I don't know how long the Hindu temple has nestled in the woods in the suburbs of Jackson, Mississippi. I know it was there when my son was in middle school because it was just up the road from his viola teacher's house. It was a simple building, with few adornments.
© 2009 Susan Mitchell
But as these photographs attest, an ornately adorned, brilliant white building rises from the piney woods around it. With sad predictability, some of the nearby residents objected to the new building. Whatever their stated reasons, bigotry was snaking through their protests.
© 2009 Susan Mitchell
But the bigots lost, and the rest of us won. It is a remarkable building, and it's presence says a lot about the changing landscape of Mississippi. Bigots once ruled my home state, but their influence has steadily waned. They still pop up with some regularity. You have to play "whack a mole" with them, smacking them down as quickly as they pop up.
They lost and we won this time, and now we all get to enjoy the beauty of the diversity that is the emerging face of Mississippi.
© 2009 Susan Mitchell
© 2009 Susan Mitchell
© 2009 Susan Mitchell
© 2009 Susan Mitchell
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Comments
Do you know who is the presiding deity there? just curious :)
The presence of the temple there reminds me of the movie Mississippi Masala, which was quite good, as I recall.
I don't know much about the temple, and there were only construction workers there the day I took these photos. I plan to return there when the construction is complete and someone from the Temple Society (the link will take you to their web page) is there so that I may learn more about it.
Thank you, AtHomePilgrim. There has always been a great deal of diversity in the Jackson area, but sadly we were not famous for celebrating it. I think that is truly changing. The bigots are still here (they are still everywhere, sadly) but the most overt expressions of intolerance and hatred are usually quickly smacked down. I just hope we can all come to appreciate the richness of our multicultural city.
I think one of my favorites is the next-to-last shot, where the lighting is muted. It gives the place a serene look. :-D
Good luck with your game of Whack-A-Bigot. It's hard work, but usually if your fellow statespeople are diligent, it reduces the bigot population. :-D