BOTHELL — Hundreds of devotees lined up Thursday at the Hindu Temple and Cultural Center to celebrate Diwali, the Hindu Festival of Lights.
Diwali, which occurs on the new moon in the Hindu month of Kartika (usually mid-October to mid-November), is one of the major holidays of the faith, symbolizing both a rebirth as well as the triumph of light over darkness and knowledge over ignorance.
That’s an especially resonant theme this year. In February, the temple and nearby Skyview Junior High were vandalized with swastikas and graffiti that said things like “Muslims go home.”
Three students at Bothell High School were implicated in the crime. All three eventually pleaded guilty.
The temple, which operates as a largely volunteer-run nonprofit organization, elected not to press charges, said Nitya Niranjan, the chairman of the temple’s board of directors.
“Someone didn’t do a good job of raising this kid,” Niranjan said.
Niranjan said he since has spoken to one of the youths, and even talked about the possibility of the boy doing volunteer work at the temple.
“We want him to understand us,” he said.
Spreading understanding is part of the temple’s mission, Niranjan added.
“I want to make sure this place is open so that people can come see,” he said.
The highlight of Diwali is the lighting of small clay lamps, called diyas, and a fireworks display. This actually occurs on the third day of the five-day Diwali festival. The third day, which corresponds to the new moon, is called Lakshmi Puja after the goddess of prosperity, who is said to roam the earth that night.
Hindu families typically clean their homes and wear their best clothes for the day. The lighting of the lamps and fireworks is followed by feasting.
On Wednesday night, lines of devotees passed mounds of shoes outside the door and into the front assembly room of the temple. They walked up onto the stage, rang a bell and received a priest’s blessing before rows of idols to the Hindu pantheon.
Two other priests led the chanting and prayers in Sanskrit from the stage, while giving instructions to the devotees seated on the carpets below taking part in the ceremony.
A larger, partially completed room farther back already houses two large idols, including of Ram, an avatar of Vishnu also venerated during Diwali.
While celebrants queued up to the idol of Ram, Niranjan greeted arrivals with “Namaste” and “Happy Diwali.” Children ran through the room, while families sat on the floor to pray or just chat with friends and family members.
Ganesh Prakash, another board member of the temple, pointed to the two idols and the elaborate stone enclosures imported from India. More idols and decorations will be added as donations come in from the community, he said, and over the next four or five years the temple ultimately plans to add more devotional rooms, a cultural hall, a kitchen and dining room, and classrooms.
“We build the structure first then do the ‘Indianizing’ later,” Prakash said.
The room will eventually have larger idols of all the major gods, he said.
Prakash said the temple probably has about 400-500 families in the region who regularly attend, composed of perhaps 1,500 or more people. Hundreds attend the major festivals, but even regular weekend services can see up to 200 worshippers.
“The temple is busy all the time,” Prakash said.
With the Indian diaspora in Western Washington numbering about 42,000 people, according to the 2010 Census, and expected to grow, Niranjan said he wants the temple to be associated with love and understanding.
Even with the vandalism earlier in the year he’s found a silver lining, as more people became aware of Hinduism and the temple growing in their neighborhood.
“Something good happened. We got awareness,” Niranjan said.
Chris Winters: 425-374-4165; cwinters@heraldnet.com. Twitter: @Chris_At_Herald.
Talk to us
> Give us your news tips.
> Send us a letter to the editor.
> More Herald contact information.
