It was 1:30 pm, we made our way to
the Swami Narayan temple at Pramukh Swami road, Barlett in Chicago. The huge
parking lot was full of cars that indicated a massive attendance. It seemed
like there was some festival inside the temple. Most of the devotees were
Gujarathis. I tried talking to few, but they seemed distant.
We entered the main building that had
beautifully carved white peacock perched on wooded windows in the patio. The
carvings on the windows and on the walls were mesmerizing.
“Gods are sleeping,” announced the
priest as we entered the main hall.
My cousin wrinkled her brows, “How
can Gods sleep?” She wanted to know.
We had been driving since last two
hours to reach this place, she was offended to learn that she would not be
able to see the idols. The small carved, wooden doors were shut but we could
see the idols on TV that were placed outside in the hall just near the donation boxes.
“Gods don’t sleep, He is supposed to
listen to our problems 24/7” she grumbled.
“Its okay, maybe Gods need rest too”,
I said. “Come lets admire the architecture instead”.
In the basement, there were group of
ladies who poured cup of water over the idols (giving bath (perhaps) before
putting Gods to sleep.) on the other side was a long corridor where big posters adorned the wall. The pictures were of India saints, who had contributed to science, technology and natural healing methods
through yoga and other therapies.
Whether the Gods lived in this temple
or not, I was awed by its architecture. The pillars, the interiors walls, the
exterior had been carved meticulously. There was wood and marble carving and it
was splendid. I admired the artists’ craftsmanship. The one who had worked on
this must be truly blessed.
The limestone and marble stones for
the temple were quarried from Turkey and Italy and shipped to Gujarat, India.
From here, the stones were transported to Rajasthan where they were hewn and
carved by 2000 craftsmen. Once the stones were sculpted, they were shipped to
Chicago and then assembled like 3D jigsaw puzzle.
The temple is surrounded by beautiful
landscape with fountains and statues spread across 27 acres. It was a pleasant
walk outdoors and the weather was perfect. We walked back to the main building
that had Shayona (cafeteria), there was a big queue for buying simple and tasty
Indian food at discounted rates. There was a small supermarket too that sold
Indian snacks and sweets. It did quite a good business because every devotee
patronized this store to purchase India goodies for their family at home.
