Tremendous Hindu Temple built in...of all places...

[ProdigalJunkMail]

the heart of the conservative christian southeast.

I drove by this site the other day...and I have to say that it is magnificent. If you have the chance and are nearby, I highly recommend this as a stop on your tour of the southeast. The largest temple of its kind in North America and all those raging religious rednecks turned out in excitement and even support of this in the midst of their conservative playground.

I guess not everyone down here is a backward hick as some on this board would have you believe...

http://www.cnn.com/video/#/video/us/2007/08/26/iyer.georgia.hindu.temple.cnn

sP

[anniebelle]

1. Saw it yesterday and it is a sight to behold. n/t

[burythehatchet]

2. .

Swãminãrãyan (April 2, 1781 - 1830) is the central figure of the Swaminarayan faith of Hinduism and is regarded as an incarnation of God.

Bhagwan Swaminarayan was born Ghanshyam Pande in Chhapaiya, Uttar Pradesh, (North India) in 1781 AD, renounced his home at the age of 11, performed austerities in the Himalayas and traveled through India for the next seven years across 8,000 miles, before settling in an ashram in Gujarat (Western India). He then preached his doctrine of love, peace, purity and non-violence until his death in 1830. Followers believe that he lives on beyond his mortal form.

[CottonBear]

27. So is a Hindu "faith" similar to a Protestant denomination?

Thank you for the information about the the Swaminarayan faith. :)
Have you been to the temple? It is absolutely stunning in pictures. I want to see it in person.

:hi: Hello! I hope you're surviving this awful Georgia heat. I'm ready for fall weather and Georgia football! I'm going to at least two games this year. :woohoo:

[burythehatchet]

32. Doin' fine thanks. Have made it through the summer, so far, without a/c

Electric bill was $29 last month!

My parents are coming down from NJ this weekend and we plan to go to the temple.

I never actually thought about the analogy. Its more so devotion to a specific spiritual leader, as opposed to the traditionally defined "sect".

:hi:

[CottonBear]

33. Thank you for the information!

I hope that you and your parents enjoy visiting this stunning temple! :) :hi:

[conscious evolution]

3. it is a beautiful temple.

[Heidi]

4. Thank you, PJM!

That's a gorgeous temple.

:kick:

[ProdigalJunkMail]

5. it is the most amazing religious site I have ever seen

within the US...utterly beautiful...staggering to behold...a feast for the eyes and spirit...

sP

[gademocrat7]

6. I live near the new Hindu temple.

It has been amazing to watch the construction from start to finish.

[stanwyck]

36. I live in Tucker, not far

we drove by it the other day and were totally amazed.
I plan to take a tour.

[bunkerbuster1]

7. Nice temple. Now stop being a WATB.

"Some on this board" do not claim that "everyone down here is a backward hick."

In fact, I challenge you to find even one DUer who has made such a claim.

About the temple--yes, it seems the locals 'round here are being very supportive, and that is a Good Thing. It also isn't very surprising.

[ProdigalJunkMail]

8. if you haven't seen it...then you ain't lookin'

it has been a little while, but there are plenty of people here that have a very 'diminished' view of the south. I gladly reject your challenge...say what you will, but it is here and you know it.

sP

WATB...shouldn't have expected any more from a Mets fan :-) Have a good post season...God knows the Braves won't be there...

[bunkerbuster1]

9. Oh, there are ignorant folks who say stupid things about the South, granted.

I've corrected a few myself.

But I've never heard anyone claim that everyone down here's a hick, is all. Figured there's no point in piling nastiness on nastiness.

Anyway, I never count out the Braves until they're eliminated. Didn't last year, won't this year either. They're in a slide, but being just four games back of the wild card and a month to go, I could still see a Mets-Braves NLCS happening. Ya never know.

[ProdigalJunkMail]

11. ok...hyperbole on my part does not consitute tolerance on your part

I should have been more clear. But all my pissing and moaning aside, it is a beautiful temple! I look forward to heading to the ole stomping grounds from time to time and seeing it. Lilburn just ain't what it used to be.

As for the Braves, I just don't see them making a good run. The slide is definitely happening...and unfortunately I think it will continue. At four games out with only a month to play...we are looking at .700 ball or better to get in (I believe) and I just don't see that happening. Oh well, I can cheer for the Mets (if I have to :-) )

sP

[zabet]

14. There were such remarks about the South

in this thread. Mods may have deleted them.
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=105x6867288

[bunkerbuster1]

15. I'll take your word for it.

However, I think it speaks volumes about the true mindset of DU that such stupidity is considered hate speech, and deleted by the mods--as it should be.

