The temple where sree narayana guru installed a mirror
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Engineering Marvel: Hindu Glass Temple
Hinduism is a living religion. It is ever changing, flexible and catholic in its outlook. The basic truths will remain intact, but the approaches and outward forms will be changing forever. This keeps the religion alive, colourful and attractive. New saints and sages install newer things in the temples and yet they teach the basic tenets found in the Vedas and the Upanishads. They make temples out of stone, gems, gold, silver and glass!
Basic tenets of Hinduism: (1) God is one, but worshipped in different forms or formless. (2) If you do good things, you will get back good (karma Theory). (3) The soul lives after death and born again. (4)The goal of every Hindu is to get out of this cycle of birth and death.
India is full of temples. Every town and every street has a sage, saint, Yogi, Guru or a Siddha. One of such great saints is Narayana Guru(1856-1928). Born of a poor peasant family of the Ezhava caste at Chempazanthi in Kerala, Sri Narayana advanced rapidly on the path of spiritualism. He served the backward communities of Kerala and kept them within the Hindu fold. But for him, millions of low caste Hindus would have been converted to other religions. He gave them a pride and confidence. He was a great philosopher and social reformer.
He taught them “Uru Jati, Uru Matam, Uru Daivam Manushyanae”(One People, One Dharma, One God for man). He founded Narayana Dharma Paripalana Sangham (SNDP). He was a Sanyasin (ascetic) without the robes. He told his disciples “ Ask not, Say not ,Think not Caste”. He came to fulfil not to destroy. His genius was essentially creative and constructive. Service was his motto. Gandhi and Tagore met him. Poet Kumaran Asan was his disciple. He commanded respect from everyone. He consecrated scores of old temples and built new temples. He installed mirrors and lamps inside the temples instead of statues!
Sri Raja Kalai Amman Glass Temple in Johor Bahru, Malaysia
Socrates and Narayana Guru
Greek philosopher Socrates taught his disciples ‘Know thy Self’. In fact it was there in Delphi even before Socrates propagated this maxim. Thousands of years before Greece, Indian Vedic seers (in the Upanishads) said the same. It is found in Luxor temple in Egypt. But Narayana Guru brought this highest philosophy to the lowest of the people Ezhavas who were illiterates. He installed a Mirror in Kalavamkodam temple near Alappuza in Kerala. It is called Kannadi Pradihta. The idea is to see oneself in the mirror, meaning ‘Know yourself’. The Upanishads said ‘You are That’ ( Tat Tvam Asi) and ‘I am God’ (Aham Brahma Asmi).
Narayana Guru did not stop there. He installed mirrors and brass plates inscribed with the mystic symbol ‘Aum’ in Kalakandhesswara temple in Murukumpuza and Omkareswara Temple near Vaikom. He installed lamp instead of idols in Chidhambaram in Karamuku near Trichur. Lamp represents knowledge and divine light.
Indian and Sri Lankan Stamps to commemorate Sri Narayana Guru
Malaysian wonder: Glass Temple
In Northern India there are lots of glass idols in the temples near Rishikesh. In South Indian temples there are Mirror Rooms for Gods. I have seen them in Alagarkoil near Madurai and Ekambareswarar Temple in Kancheepuram. The mirrors are placed in different angles surrounding the idol. If one enters the room the person can see himself or herself with the God as far as one could see, reflected in infinity. But Malaysian Hindus excelled by installing a temple completely made up of glass