Heterogenous Spaces and Modernities:

Hindu Rituals to Sacralize the American Landscape

Abstract

The article "Heterogenous Spaces and Modernities: Hindu Rituals to Sacralize the American Landscape" by Vasudha Narayanan examines how post-1965 Hindu immigrants in the U.S.—primarily Vaishnavas—ritually transform American land into sacred space. Narayanan identifies four key strategies: invoking Puranic cosmology to locate America within sacred geography, composing devotional songs for deities in local towns, consecrating temple sites with mixed sacred waters, and re-creating India’s holy landscapes. These practices challenge secular narratives of migration and modernity by asserting spiritual continuity through ritual and memory.