Indo-Caribbean mandir

The Sanatan Dharma mandir of Guyanese and Trinidadian Hindus in America, most of them in Richmond Hill, Queens, and South Florida: descendants of the indentured labourers taken from India to the Caribbean between 1838 and 1917, English-speaking, a century and a half apart from India, and some 300,000 to 400,000 strong. Sanatan Dharma is the mainstream, devotional Hinduism of the Caribbean, against the reforming Arya Samaj: Rama and Hanuman above all, with Krishna, Shiva, Durga and Ganesh on one raised altar, and the Ramayan of Tulsidas at its heart. It's the most congregational of Hindu forms, and the most church-like. Its centre is a Sunday-morning service: bhajans to harmonium, dholak and the dhantal, a havan, the arati, a reading, a sermon by the pandit in English (personal, conversational, about the week as much as the scripture), birthdays announced with a bhajan, and lunch. Many mandirs are converted houses, storefronts, churches and synagogues, and some keep the pews, which the elders use, though most of the congregation sits on the floor. The pandit is a married householder, often with a job besides, sometimes the founder of the mandir and the father of the next pandit; families have their own pandit and follow him, and much of his living, and much of the family's religion, is at home: the Hanuman puja or Satyanarayan katha, after which the jhandis, triangular flags on bamboo poles, are planted in the yard. Mandirs are independent, run by trustees and an elected executive, and split when trustees fall out, so Richmond Hill has dozens in a few streets. Phagwah (Holi) is the great public day, with a parade of the mandirs' floats down Liberty Avenue; Maha Shivaratri's all-night abhishekam fills the hall. The premises are vegetarian and dry. Much here rests on general knowledge, marked so in the research note, and practice varies from mandir to mandir.

All 80 traditions · its profile in Faiths and traditions, with how to play it and what sets its faith apart; How people feel, what every factor is.

At a glance

Faith	Hinduism
Its words	mandir, mandir, prayer hall; the pandit leads the service; the sermon; Sunday; the Ramayan and the Gita
Worship	image focus, responsive, low formality (0.33 of 1); seated on floor
Music	organ discouraged; gospel organ discouraged; piano discouraged; band discouraged; brass discouraged; handbells discouraged; song leader expected
The room's sound	likes a ringing room (organ and choir)
Its year	caribbean hindu; full observance; fasts light
Leans	conservative on moral questions, neutral on economic ones
Polity	congregational; leaders come by call; property local
Leaders	one leader, bivocational, trained by apprenticeship; marriage expected
Belonging	moderate commitment, none discipline, admitted by board
Giving	tithing not emphasised; collected by plate, dues; also rentals
Way of life	alcohol moderation, dress modest, sabbath relaxed, meat vegetarian

The week's services

Day	Time	Service	Led by	People look for it
Sunday	9:30 am	Sunday service (in English, then sunday lunch, free to all, 60 minutes)	the pandit	expected
Wednesday	7:30 pm	Ramayan satsangh (in English, short, and plays quickly: people come 10% as often as to a main service)	the pandit	optional

Leader: a pandit. With none (a vacancy, or no one hired), the services are still held, but each costs everyone at it 0.10; on sabbatical a supply pandit stands in ($800 a month) for a little less. The short daily services go on whether or not anyone leads them, and move no one's satisfaction.
Sunday lunch: after the service on Sunday, free to all: everyone there eats, visitors too, and nobody is asked for a donation. A household sponsors each, members taking turns, giving its cost and a fifth more; with none, the congregation pays. It needs a stove and a cook from the volunteers for each 40 there (the sponsors cook too); those it can't feed go without (−0.02), and when it can't be held, or is dropped, its regulars miss it (−0.04).
Weddings: at 10:00, on Sunday (a Sabbath kept is passed over).
Its table: vegetarian: meals cost 0.85× as much.

