GT Religions Field Trip

Islam and Hinduism

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Place of Worship: Temple

Notable Empires: Maurya, Gupta

Religious Leader: None

founded around 800-6000 BCE

Hinduism

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Place of Worship: Mosque

Notable Empires: Ottoman, Safavid, Abbasid

Religious Leader: Muhammud ibn Abdullah

Founded in 610 CE

Islam

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Other

Organization

Art

Carpet

Colors

IACC Mosque

Islam

Architecture

Hanuman Temple

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Other

Small Buildings

Worship

Ways of Worship

Paintings

Pillars

Hinduism

In this picture:

• The pillars have art
• Pillars have art of something that could live

Pillars

In Hinduism, they utilize art that showcases images to tell stories or to put emphasis on something or someone. At the Hanuman Temple, they sculpted the pillars on the exterior to show elephants and more.

In this Picture:

• Two paintings
• A scene of the life of Hanuman
• Different use of color

Paintings

In the main area of the temple, images cover high among the walls, all in chronological order. Looking around, they tell the story of Hanuman and use different paintings with similar elements to create scenes similar to a comic book.

In general, the color white is depicted as holy or religious, especially in Western society. In addition, while many other religious centers of other worldviews utilize multiple colors, Islam doesn't prefer it with some exceptions

Colors

In the Picture:

• Carpet to pray together
• A small area for the Imam or prayer leader
• Caligraphy of Allah or Qu'ran

Architecture

Throughout Islamic history, mosques have always been the place of worship. Each mosque, including IACC, normally has domes with a crescent moon on top of the biggest one, an area to pray in congregation, and in the past had a pillar to call for prayer.

In the temple next to the main prayer area, there are small recreational rooms that are also used for other activities such as classes for kids and different events.

Other

• Helps interact with the Hindu community
• Acts as a community center

In the Picture:

• People walking around different deities
• Small fence to maintain order of walking
• Walking in the same direction

Ways of Worship

At the Hanuman Temple, people have different ways to worship including singing songs, walking around deities, tribute, and more. As long as the intention and there is holy remembrance, the act is most likely done.

In Hinduism, one main deity is represented in each temple. As it says in its name, the warrior Hanuman is the main deity of the temple. Being said other deity appearances can also worshipped at the same time, although they aren't as signified as Hanuman as he has his story upon the walls.

Worship

In the Picture

• Japanese-style Arabic
• Rememberance of Allah
• Calligraphic art

Art

In Islam, people tend to stay away from image art because Muslims believe it leads to idol worship. Being said, calligraphy is emphasized and people often create art through the words of Allah and the Qu'ran.

In this Picture:

• A deity is housed in a small building
• A plate to hold money from tribute
• Stanchion used to keep people out of deity area for respect

Small Buildings

Although they don't have much religious significance, the small buildings that house the deities serve as their palaces. People can stay outside and pray to them using a candle. In addition, people can leave tribute in any way they can.

In the Picture

• NO SHOES ON THE CARPET
• Equal space and design on the carpets

Carpet

The carpet is vacuumed and cleaned every night to be optimized for the most comfort. On the carpet are lines where people stand side by side for the congregational prayer. The art inside the lines are only for design and to add a better appearance

There is two levels of organization in the IACC Mosque. The first level is the separation between males and females to prevent any activities against Islam. In addition since IACC also serves as a community center, they separate between holy and fun activities.

Organization

Picture elements

• Blend of Traditional and Western
• Religious Books
• Tables for activities

Other

In IACC, they have many services they provide beyond praying alone. They have a library where people can check out religious books if local libraries don't have them in stock. In addition, there is a basketball court for fun activities and a clinic open to everyone for service.