TIRUNELVELI, INDIA, July 25, 2004: Temples often have columns portraying dancers or musicians, but rarely do the pillars themselves make music. In the Nellaiyappar temple, gentle taps on the cluster of columns carved out of a single piece of rock can produce the keynotes of Indian classical music. “You can hear the saptha swarangal (the seven basic notes) come like a wave as it were from the stone pieces,” says a senior priest. The Nelliyapar temple chronicle, Thirukovil Varalaaru, says the nadaththai ezhuppum kal thoongal–stone pillars that produce music–were set in place in the 7th century during the reign of Pandyan king Nindraseer Nedumaran. Archaeologists date the temple before the 7th century and say it was built by successive rulers of the Pandyan dynasty that ruled over the southern parts of Tamil Nadu from Madurai. Tirunelveli served as their subsidiary capital. The rulers following Nedumaran made some additions and modifications, but left the 20 musical stone pillars in front of the main Shiva shrine untouched. Each huge musical pillar carved from one piece of rock comprises a cluster of smaller columns and stands testimony to a unique understanding of the “physics and mathematics of sound,” temple authorities said. In all, there are 161 such small pillars that make music in the Nada Mani Mandapam before the main shrine of Lord Nellaiyappar, the chronicle says.



In the South several temples boast of such pillars, though the pillars of Tirunelveli stand out. “What is unique about the musical stone pillars in the Tirunelveli Nellaiyappar temple is the fact you have a cluster as large as 48 musical pillars carved from one piece of stone, a delight to both the ears and the eyes,” says the chronicle, citing local Tamil poet Nellai M.S. Shankar. “This is an architectural rarity and a sublime beauty to be cherished and preserved,” adds Shankar.



HPI adds: Iraivan Temple at the Kauai Aadheenam, home of Hinduism Today and HPI, will also have two musical pillars, the first ever brought to a temple in the West.

NASHUA, NEW HAMPSHIRE, July 21, 2004: Three swamis, all visiting from India, were blessing the homes of Hindu residents in Nashua when the minivan they were traveling in collided with another car. “We thought there was a trauma,” said Kim Leets, nurse and clinical director of oncology services at the hospital, who helped organize the emergency room care for the swamis. “It wasn’t until the ambulances all descended upon the emergency room that we learned there was more than one,” Leets said. Under normal operations, all of the injured men would not have arrived at the same hospital, but because the driver could act as an interpreter, the ambulance crew made the decision to keep everybody together. The doctor and surgeon working with the men were both male, but a large majority of the nurses were female, and only one of the nurses in the intensive care unit was male. As swamis, the men had taken a strict religious vow not to have any contact, including speech, with women. (HPI adds: The religious organization of the swamis was not included in the article, also the date of the accident was not clearly stated.) “I had dealt with a lot of multicultural situations, but nothing like this,” said Mary Beth Testagrossa, director of emergency care. “When do you get a multiple trauma, with swamis?”



Within an hour of the crash, more than 60 Hindu devotees arrived at the hospital, filling the emergency ward, waiting room and chapel to pray for the swamis, one of whom died shortly. Gurus also arrived at the emergency ward to attend to the swamis, sending the Hindu women scattering. The women explained to the nurses that in accordance with their religion they could not be seen by the gurus, Leets said. Testagrossa informed the driver that the hospital would do what it could to provide male caregivers, but because of a shortage of males, care from the female staff was going to be necessary. The swamis understood, he said, and were grateful they were being cared for. Throughout the next few days, hospital staff worked to combine modern hospital care with the cultural needs of the swamis. Hindu women stayed at the hospital to prepare the swamis’ vegetarian food and privacy for hours of prayer was needed on a daily basis.



The situation provided a test for many of the hospital staff members who have been actively studying cultures for about a year, according to Glory Wabe, nurse and chairwoman of the hospital’s cultural diversity committee. Wabe, nurse manager at the hospital’s rehabilitation center, said she got the idea to form the committee after observing various cultural issues among the diverse staff on that floor. The cultural diversity committee has about 18 members, and since its formation in September, the group has sponsored regular monthly meetings at the rehabilitation center to discuss specific cultures. Birth and death rituals for the cultures are often discussed, as is the expressiveness of each culture and how it relates to their medical care.

WASHINGTON, USA, July 23, 2004: A model of the Golden Temple of Amritsar graces the entrance to the new exhibit “Sikhs: Legacy of the Punjab,” in the Smithsonian Institution. Overhead, the faces of nine Gurus introduce visitors to the world of the Sikh people, where Sikh artwork, arms, clothing, coins, musical instruments and other artefacts are displayed. Paul Taylor, director of the Asian Cultural History Program, explained that at the start of the project, the museum contained nothing on Sikhism. With some 22 million members, and both a religion and an ethnic group, Sikhs outnumber many other religions, but are insufficiently understood in the United States, where between quarter and half a million live. This led to problems following the 9/11 terrorist attacks because Sikhs, who wear turbans and beards, were sometimes mistaken for Muslims. The Sikh homeland is the Punjab, now divided between India and Pakistan. Founded by Guru Nanak in the 15th century, Sikhs believe in a single God. They were led by a series of Gurus, until they chose, as the last Guru, their holy book, the Guru Granth Sahib. Sikhism is one of the few religions to do this. The Smithsonian initiative comes at a crucial time, for many Sikhs describe their religion as one that draws from both Islam and Hinduism; thus their presence in both India and Pakistan contributes to peace between them.

SARASOTA, FLORIDA, July 29, 2004: The U.S. Department of Justice has warned Sarasota County officials that they may have acted unfairly against a Muslim group by limiting the height of their proposed mosque. The County Commission ruled in February that the mosque could be no taller than 40 feet — a restriction not placed on 14 other houses of worship approved by the county since 2002. The Islamic Society of Sarasota and Bradenton, which for 10 years has met in a private home, has a growing congregation and wants to build a 13,500-square-foot mosque it says is based on Islamic traditions that include two 80-foot-high minarets.



In a July 6 letter, the Justice Department said its investigation is “preliminary in nature,” but that it has received information that the county may have imposed “a substantial burden on the religious exercise” of the Islamic Society. Islamic Society members say they had not complained to the federal government, but are celebrating the Justice Department’s involvement. “We are very pleased,” society spokesman Hytham Bakr, told the Sarasota Herald-Tribune. “We believe in God and believe God was watching over us.” County officials said their decision had nothing to do with religion. The county is preparing its response to the government, assistant county attorney Gary Oldehoff said. The Justice Department has requested county records to determine if any other house of worship since 1994 has had the 40-foot restriction placed on it.



HPI adds: The case likely involves the Religious Land Use and Institutionalized Persons Act (RLUIPA), a federal law which restricts local governments from imposing any special zoning regulations (such as height) on religious buildings. This case is important because the same kind of restrictions could be brought against a Hindu temple. In such a situation, if the local government has allowed any other exceptions to, say, a height limit, they likely have to allow the same exception for the temple.