Hinduism : Arizona’s second-largest religion

Ashadh Krushnapaksha 13, Kaliyug Varsha 5116

Sri Venkata Krishna Kshetra Temple

• Hinduism is the second-largest practiced religion in Arizona, according to the U.S. Religious Congregations & Membership Study from 2010.

• It only took 33,000 practicing Hindus to reach that feat.

• There are about 35 Hindu congregations in the state with 20 of them in Maricopa County.

There were approximately 2.29 million Hindus in the United States as of 2008, according to the Hindu American Foundation, which is equal to the amount of practicing Christians in Arizona alone. The converted church sits in a quiet Tempe neighborhood just off U.S. 60. The outside looks much like any church, but inside is an enormous statue of Vishnu and the lesser gods and goddesses of the Hindu faith.

Four Hindu priests live in or near the the Sri Venkata Krishna Kshetra temple and provide religious guidance to the Hindu population in metro Phoenix.

Hinduism is the second-largest practiced religion, after Christianity, in Arizona, according to the U.S. Religious Congregations & Membership Study from 2010. The study showed there are nearly 33,000 people who belong to the approximately 35 Hindu congregations throughout the state.

Dale Jones, data analyst for the study, said one factor in Hinduism showing up as the second-largest practiced religion is that technology has made it easier to reach out to various congregations. "This was really the first time we could get an accurate account of Hindus and Buddhists," he said. The study is the most complete data available on U.S. religious affiliation. It is a county-by-county enumeration of religious bodies in the United States and is conducted every 10 years at the same time as the U.S. census.

The Hindu population is relatively small in Arizona, but is growing as more Indians immigrate to the state for jobs in medical, technology and engineering fields, said Caleb Simmons, an associate professor of religious studies at the University of Arizona.

"It's important with a group like Indian-Americans, who are such a small minority, that when they immigrate they can be together with other South Asians," he said. "The temples are cultural centers as well as places for people to worship."

That was the case for Anish Gupta, a first-generation Indian American who moved to Phoenix for a telecommunications job. "The temple is familiar, calming," he said. "There are not a lot of other Indian people in the Valley, but going to temple is like going home."

The 176,695 people who make up the Asian population in Arizona is one of the fastest-growing groups, according to the 2010 U.S. census. There were approximately 2.29 million Hindus in the United States as of 2008, according to the Hindu American Foundation. The influx of Indian professionals in the area in the past 15 years may have elevated Hinduism to the second-largest religion, but Hinduism does not have a long history in the Phoenix area, Hindu officials said.

The first temple in the Valley was Sri Venkata Krishna Kshetra, which started in 2000 at a small house in Chandler, said S. Narasinga Rao, a volunteer spokesman for the temple. It grew large enough that temple volunteers bought an old church in Tempe five years ago and moved their congregation there.

Rao said about 250 people come to pay homage each week to the dozen or so shrines of gods and goddess in the temple with as many as 2,000 people gathering for major religious celebrations.

There is no set holy day when Hindus worship. The four temple priests hold three services a day. Priests are available if newcomers have questions, which Rao said are welcome. "One of our main goals is that we want everyone to coexist and tolerate everyone else's views," Rao said.

Source : Azcentral