WASHINGTON, D.C, July 14, 2003: Succumbing to complaints from the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), the National Park Service (NPS) has removed plaques of Biblical passages at popular viewing areas of the Grand Canyon, citing concerns that it may violate the separation between church and state. However, the Park Service recently decided that one of the main trails into the Arizona attraction may carry the name “Bright Angel,” and a number of the Canyon’s formations can share the names of Hindu gods. “Brahma Temple,” “Vishnu Temple,” “Siva Temple,” and the Trimurti are all represented as “temple buttes” in some of the Grand Canyon’s most impressive rock formations. A butte is a hill that rises abruptly from the surrounding areas and has sloping sides and a flat top. In an area as deep as the Grand Canyon, the buttes rise thousands of feet. The names and areas of the Grand Canyon which bear Hindu names can be found in Hinduism Today here. These buttes are “just” recently named rock formations, and not ancient temples as is sometimes reported in India.
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