A Temple, but No God.

New Zealand Graphic, Volume XXX, Issue V, 31 January 1903, Page 277

A Temple, but No God.

The Hindoo in Umdon may in the near future have a temple in which to worship. But it will be a temple without a god. For some years past the matter has b en discussed amoim The educated classes in Bengal, but The proposal ha-s become considerably strengthened since the Maharajah <>l Jaipur, who is prominent among the Hindoo religious reformers, returned home from his Coronation visn. He stated what hr had seen and heard in London of the lives of tfi e \oung Hindoo gentlemen who art* prosecuting their studies and spending their days in our midst without the worship of their gods in any st erated place. Apparently tin* reform party made up their minds on the matter, and now what will probably be erected is a simple house of player, on tin* lines of tin* ’Samaj Mandirs. Worshippers will simply meet together, discuss the Bhagwat (ieeta. or Hindoo Scriptures. an 1 pray. The reason that the temple, if erected, will not contain a god. is that the tenets of the Hindoo religion would not admit of such an institution on English soil. Mr (i. K. Gadgil. 8.A.. an orthodox Hindoo member of Lincoln’s Inn. said the orthodox party would not symapthise with the proposal, because, by their creed, the very fact of crossing the “black waters” mean* loss of caste, which can only In* regained by Hindoos who have returned from England undergoing extreme ]>enance. “Thus the temple of a Hindoo god in London would be worse than useh ss. since London Hindoo*, having fallen from caste, are under a ban.”