Shiva Vishnu TempleThe wooded landscape of Parma, Ohio is home to the Shiva Vishnu Temple. On arrival, one can see twin golden shikhars adorning the roof of this unique building located among the trees. This Vedic temple sits on 32 acres of steep hills and forests that are highly visible from the long wraparound glass corridor leading from the parking lot to the temple entrance. Once inside the building, shoes must be removed before entering the sacred space. Brightly colored fabric pennants, interspersed with green leaves and fruits, hang from a rope and adorn the entrance to the temple. As with the many deities of Hinduism, there seemed to be many places for worship, rather than just one designated location. At 11:15 a.m., the large central room was just beginning to fill with people, dressed in a wide variety of clothing. Some women wore saris, while others wore modern American clothing. The male participants wore contemporary clothing, except for the priest and his servant, who wore bright yellow dhotis edged with dark brown. One man even wore a baseball cap during the service, which is considered unacceptable in many churches. The Shiva Vishnu Temple is a kaleidoscope of colors and textures; bejeweled elephants, ornate cobras, magenta, turquoise, chartreuse, red and gold silk fabrics all compete for the visitor's attention. The perimeter of the room contains thirteen different altars, honoring different deities, such as Nava Durga, Parshwanath Swamy and Mahivir Swamy. People stop to pray at these small, individual temples, offering fruit, flower petals and coins. The service had no formal beginning; instead, activity very slowly began to increase as the deep toned bells blended into the middle of the paper...... spread out, just a recounting of each individual's affairs as they perused their own spiritual path. There appeared to be no organized seating arrangement, no bench that could be occupied by a particular family. This apparent formality seemed to create a very relaxed atmosphere for the faithful. Everyone was sitting on the floor, barefoot or covered in socks, with understated fashion, all of which created an unpretentious aura. I wanted to experience the Hindu temple, especially because of the exposure to Hinduism and the knowledge gained during our course. I had hoped that a visit to the temple would further enrich the information presented during the lectures, which it truly did. If hatred is born from fear and fears are born from ignorance, then learning the ways of others and seeking to understand differences can only help us all. to achieve our unity. Works Cited, none necessary