On Wednesday I spoke with Mr. Kamal Maharaj, the Editor of the Vishwa Shakti (a local free Hindu newspaper) and the caretaker of the Temple. It was built by his grandfather in 1900, at a time when it was nearly impossible for anyone but Whites to be granted ownership of land. The temple is in a residential area in Tongaat, a small city that that wasn't officially established until 1945, but has been a sugarcane growing town for much longer than that.
A courtyard surrounded the temple with beautiful plants and trees that cooled the area down. The temple's physical design was created based on only one other temple Kamal's grandfather had seen in India, prior to leaving for South Africa to work as an indentured laborer of sugarcane. Jagannath comes from Sanskirt, meaning "Lord of the Universe," which is one of several names to refer to Krishna, the deity for whom the temple is dedicated.
Even in the hot bright summer, the small space inside the temple remains cool and dark. I was taken especially by the way sound carried inside of it - during our conversation, the words seemed to echo in gentle whispers that carried up the length of the temple. I did not ask to take pictures inside, in part because I did not feel it was appropriate, but also because I got quite caught up in conversation. The main representation of Krishna had been created in Tongaat and was about seven feet in height above the platform it stood upon. Covered in a handplated, silver material (perhaps a silver composite), the face of Jagannatha was incomplete to communicate the Hindu concept that, as Kamal put it, "the physical can only take one so far" before one recognizes the importance of the spiritual that transcends corporeality.
It is hard for me to recount our entire conversation, but after speaking about the history of the temple, we spoke about its role in his community today. Besides publishing the Vishwa Shakti, Kamal organizes youth groups in the area and youth leadership camps that travel to the Drakensberg mountains. I told him I had heard comments since I had arrived to Durban about the "materialism" of the youth, particularly those too young to remember conditions under Apartheid. His response was considerate - instead of distancing himself or his conception of faith from the younger people within the greater community, he situated their position within the context of change. To be more specific, he acknowledged that each generation may have new considerations and decisions to make about their particular social and political situation, and that the Temple's community exists to help those interested to develop and think through ways of handling these specific challenges or situations. In the article "What Identity Crisis?" in the most recent edition of Vishwa Shakti, he writes, "Identity is not a static idea. The frame of reference keeps on changing. The fluidity that we experience in daily living shapes and molds our identity in a constant way. [...] all of us exist and operate on many identities. The circumstances act as a stimulus that foregrounds a particular identity."
Having visited several Hindu temples throughout SE Asia, I could really relate to this. I find it fascinating to hear Mr. Maharaj's thoughts on youth culture and change. I can't really think of any Western religious organization that understands and (dare I say?) embraces change as a natural part of existence. Really powerful stuff...
Posted by: Mark | February 17, 2008 at 12:48 PM
Please can you send me more pics of the temple
Posted by: Nash Subrayn | August 17, 2010 at 09:31 AM
I am a South African-born Odissi danceuse persuing my PhD at the University of Cape Town and I am presently living and studying in Orissa - I am trying to locate Oriya culture in South Africa, i.e. from India's eastern state of Orissa - home of Jagganath Temple in Puri - and Sun Temple of Konark - where Lord Jagganath is the presciding deity of our Odissi dance. Jai Jagganath. Merle O'Brien
Posted by: Merle OBrien | January 16, 2012 at 02:09 AM