The research plan is both a temple-based study and a regional study of the Gujarati community in areas of Pennsylvania and central New Jersey who constitute the devotees of the sect. The research plan extends over the next few years and includes fieldwork and eventually a trip to the home of the tradition in Nathdwara, India. Several topical areas guide the study.

• sacred space, purity, and experience of pilgrimage and worship  for devotees
• relationship between the Indian-American temple leaders and the sectarian leadership in India
• Vraj as a locus for the transmission of Asian Indian heritage through cultural programs such as the summer Youth Camps
• perceptions and attributions of those in the wider community about their new neighbors and attempts at mutual understanding and engagement

Allen Richardon and Catherine Cameron on stage at the Cultural Center during Vraj dedication, May 2002

The project will unfold in a series of phases:

            Phase I - Preliminary Research: (ended June 30, 2002). This was the initial period of planning and preparation, and intensive ethnographic research at the site during the four weeks of dedication in May and June 2002. Preparation of a photographic essay and slide show of Vraj based on inaugural events in May and June 2002.

            Phase II – Ongoing Ethnographic Research: (July 1, 2002 to August 31, 2005).  This phase involves ongoing ethnographic study in the form of specific projects in and around the temple and in central New Jersey. Those projects are outlined below:

Project:  The “story” of Vraj: research on the events leading up to the construction and dedication of the new haveli, including the debate, new for this sect, about the creation of a major Shri Nathji temple outside of India.

Project: Study of sacred space, maintenance of purity, and pilgrimage.

Project: Adaptation of ritual to the American context.

Project: Documentation of heritage activities and expressive culture at Vraj: cultural programming (music, dance, and art) and educational curriculum of Youth Camp.

Project: Community Relations: perceptions of residents of Schuylkill Haven and other nearby communities about the heightened presence of Vraj.

Phase III – Write-up and Publication (begins August 2005) is the write-up phase for the full length monograph that is envisioned about Vraj.