When I got to India, I found out that I would be studying and living in Catholic institutions. This has hindered my exposure to Hinduism throughout the last two months in a way that I never would have expected. However, for the last week or so, we have spent a lot of time in Hindu temples, which has been an eye-opening experience.

For many people from the West, Hinduism is but a far-off thought, when it in fact is the world’s third-largest religion with approximately a billion followers. There is no way that I would be able to give a detailed description of Hinduism or take on the philosophical task of defining it. In fact, I am even hesitant to discuss Hinduism at all, as my experience and knowledge of the religion is so limited. However, I’d at least like to share my experience, if only to acknowledge the vastly different experiences one can have within Hinduism.

One of the first Hindu temples we visited was the most grandiose of temples, and likely the least representative. Located in our city, Trivandrum, is the Sree Padmanabhaswamy Temple. It is the richest temple in the entire world with immeasurable amounts of money hoarded inside instead of being used for good. Inside is so much gold and so much treasure that they literally had to stop counting its worth before they finished. We are told that less than a decade ago, anyone was allowed in the temple, and there was minimal security; when they were unaware of its worth, Padmanabhaswamy Temple was treated as any other would be. That is hard to imagine as it is now protected by the government, with level after level of security. They will not even allow pictures to be taken if you’re too close to the entrance because they fear it would make it easier for potential thieves to see the security and find ways to get in.

A stark contrast to this is just down the road, where we visited the Attukal Bhagavathy Temple the same night. This temple is much more representative of what we understand is the average Hindu temple. Anyone is allowed inside, and photography is welcome. Just take your shoes off at the door. Inside, one does not find pews or any sort of alter, but rather, in the center is a garbhagriha—a small hut-like structure with the primary deity of the temple—which is surrounded by open space for walking and smaller structures that are similar to the garbhagriha with various deities. In Hinduism, there is only one consciousness, but there are said to be 330 million gods. Devotees come to worship by praying throughout the temple and offering Prasad—a gift of food—to the gods. Unlike the Abrahamic religions, there is no compulsory time for worship—no Sunday service, no Sabbath. Rather, people come at their leisure to pray to the gods on their own time.

A couple of days later, we made the drive to Kollam to see yet another temple. This one is even more special than Sree Padmanabhaswamy Temple, because although it does not contain absurd quantities of gold, it is the home of Sri Mata Amritanandamayi Devi, known as Amma—the only living Hindu goddess. Near her home is not only the temple, but also 10,000 people who are her devotees and colleges that she funds. She runs Embracing the World, a humanitarian movement, and is trying to make the world a better place by helping people meet their “five basic needs—food, shelter, healthcare, education, and livelihood.” Unfortunately, we were unable to meet her, as she is currently traveling in Europe. She makes herself widely available, referring to everyone as her children, and makes a point of treating them as such.

Upon saying that I am from Michigan, I was informed that she is going to be in Detroit next month. So, if you are interested in Hinduism, and would like to meet the only living goddess, details on her trip to Detroit are here: www.amma.org/meeting-amma/north-america/michigan.