Rites

Jhandi (on request, +0.03 to those there, $101 from the household, asked for 0.6 times a year by a household, at home (150 minutes and half an hour's journey each way)): An Indo-Caribbean household's puja, the heart of its religion: the family's pandit comes to the house for a Hanuman puja, a Satyanarayan katha or a house blessing, with bhajans, the story, a havan and prasad for the relatives and neighbours who come. At the end the jhandis, triangular flags on long bamboo poles (red for Hanuman, the colour of the deity worshipped), are planted in the yard and left to fade. The family gives the pandit his dakshina; part of it comes to the mandir.
Puja at home (on request, +0.03 to those there, $101 from the household, asked for 0.4 times a year by a household, at home (120 minutes and half an hour's journey each way)): A priest goes to a family's home for a Satyanarayan puja (a thanksgiving, often at the full moon), a griha pravesh (blessing a new house), or another household rite: about two hours of chanting, offerings, and the story, ending with arati and prasad shared with the guests. The family pays the temple's price for a rite at home, which is higher than at the temple.
Naming ceremony (on request, +0.03 to those there, $101 from the household, asked for 0.04 times a year by a household, 75 minutes): A baby's naming (namakarana; chhatti in a Caribbean family), weeks or months after the birth: the priest worships Ganesha and the household's deities, a fire is lit, and the name, chosen with the birth star in mind, is whispered in the baby's ear and said aloud. Often joined with the first solid food (annaprashan) when the child is six months old. Held at the mandir or at home, at the mandir's listed price.
Hindu wedding (on request, +0.03 to those there): A Hindu wedding (vivaha) before the sacred fire: Ganesha worshipped first, the bride given by her parents (kanyadaan), the couple's hands joined, offerings into the fire, the seven steps (saptapadi) or the circling of the fire that make the marriage, and the mangalsutra or sindoor; two to three hours in the morning at the hour the priest has found auspicious, with the families' music and a meal after. An Arya Samaj gives the plain Vedic form, valid whatever the couple's caste; an Indo-Caribbean family keeps its own customs around it, the maticore the day before. The mandir charges its listed price, and the priest's dakshina besides.
Antyesti (on request, +0.02 to those there): The last rites: the body washed and dressed at the funeral home, prayers and a havan led by the priest there, and cremation at a commercial crematorium, the eldest son or the nearest kin starting the fire (pressing the button, in America). The ashes are taken to a river, or sent to India. The mandir holds what follows: prayers and a meal on the tenth or thirteenth day (das gaat and terahi in a Caribbean family), and a memorial havan; the anniversary comes round each year.

Joining

Joining: a content regular is received as a member after about 4 weeks.
Joining age: 18.
Kinds of belonging: member families (votes, may hold office); devotees; received by its board.
What it means: being received is worth +0.1 to the person, +0.05 to family there, and +0.03 to everyone else at the service. It roots them: a rooted household drifts away only 0.6 times as often, and if it does fall away, it has a 25% chance of coming home at each of its great days (at most once a month) for ten years.

Giving, and what goes up

How its people give and what else comes in, as Money explains it for every faith.

How it's given: the offering, by a plate passed at each main service, and dues. A visiting household puts $5 to $25 in the plate.
Tithing isn't emphasised: people give 10% less.
Dues: each November member households take up their dues, about 70% of what they could give (±15%), with the chance a pledge would be made (0.9 × engagement), and pay them monthly, nearly always; regulars who haven't joined pay none, so membership is most of the income.
Rites asked for: households book 3 rites at the prices it lists, from $101 to $101 (below), members half as often again as regulars; the fees go to the dakshina line, in place of a flat stipend.
Renting space: its congregations are known for it, so tenants pay 15% more.
Fundraisers: any it allows (below).
Owed above: nothing: it has no wider body.

