Glimpse into the Lived Experience

Her story gives us a colorful example of the wide variety of religious practices in Leiden and shows that this city does not only house Christians, Muslims, and Jews, but also Hindus with splendid house temples. Unlike synagogues, churches, and mosques, however, this temple and its magnificent objects are not visible to the public’s eye.

Through these images and her words, we get a glimpse of this captivating house temple and her lived religious experience as an Indo-Surinamese woman. It shows us that the statutes and scripture – and the connected rituals – are not mere objects, but have a deep religious meaning, from which the owner of the house temple draws support and strength: “My faith has given me a lot of strength during difficult times.”