IACO

Interfaith Association of Central Ohio

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Hindus share beliefs, practices at interfaith open house

By GARTH BISHOP

Published: Monday, July 21, 2008 9:47 AM EDT

A local Hindu temple is welcoming practitioners of all religions through its doors to learn more about each others' faiths.

An open house at Bharatiya Hindu Temple of Columbus, located at 3671 Hyatts Road in Powell, is scheduled for 4 to 7 p.m. Sunday, July 27.

It is part of a series of open houses at local places of religious worship organized by the Interfaith Association of Central Ohio, an organization dedicated to fostering understanding across religious lines and promoting social justice, peace and human dignity. The association's membership includes practitioners of the Christian, Jewish, Islamic, Buddhist, Hindu, Jain, Sikh and Baha'i faiths.

The most recent open house was held at the Central Ohio Baha'i Center in Columbus.

"It's an opportunity for people of faith from across Central Ohio to go to a ... place of worship, but at the same time, it's an opportunity for folks ... to interact with people of other faiths and be able to share their faith," said association President Tarunjit Butalia.

Collaboration between people of different religions helps build trust in the community, said Butalia, a practitioner of the Sikh faith.

"The hope is that when problems happen within our community, that we already have those bridges in place so we can try to resolve some of the differences people have," he said.

The Bharatiya temple has been involved with the association for some time, and its leadership thought it a good time to host one of its open house events.

"We take a great pride in being part of the interfaith and would love to have all the (people of other faiths) come to our temple and visit and see what we do," said Bishun Pandey, president of the temple's executive committee.

Though the short duration of the open house will prevent in-depth explanation of the Hindu faith, a tour will offer ample opportunity for visitors to see the temple and learn the significance of many of its parts.

"There are six shrines in the temple, so basically, somebody will be explaining what the shrines are, what are these deities inside the shrines and how it relates to the religion," Pandey said. "Probably, they will also provide some general info about Hinduism."

The temple has been at its Hyatts Road location since 1994 and draws some 15,000 attendees from an enormous area.

"Our area is all the way up to Findlay in the north (and) Mansfield and Cambridge in the east," Pandey said. "On the south side, we go all the way to Point Pleasant, which is in West Virginia."

The open house begins with a meal from 4 to 5 p.m. Attendees will gather in a circle for introductions from 5 to 5:30 p.m., and a tour of the temple will take place from 5:30 to 6:30 p.m., during which time attendees can also elect to gather for conversation and tell personal stories. Temple visitation, socializing and dessert follow from 6:30 to 7 p.m.

Most open houses are in a potluck format, but because of the restrictions of the Hindu diet, the temple has elected instead to provide the food itself, offering healthy vegetarian cuisine, Pandey said.

The event is free and open to all.

The open houses provide a great opportunity for Central Ohioans to learn more about the lesser-known religions present here, Pandey said.

"There is something common between these religions and that's why they are all together to share their ... views and meet and great each other," he said.

The temple still welcomes visitors wanting to know more about it even outside of the open house, Pandey said. Those interested can call the temple at 740-369-0717 or send an e-mail to hindutemplecol@yahoo.comto set up a visit.

More information on the association can be found on its Web site, iaco.org, and more information on the temple can be found on its Web site, columbushindutemple.org.