desk was ma laptop and various publications on Hinduism.

He must not have been expecting me since he gave me a questioning look. I told him about the phone call from earlier and told him that I came to make observations. At this point the bald man stopped his yoga routine and stepped into the reception area to join the conversation.

He explained, as Rhoda had, that this is strictly a place of worship. He emphasized the point that they will not allow observations with note taking or picture taking. He also pointed out that they will not answer any questions. I agreed and stepped into the main room. The bald man resumed his yoga routine in the middle of the room. To my left was a shrine with a statue of Ganesh on it. Two other figures stood beside Ganesh. Along the left wall, various wood carvings of deities were hung on the wall. On the floor were a collection of small statues of deities. I recognized Hanuman as one of them. At the back wall was another shrine and another statue of Ganesh. Directly below Ganesh, at the foot of the shrine was a chair with a picture of the Gurudev (I later learned through the webstie that he was the founder). Along the right wall was a display shelf full of small figurines of Vishnu’s various incarnations. Krishna seems to be the most popular figurine. They were placed alongside figurines of Lukshmi’s incarnation. Next to the display case was a shrine with a statue of Krishna and Rada.

I finished my observations in the main room (which was empty besides the bald man). I stepped though a doorway in the back that leads to an inner room. There were about five chairs lined up against the wall, each carrying a picture of a particular guru on it. In this room was a vast collection of statues of deities.

As I was preparing to leave, I decided to frame my question in a way so that it was not a question. I asked the bald man to tell me about the history of the temple. He politely refused to tell me but invited me to take some literature published by the temple.