dear onkara ,
I might first like to ask what made you think to ask this question ?
but as it is such a nice question , I will answer to the best of my ability !
Why do people (theistic hindus) go to the Mandir (temple) in your opinion ?
this reason is given in the bhagavad gita , (allthough krsna is talking about ataining knowledge of the supreme)
Ch ...7 V ...16 Oh best of bharatas , four kinds of pious men begin to render devotional service unto me , the distressed , the desirer of wealth , the inquisitive , and he who is searching for knowledge of the absolute .
an (as you say theistic hindu) is most probably a hindu who has firm faith in the lord (which ever tradition he, she belongs to ) , however there are differing strengths of faith , on the first and most common level , people attend from a sence of cultural obligation , prehaps at first this is through family tradition , but outside of that , and particularly in the west people might attend out of a sence of cultural curiosity ,
once one has some experience of the temple and the temple comunity one might attend for very similar reasons to those given above , translate that into the context we are talking about and those reasons become firstly , A sence of comunity within which one may seek comfort when distreassed or in need of freindship , where by one may turn to the comunity or privately to the lord ,... secondly , many come to the temple to receive blessings , to ask for security within their material lives , (some according to their levels of realisation ask for wealth in the material sence , others ask for the blessing of wisdom as their wealth) .... the third reason , curiosity , wanting to ask , wanting to experience , wanting to deepen their understanding , wanting to test their faith .... The fourth and prehaps deepest reason is to submit to the lord , to surrender , to give service , to build a relationship with the lord , to truely know and absorb oneself in the absolute , to rejoice , to give praise , and to share that joy with others of like mind .
Why do you personally go (if you do)?
In my life time I have been for all of the above reasons , for the companionship of god brothers and sisters , for blessings , to find out , to take teachings , to gain understanding , and finaly to give thanks , to rejoice , to praise , to serve the lord and to serve others .
If you had no financial or geographical limitations would you go and why (or why not)?
no financial or geographical limitations ?
wow , I could have a devotional party with that one
I think I would be spending my entire life deeply engrosed in some form of devotional service , prehaps yes I would love to visit many different temples , and take the darshan of many different deity forms , have the association of many god brothers and sisters , but ultimately I would love to stay in one place and devote myself to the service of the deitys I now serve , in that case I should create A mandir here so that others may come to share , to learn , to worship , to praise and to absorb them selves
in the absolute , the supreme lord , or simply just realise being
thank you for your question .....namaskars :namaste ......ratikala
hmmm , thinks me , a very non sectarian mandir , suitable simply for ataining knowledge of god , by which ever name one may understand the absolute .