Week 284: Academic Paper on Hinduphobia, Eelam-Gujarat Connection, Dezeen Temple feature
05/24/2025 - Modern Hindu Content
Welcome to Eternal Path! This week we feature: an academic paper on Hinduphobia, how Eelam Tamils rescued refugees from Somnath Temple’s breaking, and a temple designed by a modern architect!
Academia Highlight: Paper on Hinduphobia
Even though Western Academia is quite biased against Hindus, it is important for Hindus to engage with the academic process as that is how knowledge is created in the modern era. Dr. Indu Viswanathan does just that with her piece “Examining Anti-Hindu Bias in American Public Education: The Endogenous Cycle of Hinduphobia” in the Journal of the Council for Research on Religion.
Viswanathan, Indu. 2025. “Examining Anti-Hindu Bias in American Public Education: The Endogenous Cycle of Hinduphobia”. Journal of the Council for Research on Religion 6 (1). Montreal, QC, Canada:25-45. https://doi.org/10.26443/jcreor.v6i1.130
History Highlight: Eelam Tamil Hindus Sheltering Somnath Refugees
Aesthetic: A Temple Designed by a Modern Architect
The “Ganga Leheri” temple is located in the village of Raichak in West Bengal and designed by Abin Design Studio. It is meant to be both a place of worship and a community center and it elevated so that it stays above the tides of the Ganges river.
The Dezeen article goes into more detail: https://www.dezeen.com/2025/05/18/ganga-legeri-temple-abin-design-studio/
Ganga Leheri is built with locally sourced materials, including stone. The corbelled spire, or shikshara, is built with local brick nodding to surrounding brick kilns and is in adherence with religious custom, which dictates that steel or concrete should not be used.
An elevated plinth and bridge connect the temple with the surrounding river landscape and lead to the mandapa – an open pavilion or pillared hall that is a significant architectural element in Hindu temples.
The Instagram post below also has some of the images, which look stunning and truly “aesthetic”.
