Water and prayer: Hindu temple and mosque
About this recording
- Creator
- Kristin Post
- Date created
- August 16, 2000
- Duration
- 2:15
- Location
- Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
- File
- MP3
- License
- This recording copyright ©2000. Terms of use
Related media
Learn more
- Search LEARN NC for caves, elephants, gods, Hinduism, icons, Islam, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, prayer, Vinayana, and water.
In the classroom
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In Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, many cultures and traditions co-exist. In this recording, you can hear the sounds of a man washing Hindu icons even as I can hear the Muslim call to prayer nearby.
The Hindu temple was actually located in a set of caves inside a mountain. Though the caves were natural, the surroundings were very urban. Pollution from the street and noise made it seem less natural than it might have been in a remote mountain setting.
From my journal:
Went to Batu caves. Dirty and smelly place. interesting a religion can own a natural place and cheapen it. But the art gallery had interesting paintings/models of Hindu stories. Wish I knew what they meant.
Transcript
I’m standing in a Hindu temple listening to the Muslims call to prayer. A man is filling water buckets to wash off the Hindu icon. The Vinayana, I think. The four -armed elephant.
[Muslim prayer in background]
Water is so important to the Muslim religion. And here it is I’m seeing water being used to clean these Hindu icons. It’s very interesting.
