Princeton University in New Jersey is trying to accommodate students and staff of all faiths, recently opening up a prayer area for Hindus.
According to Christian News, the Universal Society of Hinduism had long been asking university officials for a space for those who practice Hinduism. The editorial board of the Princeton student newspaper "The Daily Princetonian" even wrote back in April that the concept "has wide support from both Hindu and non-Hindu, religious and non-religious students across the university."
School officials listened to the plea, and now they have a prayer area for Hindus replete with a temple for the Hindu goddess Saraswati, who is known as "the goddess of knowledge and arts."
The prayer area is reportedly located in Green Hall. It also contains Hindu books, musical instruments and space for private meditation. They plan to offer guided meditation in the future.
Now, Princeton University boasts of a chapel that is used for Christian services, a Muslim prayer room, a centre for Jews and an interfaith prayer room, aside from the recently installed Hindu prayer room.
After its success with Princeton University, the Universal Society of Hinduism is now trying to get airports worldwide such as the John F. Kennedy International Airport in New York and Frankfurt Airport in Germany to also put up designated Hindu prayer rooms.
"Prayer/worship to god was highly important in Hinduism—the oldest and third largest religion of the world with about one billion adherents—and it would be great to have a Hindu prayer service or 'Hindu Prayer Room' at airports so that Hindu passengers did not miss their daily worship rituals/rites while travelling through, which might include recitation of texts, repetition of mantras and dhayan (meditation)," said its President Rajan Zed.
"Hindus would appreciate if this 'Hindu Prayer Room' had murtis (statues) of popular deities, copies of sacred scriptures, a traditional bell and recorded devotional music; and once-a-week kirtan and arti session was held in it," he added.