The pandit, the staff, and who decides

How the pandit comes: advertised and called: the trustees votes.
Paid: part time, alongside other work (a bivocational leader).
Candidates: three apply; trained by apprenticeship (less skilled; they ask 85%); men; nearly all married.
Tenure: for life (retiring after 35 years); a son or daughter succeeds at once.
Staff it can hire or name (see Staff and volunteers):
- Bivocational pandit ($22,000–$38,000; cares for 75)
- Associate pandit ($42,000–$62,000 + $15,000 benefits, full time; cares for 100 more)
- Hindi and dharma classes coordinator (unpaid; from the members; up to +0.08 for households with young people)
- Caretaker ($18,000–$30,000; slows the building's wear)
- Mandir secretary ($20,000–$35,000; runs the office (+50 to the leader's reach, once))
- Youth director ($20,000–$40,000; up to +0.08 for households with young people)
- Cook ($22,000–$38,000; keeps the kitchen)
- Pujari ($24,000–$45,000 + $9,000 benefits, full time; leads worship; performs the rites families book; cares for 30 more)
- Mandir manager ($40,000–$70,000 + $12,000 benefits, full time; runs the office (+50 to the leader's reach, once); cares for 30 more)
Its boards: the trustees (deciding, over everything); the executive (deciding, over the money).
Renovations: The trustees votes, consulting the pandit.
New construction: The members vote, consulting the trustees.
Calling a leader: The trustees votes.
Who votes: member families, 16 and over.

Life together

What its Community screen offers it, with the dilemmas only its own faith or family meets; see The congregation in its community.

Ministries of its own: Bhajan group, Canteen, Sanskrit and language classes, Seniors' satsang, Seva meals, Yoga for the neighbourhood.
Ministries every tradition can run that it's offered: Blood drive, Food pantry, Health clinic, Preschool, Youth group.
Fundraisers of its own: Diwali mela, Janmashtami night, Navaratri garba, Shila campaign.
Shared fundraisers it may hold: Auction, Bake sale, Bingo night, Car wash, Raffle, Rummage sale.
Tenants it can take: A Masonic lodge, A scout troop, A twelve-step group, Dance classes, Music and dance teachers, Parties and receptions, Regional associations, Weddings in the dining hall.
Outreach: none of its own: it doesn't seek converts, and newcomers come as the neighbourhood and its standing bring them.
Dilemmas of its own faith (besides those every congregation meets): A horse in the street, A name on the shrine, A puja on credit, Festival parking, Fireworks at Diwali, Married by the fire, The priest's visa, The priests ask for more, The trustees' election.
Dilemmas its code of life brings: A raffle for the roof, A recruiter asks for the hall, Champagne at the reception.

What the building needs

required Murti shrineThe deities live in the temple as murtis, each in its own shrine, where the priests bathe, dress and feed them and devotees come for darshan.
required Shoe rackShoes come off before entering the temple hall.
required kitchenThe Indo-Caribbean mandir asks every mandir for one.
expected HundiOfferings go into the hundi, the box before the shrines, rather than a plate passed along the rows.
expected Incense burnerIncense is offered before the altar at every service.
expected Temple bellA devotee rings the bell on coming before the deity, and it rings through every arati.
discouraged Drum kitA band and drum kit do not belong in this tradition's worship.
discouraged Hammond organA gospel organ doesn't suit this tradition's worship.
discouraged Upright pianoA piano doesn't suit this tradition's worship.
discouraged Pipe organAn organ doesn't suit this tradition's worship.

What people here feel

Architectural style: Colonial brick +0.052; Modern synagogue +0.034; Gurdwara +0.028; Japanese temple +0.016; Islamic +0.01; Shinto shrine +0.01; Chinese temple +0.004; Dravidian temple -0.002; Nagara temple -0.002; Thai temple -0.002; Jain marble -0.008; Gothic -0.014.
Building fit: up to ±0.15 for everyone, the average fit of the characterful items in its worship rooms (the table below).
Acoustics: it wants a ringing room, about 2.8 seconds of reverberation: stone, plaster, a high ceiling. Up to ±0.05.
Seasonal decor: in their seasons, the diyas and marigold garlands are worth up to ±0.013 (missing them, the minus); out of season, nothing is called for.
The sermon lands by its topic and the tradition's leaning (below); the pandit's preaching adds or costs up to 0.08 more.
The daily services move no one's satisfaction: no offering, sermon, or welcome; people come one by one, the retired twice as often, those of working age half as often on a weekday from nine to five.

How each sermon lands

The topics its leader can choose from (some are only for one faith or family), and what each is worth.

