Silviya tells us about her Hindu neighbours: When you think about India do you think that everyone who lives there is a Hindu? You would be wrong! About 10% of the people in South India are Christians like myself and my family. Most other people are Hindus, but there are also many Buddhists, Muslims and Sikhs as well as people from religions you might not have heard about yet, like the Jains. We get on well with our Hindu neighbours, and I’m going to show you some photographs of Hindu life from all over our area. © Dr Shirley Hall & Cambridgeshire Ecumenical Council, 2011

A Hindu shrine can take many different forms – from a simple spot to make offerings, to a small structure. Shrine areas in shops will often be dedicated to the goddess Lakshimi who is the patron of shopkeepers. Is there anything in your home or school, or worn by people you know, which is related to a faith? Do you know which faith? Hindu shrines are everywhere – in homes and shops and in the street. Their faith is an important part of everyday life. © Dr Shirley Hall & Cambridgeshire Ecumenical Council, 2011

One thing which is special about Hindu temples in South India are the big decorated gate towers called gopurams. You can see them for miles! People often mistakenly assume that these huge towers are the main part of the temple, but they are in fact “simply” entrance gateways to the temple enclosure and some of the larger temples will have a number of such entrances. Usually a gopuram will be between one hundred and two hundred feet high. They are covered in carvings which are often brightly coloured, and which help tell the stories of the deity. The most important part of the temple is actually the central chamber (the holy of holies) where the statue of the deity is housed, but this is usually less ornate on the outside than the gopurams. How do people recognise religious buildings in your locality? © Dr Shirley Hall & Cambridgeshire Ecumenical Council, 2011

Temple tanks are pools or reservoirs for ritual bathing, although often you will find these are left empty at times of drought. Temple elephants are used in processions, but also have the task of blessing pilgrims, in return for a donation, by placing their trunk on a person’s head. You should also look out for pools or tanks in the big temples and, of course, temple elephants! © Dr Shirley Hall & Cambridgeshire Ecumenical Council, 2011

These are all photographs of the temple at Vellore. What can you see? In the centre is a statue of Ganesha – he is associated with good luck and you will find his statue in most temples, whoever the temple is dedicated to. The temple at Vellore is dedicated to Shiva who is very popular in South India. Starting top left and going clockwise: Worshippers pass a stall selling ladu – large sweets made of rice, sugar and ghee – these are traditionally sold in temples Pilgrims place garlands on the statue of Nandi – the white bull on which Shiva rides The temple gopuram A priest waits for pilgrims beside one of the shrines – note his sacred thread and the mark on his forehead which shows his devotion to the god. A student with his laptop has come to work in the tranquillity of the temple! Offerings of water and flowers for sale to pilgrims for use in the temple. These are all photographs of the temple at Vellore. What can you see? © Dr Shirley Hall & Cambridgeshire Ecumenical Council, 2011

Indian Christians do not usually go to Hindu temples except as tourists, but sometimes Hindus like to attend churches for special Christian festivals like Christmas. There are some Indian things that both Hindus and Christians do, like making beautiful floor patterns called kolams for special celebrations and to welcome visitors, or celebrating harvest at the same time (although they don’t do it in the same way). You may be more familiar with the term “rangoli” fpr these beautiful floor patterns – “kolam” is simply the Tamil word for the same thing. These can be made of chalk, paint, coloured rice grains or even flower heads. Pongol is the celebration of the rice harvest which falls in January. It is a time when even the animals are given a holiday and are garlanded or painted, as here. Another popular Hindu festival is Divali. At this time of the year all Indians will observe a holiday and exchange gifts such as sweets in the normal way. The Christians, however, will reinterpret the lights of Divali as signs that Jesus is the Light of the World, and calls Christians to be like lights in the world, and this will be the message they share with their Hindu neighbours during the Divali celebrations. Can you find out how to make kolams and design your own Hindu neighbours feeding their cow with harvest pongol © Dr Shirley Hall & Cambridgeshire Ecumenical Council, 2011

In case you are wondering, the ladies all in “uniform” are student teachers who are visiting the Ashram School. In most schools children are expected to wear uniforms, but in poor village schools families will not be able to afford this. School uniform is usually a white shirt with a coloured skirt for the girls and shorts in the same colour for the boys. In the secondary schools the boys wear white shirts and long grey trousers, whilst the older girls wear a plain salwar kameez. Why do you think people wear uniforms? Hindus and Christians work together all the time. If you visit one of the diocese’s church schools you will find that most of the pupils are Hindus, and some of the teachers too. Of course, Christians work in businesses and hospitals and schools which are run by Hindus too. © Dr Shirley Hall & Cambridgeshire Ecumenical Council, 2011