Weird South: Visitation
“…Yet man, alone is privileged to shape his own life. A molded life is priceless. If unmolded he is no better than a rough, shapeless stone. It culminates in the experience of everlasting happiness. May the experience here open up for you new horizons of a meaningful life.” From a sign in front of a half sculpted man of a huge block of off-white stone entitled, “Sculpt Your Destiny”
On my most recent field trip to Lilburn, Georgia’s majestic Hindu Temple: BAPS Shri Swaminarayan Mandir. The mid-afternoon sun reflected the whiteness of the temple’s stricking facade. The grounds of the temple are lavish yet fiercly modest. It is hard to look at with the sun but practically every inch of every structure is a reward to the eyes. The amount of detail and architectural style (in comparison with its immediate surrounds of the Publix shopping mall across the street) is mesmerizing. It is part tourist site, part community center, part cultural center, and part seriously beautiful and highly crafted Hindu shrine in the suburbs of Metro Atlanta.
What does it look like?
+27, 600 Cubic Ft of Sandstone
+33,105 Cubic Ft of Italian Carrara
+42,623 Cubic Ft of Limra Limestone
+34, 671 Hand Carved Pieces Shipped from India
+391 Total Independently Standing Pillars
+13 Domes
+115 Archways
+110 (Not including the ones inside)Statues of Ancient India Bhaktakavis (poets) Acharyas Rushi, and Kings.
If there are other visitors, what are they like? // What feelings does the location evoke?
Large families or groups of 6–8 people most of which appear to be Indian or Hindu. Always with at least three different generations in tow (Baby, Parents, and Grandparents) Also seen were families or groups from a variety of cultural backgrounds: A friendly Asian couple with two young daughters that played tag near the reflection pool; A family from Gwinnett County silently take in the grandeur of the inner “shrine room.”
Ultimately everyone appears very calm and peaceful, which presumably is the effect the locale is going for.
How is the space arranged?
- Gift Shop
- Reflection Pool
- Temple
After turning into the temple’s drive, you pass through a sizable gate with a small white security box where a friendly guard asks for your name. The drive takes you to a moderate sized, tree-lined parking lot that is directly adjacent to the temple. From the moment you step out of your car, the first thing you notice is the exotic yet obviously artificial animal calls and sitar music that is played out of speakers throughout the grounds. (See my Sound Cloud recordings of this above) Walking towards the front of the building where the great stair case is you first come across the temple’s gift shop. Full color comic books detailing the famous stories of mythical or historical figures and deities, elaborate shrines for at home worship and prayers, and ceramic figurines of the aforementioned deities, from life size to miniature all priced with that familiar ‘gift shop mark-up’ price of way more than anyone should probably spend. The gift shop faces the tranquil Reflection Pool, here too the cords of the sitar are pipped in and mingle with the sounds of 16 metallic elephant head fountains blowing water out of thier 16 metallic trunks. (Photo at top shows a small section of this part of the fountain/pool) Up the stairs is the Temple itself, before which are several signs that prohibit all cameras and photography within about 100 yards of the temple. After removing your shoes, signs take you to the two sections within the temple that visiting, non practicing guests are restricted to: A sort of self-guided walk thru of the Mandir, Hinduism, the geneology of enlightened teachers or gurus, the hiarchy, the beliefs upheld by the faith, etc. and then the astonishing Shrine Room, a domed inner sanctuary where important edifices and statues reside for quiet worship amongst hundreds of thousands of emaculately carved walls, columns, and ceilings.
Do people realize that they’re in a space that has this significance?
Oh yes. The bright white facade of the domes, the security guard you are required to give your name to at the gate, the serene quiet (except for the strange squaking of animals and sitar playing piped through the speakers throughout the grounds all practically scream the Mandir’s significance.
