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The religious landscape of the southeastern United States is becoming more diverse, as is the population. Along with the “church on every corner,” Hindu temples, Buddhist centers, mosques, and other religious centers contribute to the communities of this region. As a graduate student in the Department of Religious Studies at the University of North Carolina in Chapel Hill, I am researching the religions of South Asia and the experience of South Asian immigrants in the southeastern United States. I am indebted to the Indian-American community for their hospitality, as they have always welcomed me and freely answered my questions. Because the various Indian communities are expanding so rapidly, maintaining current information is difficult. If you know of temples not included on this site or have corrections or additions to this information, please email me at sramey@email.unc.edu.
Though these religious centers and organizations have a geographical connection, they are quite diverse. Among Hindu temples, some include an eclectic combination of images of 5, 10, or more different deities in their sanctum. Other temples, following the prescriptions of a specific segment of Hindu traditions, limit which deities are included according to that tradition. A few centers categorically reject the use of images. The followers of specific international groups, such as the International Society of Krishna Consciousness (Hare Krishnas) and the Bochasanwasi Shri Akshar Purushottam Swaminarayan Sanstha (Swaminarayans), have also built temples in the Southeast. Beyond the temples associated with Hindu traditions, Sikhs, Jains, and Muslims from India all have constructed their own religious centers and organizations, following their own interpretations of appropriate practices, bathing an image of Mahavir Jain, bowing before the Guru Granth Sahib, or facing Mecca while praying.
Religious activities among Indian-Americans extend well beyond the specific religious centers. Various organizations, often emphasizing a regional identity or a particular religious teacher, conduct cultural, social, and religious activities. Sometimes these organizations use the facilities of the religious centers, but they also conduct celebrations of particular holidays and other occasions in rented ballrooms or community centers. Other organizations meet regularly in people's homes to conduct their various activities. Since defining the differences between religious, cultural, social, political, and charitable activities is difficult, I am including organizations of many types, not just ostensibly religious organizations.
List of Organizations in Georgia and North Carolina
Please send me your comments and
additions to this site at sramey@email.unc.edu.
All images are copyrighted and
can be used only with permission.
Last updated by Steven Ramey
24 September 2002