Sanctity of Life+0.06
Faith & Family+0.04
Faith of Our Fathers+0.04
Resisting Temptation+0.04
Bhakti, the Way of Love+0.015
Gratitude+0.015
Hope & Comfort+0.015
Karma and Dharma+0.015
Lessons of the Ramayana+0.015
Service as Worship+0.015
Stewardship & Generosity+0.015
The Bhagavad Gita, Chapter by Chapter+0.015
The Upanishads+0.015
What the Festival Means+0.015
Care for Creation-0.02
Healing for All-0.02
Welcome the Stranger-0.02
Social Justice Call-0.03
Interfaith Understanding-0.05
Reading Scripture in Context-0.05
Swords into Ploughshares-0.05
Racial Justice & Reconciliation-0.075
Radical Inclusion-0.075

Every item, for this tradition

Fit runs from −1 (jars) to +1 (just right); the building fit is the average over the characterful items in the worship rooms. An item with no character (a table, a toilet) has no fit. A rule applies wherever the item is.

Item	Fit	Rule
Seating
Box pew	-0.333
Floor sheets	0
Meeting bench	no fit
Oak pew	no fit
Row of chairs	+0.333
Liturgical furniture
Columbarium niches	-0.333
Havan kund	0
Incense burner	+0.5	expected Incense is offered before the altar at every service.
Lectern	no fit
Murti shrine	+1	required The deities live in the temple as murtis, each in its own shrine, where the priests bathe, dress and feed them and devotees come for darshan.
Navagraha shrine	+1
Pulpit	no fit
Music
Drum kit	-0.333	discouraged A band and drum kit do not belong in this tradition's worship.
Electronic organ	-1
Grand piano	-1
Hammond organ	-1	discouraged A gospel organ doesn't suit this tradition's worship.
Handbell table	-1
Pipe organ	-0.667	discouraged An organ doesn't suit this tradition's worship.
Sound system	-0.333
Temple bell	+0.5	expected A devotee rings the bell on coming before the deity, and it rings through every arati.
Upright piano	-1	discouraged A piano doesn't suit this tradition's worship.
Decor
Banner	0
Diyas	no fit
Eternal flame	no fit
Gopuram	0
Great dome	-0.333
Marigold garlands	0
Memorial plaque	no fit
National flag	0
Shikhara	0
Small dome	no fit
Stained glass window	-0.333
Vimana	0
Furnishings
Alms box	no fit
Coffee pot	no fit
Commercial coffee pot	no fit
Computer	no fit
Crib	no fit
Desk	no fit
Desk chair	no fit
Folding table	no fit
Full-length mirror	no fit
Head scarves	0
Hundi	+0.5	expected Offerings go into the hundi, the box before the shrines, rather than a plate passed along the rows.
Pangat mats	0
Pillar	-0.333
Projection screen	+0.333
Shoe rack	+0.5	required Shoes come off before entering the temple hall.
Vestment cabinet	-0.333
Wooden table	no fit
Utility
A/V rack	no fit
Camera	no fit
Cast-iron boiler	no fit
Central air conditioner	no fit
Commercial HVAC plant	no fit
Commercial stove	no fit
Congregation van	no fit
Ductless heat pump	no fit
Electric wall heater	no fit
Gas furnace	no fit
Hearing loop	no fit
Lift	no fit
Packaged heat pump	no fit
Plumbing stack	no fit
Ramp	no fit
Shuttle bus	no fit
Sink	no fit
Solar panels	no fit
Stairs	no fit
Toilet	no fit
Used school bus	no fit
Wall camera	no fit
Window air conditioner	no fit
Grounds
Dhvajastambha	0
Evergreen tree	no fit
Flower bed	no fit
Fountain	no fit
Garden bench	no fit
Hedge	no fit
Playground	no fit
Shade tree	no fit

Sources

Hinduism in Guyana, Wikipedia (link)
Sanatan Dharma Maha Sabha, Wikipedia (link)
Indo-Caribbean Americans, Wikipedia (link)
Overcoming Time and Distance: Guyanese Hinduism in the West, Columbia University course blog (2013) (link)
Shri Surya Narayan Mandir, Jamaica, Queens, and its 2009 Daily News profile (link)
Shri Surya Narayan Mandir, Columbia University course blog (link)
The 16th Annual Phagwah Parade, Columbia University course blog (link)
How Guyanese Hindus Are Preserving Their Religion in South America, Religion Unplugged (2022) (link)