Robin Wilton's esoterica

Being in Singapore last week also gave me an opportunity to find out a few interesting things about Hinduism. Preparations for the festival of Deepavali (Diwali) were well under way, with street lights being put up, temples being decorated, and markets selling garlands, jewellery, henna, clothing and so on. I visited the Mariamman temple, where one could simply remove one's shoes and walk in. There were signs to advise tourists of areas they should not go into, as well as donation boxes and the opportunity to buy a photography permit. Actually, the first time I went to the temple (Monday 17th Oct) it was closed. A sign on the door said "Closed for lunar ecplise - open again at 7:30 pm"). Probably the most striking thing about the temple in general is the tower over the entrance. It is covered with figures from the Hindu pantheon, all brightly painted and quite something to see. My first reaction was how dissimilar it is to anything you would see in a church... but then again, what about all those stained-glass windows we have? Inside, the most numerous statues where those of a female deity holding a green parrot. Later in the week, I had a taxi driver who was able to fill me in on some of the background. The deity is Shakti, also known as Parvati or Mariamman (hence the name of the temple). So, lesson number one, not only are there a lot of deities, they can also have multiple names. Lesson number two; the same deity often takes multiple forms, depending on where they are or what they are doing. With that in mind, this blog entry is going to be the merest glimpse of this fascinating kaleidoscope... Disclaimer: this is a complex subject, and there was huge scope for me to misunderstand or mis-remember what I was told, so any errors are entirely my own! Anyway, I also asked about Ganesha (the Elephant-headed deity who is probably the most familiar to non-Hindus), and here was what the driver told me. Shakti, who was the wife of Lord Shiva, wanted to take a bath in private. She formed a boy from clay and brought him to life. This was Ganesha. She instructed Ganesha to guard the entrance to her bathing chamber and not to admit anyone. Lord Shiva arrived and wanted to go in; unfortunately Ganesha didn't realise this was his, I suppose you would say, step-father, and so barred the door. Shiva, incensed, cut off the boy's head. At this point Shakti came out of the bath-house, saw Ganesha dead and was distraught. Men were sent into the forest to bring back the first animal they could find, which happened to be an elephant. Shakti took the elephant's head and used it to re-animate the boy, which is why Ganesha has the head of an elephant but the body of a human. Lord Shiva, realising what he had done and how steadfast Ganesha had been, decreed that Hindus should offer prayers to Ganesha before all other deities, and that if they only had time to pray to one, it should be Ganesha. My taxi driver also told me that he had taken part three times in the annual fire-walk at the Mariamman temple. Only men are allowed to do the fire-walk, though both they and women may undertake other penances, such as progressing around the temple courtyard by rolling on the ground. Apparently one may do a single fire-walk, but the custom is do to 'batches' of three. The fire-walk is preceded by a month of fasting and devotional study, the effect of which is to produce a feeling of detachment from worldly preoccupations. I asked if it hurt. Somewhat to my relief, he said it did. Or rather, that he felt the pain but was not troubled by it. Instead, he focused his thoughts on forgiveness for the wrongs he had done, and on gratitude towards his mother. I asked if his feet were burnt. Again, I was in a way relieved to hear that they were; relieved in the sense that the principles of 'fire and physiology' were not being warped here. However, he said that the resulting blisters only lasted two or three days. I'd love to be able to tell you more... but at that point we arrived back at my hotel.