234. diaspora
The temple at Penn Hills carries with it some of the clout and prestige associated
with the Indian temple on which it is modeled. The history of the Penn Hills tem-
ple can be traced back to January 14, 1972, when (in connection with the Festival of
Pongal/Makara Sankaranti celebrated by Tamil- and Telugu-speaking people), a
few residents of the area established a shrine in the basement of a shop; here they
kept pictures of various deities. Later that summer, a “granite statue” of Ganesha
was sent by Mr. R. Balakrishna Naidu of Coimbatore to the Pittsburgh-area devo-
tees.^6 Since Ganesha is the god worshipped before the commencement of any ritual
or auspicious act, a temple pamphlet explains that he was received by devotees as “a
good omen to invoke blessings to a larger project.”
In 1972, with the assistance of the Hindu Temple Society of New York, negoti-
ations were begun with the Tirumala-Tirupati board in India. The commissioner of
endowments as well as a traditional sculptor from India visited America, drew the
architectural plans, and selected a site that reminded them of the “hilly terrain” in
India where the original Sri Venkateswara temple is located (see figure 9). The site
was purchased on June 30, 1976, and construction began. Fifteen sculptors and one
architect trained in traditional forms of temple construction arrived to make sure
that the temple was built according to the very precise instructions in the sacred
texts. Local American builders laid the foundation and also constructed a commu-
nity activity area. It is important to note that community outreach was emphasized
right from the beginning—a feature conspicuous by its absence in many Srivaisnava
temples in India. On June 8, 1977, the major consecration (mahakumbhabhisekam)
of the whole temple took place. Further construction and improvements are ongo-
ing as money continues to pour in from devotees all over the country.
RECAPTURING THE TIRU
VENKATAM EXPERIENCE
In both the daily and the seasonal routines of prayers and services, the Penn Hills
temple tries to remain faithful to the parent temple at Tiru Venkatam. The morning
wake-up prayer (suprabhatam), the offering of food to the lord, the daily round of
worship(arcana), and the recitation of particular alvarverses during the day are all
followed correctly; however, unlike the Indian temple, here community participa-
tion is seen primarily on the weekends. And so, the ritual bathing of the lord, which
normally takes place on Fridays in Venkateswara temples in India (at Tiru Venkatam
and at Fanaswali, Bombay), is done on Sunday mornings in Penn Hills, and a large
group recitation of the suprabhatam is also done on weekends at the Penn Hills tem-