The official religion of Malaysia is Islam, but given the multicultural mix of the population, the country is relatively tolerant towards other religions. It was not my intention, but I got a glimpse of the religious diversity of Kuala Lumpur, when I started the day meditating at the National Mosque, dropped by the Buddhist Kuan Yin Temple after lunch, and ended up walking into the Hindu Sri Mahamariamman Temple, only a block or so away, to see this gorgeous peacock on the ground.
When you think of sand paintings and temples, the first thing that comes to mind is the sand mandalas Tibetan monks spend several dedicated weeks working on, only to destroy at the end of its creation. This process symbolizes the ephemerality of life. In Hindu tradition, however, the creation of kolam is for quite a different purpose. Created in rice flour so that it can be eaten by small creatures, it’s a sign of welcome for all to enter the home, with specific patterns to keep out only the evil spirits. It’s usually drawn by the women of the house without too much prior planning, and is often unceremoniously destroyed by wear and tear through out the day, and recreated the next day.
I haven’t done the research to see which tradition came first, and whether one influenced the other, but personally I favor the Hindu tradition. I like the idea of a whimsical life, one that is not meticulously designed, and perhaps ends in quite unceremonious ways. It would be lovely if it looked beautiful, but even if not so, hopefully it was useful to another in some fashion.
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