Thousands of Hindus are gathering in Lemont Sunday to honor a leader of their religion, Swami Vivekananda.
     The first American statue of Swami Vivekananda (1863-1902), the Hindu monk "who introduced Hinduism to the West, will be installed at 4 p-m. on Sunday at the Hindu Temple of Greater Chicago, located at 12-S-701 Lemont Road in Lemont
     The statue is a gift from the Vivekananda Vedanta Society of Chicago, a branch of the Ramakrishna Math & Ramakrishna Mission, the oldest Hindu order in the World.
     The statue will be installed on "Vivekananda Hill," a hillock in the Temple compound, which overlooks the main entrance.
     The vice-president of the Ramakrishna Math and Ramakrishna Mission, Swami Atmasthananda, is scheduled to perform the dedication, said Yogi Frank Parlato of the Vivekananda Society.
     The 10-foot, 2-inch bronze image of Swami Vivekananda  in  a  standing
pose was sculpted by the well-known Calcutta sculptors, G. Paul & Sons. The statue is modeled after a photograph of the Swami taken in Chicago after his  appearance at the World's Parliament of Religions in 1893.

The event will be a "visual spectacular,"  said  Parlato.
Many religious leaders will be in attendance, wearing orange and white robes. There will also be  offerings of flowers and fire ceremonies. Parlato said people of all religions can enjoy the ceremony.

     "[Vivekananda] was a breaker of the idea of living within  the  confinements  of dogma," Parlato said. "He was a founder of interfaith movements."

Parlato said there are three main reasons for attending the dedication. The first reason, according to Parlato, is to honor Vivekananda.
     "It is to honor the memory of a man who changed the modern world," Parlato said.
     He credits the Swami with inspiring political leaders and saving the Hindu religion by reminding  some  people  of their forgotten culture.
     The second reason Parlato gives for attending the ceremony is to observe religious customs.
     "It is the chance to see an ancient culture that has lasted through the millennia," Parlato said.
     Parlato said the final reason to attend the dedication of the statue is for spiritual reasons.
     "It is an East meets West experience," Parlato said.
     Believed  to  be  the  first Hindu monk to come to the West,  Swami Vivekananda's maiden speech at the Parliament of Religions made history.
     On the opening day of the Parliament, Sept. 11, 1893, he addressed his Chicago audience as "Sisters and Brothers of America" and received a standing ovation.
     "He introduced yoga and Eastern philosophy to our country," Parlato said.
     Vivekananda toured America and England, teaching extensively and  attracting numerous followers. Vivekananda wrote what were probably the first books on Yoga in the West — "Karma Yoga" was published in America in 1896, and "Raja Yoga" was published later that year in England. In 1896, he was offered the Chair of Eastern Philosophy at Harvard University but declined.

He established the Ramakrishna  Math,  a monastic order named after his teacher, Sri  Ramakrishna,  and  the Ramakrishna Mission, a social services  organization.  The Mission, which is operated by the monastic order, is probably the best-known relief organization in India. It runs hospitals,  schools  and  orphanages, and it provides help in times of natural disasters. The Ramakrishna Math & Ramakrishna Mission have more than 135 centers worldwide, with more than a dozen in the United States.

Swami Vivekananda's lectures and letters were widely circulated and greatly uplifted the Indian people. Parlato said he inspired many of the future leaders of the Indian Freedom Movement, such as Mahatma Gandhi, Jawharlal Nehru, and Subhash Chandra Bose.

Swami Vivekananda's important contributions  have been recognized by both America and India. During America's bicentennial celebrations in 1976, the National Portrait Gallery of the Smithsonian  Institution  included Swami Vivekananda among the 29 eminent foreign visitors described in its book, "Abroad In America."