Worshipping in New Delhi

While in New Delhi, we had the chance to see many religious buildings when we toured the city. Since I had done research on religions, it was good to actually see the places in person because it helped me to better understand what I’d read about.

Sikh Temple

When we first saw this building, I was able to identify it as a Sikh temple because of the important Sikh symbol on the front. We did not go inside the temple as we have already been to the Golden Temple, so we merely stopped and admired the building from the outside.

I recently learned Sikhism evolved from Hinduism during the time of the invasions by the Muslim armies. During this era, the Sikhs took the oldest son from every family to become warriors. The articles of faith, or the five k’s, used today actually had battle purposes.

• To appear more barbaric and frighten their enemies, Sikh hair wasn’t cut.
• Although they wanted to have a barbaric appearance, head lice was common, so they used the combs to keep their hair and beards clean.
• The bracelets worn were much thicker and could be used as defence in close-quarter fighting.
• The ceremonial swords were not ceremonial back then, and were used in battles.
• The undershorts were good in battle because the soldiers could continue fighting while protecting their honour.

Jain Temples

On a tour, we saw three Jain temples which we weren’t allowed to enter.  We couldn’t take pictures of the first two, but we got a picture of the third from the street. It was very interesting to see as I have never seen temples for this religion before.

I think we couldn’t go into the temple because in the Jain religion, they don’t want to hurt any living thing.  If bugs were accidentally let in and hurt, it would be going against their religion.

Hindu Temple

This temple was very nice and had a giant statue of a team of horses pulling a chariot. Sitting in the chariot was the Hindu god Krishna. I think the statue looks amazing and really lifelike, as if the horses were frozen in time.

We  were lucky to go to another Krishna temple with Ravi and Anju and had the chance to participate in a service. There is a big room where everyone prays, with altars and statues of Krishna. Everyone sits on the floor on nice big carpets.

The outside of the temple

A chandelier inside the temple

An altar with statues of Krishna

The main altar

The prayers are chanted and music is played as accompaniment, and some people clap their hands to the beat. At certain points in the service, everyone raises their hands to show they are leaving things for the god to decide what happens.

An important part of the service is when a religious leader comes into the crowd with holy fire and people wave their hands over the fire. The crowd wants to be as close to the fire as possible, so there is a big surge of people when the fire is first brought. I experienced something like this when I visited a Hindu temple in Toronto. The only difference was the fire was brought to each worshipper individually so there was no big crowd.

Bringing the fire to the crowd

The fire

In the Hindu religion, they do not eat beef. I’m not exactly sure why, but I have heard a few stories about this.

• A cow gives you milk and so does your mother, and you wouldn’t kill and eat your mother.
• There are gods inside the cows so they are considered sacred.
• The god Krishna was a cowherder, and he said not to eat cows.
• Cows were being killed at a very fast rate, so in order to prevent them from going extinct, the religious leaders made this philosophy which is still in place today.

If anyone has a source who can verify any of these stories, please comment below!

Qutab Minar

This is one of the most well known monuments in New Delhi. It is a giant minaret built by Qutab-ud-din Aibak, the first Muslim ruler of Delhi. He was only able to complete the basement, so it took another two rulers to finish the tower. Some say the minaret was built for the call to prayers and signified the defeat of the Hindus. Once, it was open for the public to climb up, but today it is closed. It is a beautiful tower, full of elaborate carvings of verses from the Quran, Islam’s holy writings.

Some of the carvings on the tower

The Qutab Minar

At the base of the Qutab Minar are constructions with very interesting stories. One is the Quwwatu’l-Islam, the oldest mosque in north India. This mosque was built with the remains of about 20 Hindu temples which were there before the minaret. Another thing is the Iron Pillar. It is said if you can wrap your arms around the pillar with your back to it, all of your wishes will come true. Today, there is a fence around the pillar for safety reasons.

Lotus Temple

The Lotus temple was built for the followers of the Bahai religion. It is made to look like a lotus flower, with 27 marble petals (3 rows of 9 petals) surrounded by nine pools. There are nine because nine is the highest single digit and symbolizes completeness, perfection, and unity. The grounds are beautiful with trimmed hedges and immaculate grass. This reminds me of the Bahai gardens we visited in Haifa, Israel. Both places had amazing grounds and gorgeous marble work.

A peacock design on a gate

The temple and its grounds

The Lotus Temple

The temple with one of the pools

Seeing these places of worship was very interesting and made the information I’ve learned come to life. I am excited to discover more about these religions so I can understand them better.