Mid-Candidature Seminar - A Study of the Sri Selva Vinayakar Temple in South Maclean, Queensland

Hindu temples in diasporas are loci for the production of religious and cultural ideas and these ideas are directly influenced by their surrounds. They are visible sites where the relationship between the place of worship, the religious community, and the religion itself are evident. Despite the recent rapid growth of Hinduism in Australia, there are relatively few recent investigations into Australian Hindu sacred sites. One such site, the Shri Selva Vinayakar temple, is an ideal setting for an extended study. The focus of this research project, then, is to investigate the role of the temple and its community for the lived experience of its attendees.