[HiFructosePronSyrup]

21. Nobody claims it's all backwards hicks.

Simply a disproportionate number of backwards hicks.

[CottonBear]

24. We Southerners don't use the word "hick." It seems to be a Northern or mid-western term. n/t

[HiFructosePronSyrup]

26. So you're saying Southerners have a limited vocabulary?

:shrug:

[CottonBear]

29. Nope. I was just commenting on regional words and differences in vocabulary.

We use the term redneck. We don't say hick or hillbilly. Calling someone a redneck could be an insult or it could be a compliment depending on who says it! Lots of folks like to refer to themselves as rednecks! We even had the redneck games (which were very silly and tongue in cheek) during the 1996 Olympics!
;)

[conscious evolution]

34. lol!

[ProdigalJunkMail]

37. that's strange...been in the South all my life

and have heard 'hick' used quite regularly...that spans GA/AL/NC/SC and I don't recall the lack of use in any of those places. Sometimes it is derogatory sometimes it is just playful (but not complementary...when my wife calls me a hick I understand that she is not praising the way I am doing something).

sP

[yellowdogintexas]

10. WOW! now I want to go visit Atlanta on my next road trip! And you can bet

by the way that in certain parts of my particular locality, there would have been some protesters.

I can just see it now.

That temple is amazing, and how wonderful to tour and walk through it and just imagine the counterparts that are already 1000 years + in age over in India, and at least feel you know how they must look.

I see from the interiors some of the Hindu influence on the Mughar Indian Muslim style which infiltrated Spain and exists today in the Alhambra, and other sites around Andalusian Spain.

Breathtaking!

thanks for posting this

[ProdigalJunkMail]

12. I have only driven by...

but now that it is open, I am going to have to make a special trip to view the inner workings...just spectacular!

sP

[bunkerbuster1]

13. I can't wait to take my family there.

We're fortunate to live so close (I'm going to wait until we stop having triple-digit highs here in GA).

I hope that this becomes a destination for all kinds of folks, from all over.

[eppur_se_muova]

16. Pix taken during construction ...

http://www.hindutempleofatlanta.org/gallery/hta_oct06_1_web/index_2.htm

The later collections in the 'photo gallery' are unfortunately overdone, even for those of us with fast Ethernet ...

[knitter4democracy]

17. That's stunningly beautiful!

No steel or metal used in the building at all? How did they do that?

I have a friend down that way. If I get the chance to visit her, I'll want to stop and see that temple. It's so beautiful!

[La Lioness Priyanka]

18. what an waste of money.

such ostentatious displays when there are millions starving in india makes my stomach churn.

[marions ghost]

28. a reasonable point

--but that argument is up against all the questionable things that are built or supported everyday--like the Iraq 'war'. We could have helped a lot of starving people everywhere with that money.

Look at all the other wild things humans build--from the tallest skyscraper in Shanghai to the Wal-Marts paving our local landscapes and having millions of devotees. (I knew one person who had to go to Wal-Mart EVERYDAY--now that's worship).

What's the value of cultural monuments? Do we want one at Ground Zero for example? Who decides whose monument is OK and whose isn't?

Dunno the answer but maybe people in the US can understand other cultures better if some of it comes here in a visible way. :shrug:

---------------

Here's a Hare Krisna temple in West VA that's pretty impressive...New Vrindaban:

http://www.iskcon.com/worldwide/centres_detail/moundsville.html

[La Lioness Priyanka]

31. i say that about most ostentatious displays of wealth. i think the iraq war is a good demonstration

of showing off wealth and power.

[marions ghost]

19. how long did it take to build this?

:wow:

[bridgit]

20. That's awesome!!

:wow:

[Akoto]

22. Wow, the sculpting is beautiful. n/t

[CottonBear]

23. That is awesome! No metal or steel was used. It's all marble and stone!

It has got to be one of the most beautiful buildings that I've ever seen.

I live only about 45 minutes form Lilburn. This temple is now on my "must see" list. I didn't even know it was being constructed.

We have many, many Indians living here in Georgia. Gwinnett County (where Lilburn is located) has a large Indian population.

:wow:

[Lurking Dem]

25. I used to live across the street from one

in suburban Nashville. It always looked pretty in the snow.

?v=0

[Beetwasher]

30. Wanna See Something HILARIOUS Regarding Something Similar?

Well, sort of similar. Anyway, your thread reminded me of this thread:

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=214&topic_id=142814&mesg_id=142814

[TahitiNut]

35. I've seen Prayer Cones like that all over Michigan.