Hindu temple expanding in Hidden Valley

Rising from the desert in Hidden Valley is a building reminiscent of what one would find in the Far East. It is the Maha Ganapati Temple of Arizona, and it serves as a place for 1,000 regional followers of Hinduism to practice their religion.

“We have people come from Tucson to Tuba City,” said volunteer Krishna Srinivasan.

The temple opened nearly two years ago when the $1.5 million initial phase of construction, which included the 7,600 square-foot building and 200 parking spaces, was completed. Five Indian temple builders directed the project.

“The temple is the only one in Arizona to follow the (10th century) Chola Dynasty style of South Indian architecture,” said temple priest Pandit Srihari Kadambi.

While the temple is an impressive feat in its current state, it is far from complete. Temple leaders are trying to raise an additional $250,000 to complete the second phase, which will add a large tower rising from the center of the building, additional shrines and artwork.

“This structure is not just a building, but a sanctuary fit to house the gods,” Kadambi said.

The temple houses the deities of Lord Ganesha, Lord Shiva and Lord Balaji; each idol has its own mini-structure in the temple. When people come to the temple to worship, they present gifts such as flour, milk and other items to the idols in exchange for blessings.

Hinduism is not a religion in the same way as Christianity, but more like an all-encompassing way of life – much like Native American spirituality.

Hinduism is generally regarded as the world’s oldest organized religion. It consists of thousands of different religious groups that have evolved in India since 1500 BCE. Because of the wide variety of Hindu traditions, freedom of belief and practice are notable features of Hinduism.

Most forms of Hinduism are henotheistic religions. They recognize a single deity and view other gods and goddesses as manifestations or aspects of that supreme god.

Hindus believe in reincarnation, also known as “transmigration of souls” or “samsara.” This is a journey on the “circle of life,” where each person experiences a series of physical births, deaths and rebirths. With good karma, a person can be reborn into a higher caste, or even to godhood.  Bad karma can relegate one to a lower caste, or even to life as an animal in the next life. The goal of Hinduism is to eventually ascend through these reincarnations to the state of Nirvana, where the soul is released from the cycle of rebirth.

“Being in human form is the highest form, and Hindus believe the time spent in that form must be utilized to complete the most good,” Srinivasan said.

The idols housed at Maha Ganapati :

Shiva: Lord of mercy and compassion. He protects devotees from evil forces such as lust, greed and anger. He grants boons, bestows grace and awakens wisdom in his devotees. Since the tasks of Lord Shiva are numerous, he cannot be symbolized in one form. For this reason the images of Shiva vary significantly in their symbolism.

Balaji: Lord who destroys the sins of the people. The ancient Vishnu kautuvam describes him as Souryarayan, the one who destroys the evil and who comforts us. He is fondly called Venkanna in the folklore of Andhra Pradesh.

Ganesha: The elephant god Ganesha is widely revered as the remover of obstacles and more generally as lord of beginnings and lord of obstacles, patron of arts and sciences, and the deity of intellect and wisdom. He is honored at the beginning of rituals and ceremonies and invoked as patron of letters during writing sessions.

Photo by Michael K. Rich

A version of this article appeared in the August issue of InMaricopa News.