Visit to a Taj Mahal

A VISIT TO A Taj Mahal

In early 2001, Vaishnav Samaj of Midwest had officially acquired the property at 440 W Fullerton Avenue in Addison, IL and knew it to be the Haveli (“mandir”) of the Midwest’s largest group of Vaishnav followers. After months and months of perfecting the architect’s final vision to meet the committee’s approval and ensuring that it falls within the guidelines of local laws, construction   finally began in October, 2006. I have been there this Sunday in the evening around 5:00 till 8:00. This temple looks like all other temples painted white with a flag hanging at the top of the building. At the entrance door there are hand prints of the priests   on the wall who came especially from India. There is also our religious symbol called “swastika” drawn by the stairs.
Vaishnavism is one of the traditions of Hinduism. Vaishnavism basically means worshipping Lord Vishnu as the supreme god. Its beliefs and practices, (known as Bhakti yoga) are based largely on Vedic texts such as Bhagavad Gita, Upanishad, and the Vishnu. The followers of Vaishnavism are referred to as “Vaishnavas.”
The religious head of our religion is named Shri Vallbhacharya. This path was shown by Shree Vallabhacharya to the Vaishnavas who had fallen on this earth due to some mistake in the heavenly adobe of Shri Krishna. Pushtimarg (another name of vaishnavism) is a path of bliss; it is a golden path towards attaining a pure entity, a supreme power by a simple pure soul. Thus, Pustimarg teaches a person to be a river and only think about how to attain closeness and meet the ocean which is the supreme entity called “Krishna.”
There are specific times to pray; as we say, “When god is awake.” Till then people wait outside in the hall and sing prayers. The Priest awakes God at the exact time by clapping hands or by ringing a bell. As soon as the priest opens the curtain, everyone stands up and starts singing and clapping. People bow their hands in front of god and pray. The...