வியத்நாம் சுப்பிரமணிய சாமி கோவிலுக்கு ஏராளமானவர்கள் வருகை

சுவா ஓங் என்று அழைக்கப்படும் சுப்பிரமணிய சாமி கோவில் ஹோ சி மிங் சிட்டியில் பிரபலமான இந்து கோவில்.

ஏராளமான வெளிநாட்டவரும் ஏராளமான வியத்நாம் மக்களும் இதற்கு வருகை தருகிறார்கள்.

என்னாட்டவர்கும் இறைவனான கந்தபெருமான் அனைவருக்கும் அருள் தருவான்.

A historic house of prayer for local Hindus


Chua Ong’s central chamber – the largest of any Hindu temple in HCMC
On certain special days each month, locals and foreigners, especially those from India, Nepal, Malaysia, and elsewhere in Asia, come to a Hindu temple in Ho Chi Minh City to pray and seek spiritual calm.
This temple, which attracts more foreign visitors than any other in town, was built over a century ago as the city’s first Hindu temple. It is located at 98 Nam Ky Khoi Nghia Street in District 1, just a five-minute walk from Ben Thanh Market in the city’s center.

Its official name is the Subramaniam Swami Temple but it is locally known as Chua Ong (Ong Pagoda). Vietnamese who pray at the temple show their respect by using this name, as Ong is a Vietnamese honorific for a man.

A visitor can easily identify the holy site thanks to its distinctive three-tier roof decorated with many statues of Hindu gods and figures.

The chief monk here pays respects and makes offerings to the god Subramaniam Swami, the temple’s namesake.

He is the son of the god Shiva, who is one of the three supreme Hindu gods: Brahma (the god of creation), Vishnu (the god of protection), and Shiva (the god of destruction). Those curious about the Hindu god of destruction will be surprised to learn that Shiva actually means good for-tune.

Half a century ago, a philosopher of Indian culture said, “All living things must die. Death leads to rebirth. The end result of all life is death or destruction, which is represented by the Hindu god Shiva. Death is the root of creation. Thus, Shiva is the embodiment of eternity.”

Those who truly understand that may sense the cyclical nature of life when visiting this temple dedicated to Shiva’s son. To emphasize this idea, a large statue of Linga-Yoni – which represents fertility – is placed at the right-hand side of the temple yard. This idea is carried further by a statue of Naga, the snake god.

The imposing statue of Shiva’s son stands in the center of the temple. One can see it from the temple’s main door. This straight line of vision symbolizes the path from life to death, as well as from destruction to creation in the eternal cycle of life and death.

After paying one’s respects to the awe-inspiring statue of Shiva’s son, one can then find peace and calm at the statue of Vishnu, the god of protection.

In Hinduism, Vishnu is the god who protects the universe as well as all living things in the human world. The temple monks say that having both Subramaniam Swami and Vishnu is meaningful.

“Destruction affirms creation,” they say, “and protection brings happiness to all living things. We worship Vishnu along-side other Hindu gods here.”

By the same token, a statue of one god with three different faces is often worshipped at Hindu temples in Vietnam and elsewhere.

The three faces represent the three supreme gods and their various domains: Creation (Brahma), Protection (Vishnu) and Destruction (Shiva).

Another remarkable altar depicts nine stars that Hindus believe will protect humans.

In major ceremonies, as well as on their birthday, many people come to pay respects to

the nine-star god and ask for blessings of good luck for the coming year.

Chua Ong has the largest central chamber of any Hindu temple in HCMC.

According to Hindu tradition, a city’s first temple must be the biggest, and all subsequent ones must be smaller. This is true no matter how large or small the first temple is.

“All buildings start with a single brick,” say the monks, giving visitors to Subramaniam Swami yet another cause for reflection.

Reported by Giao Huong