Indo American News

Tag: Meenakshi temple

Golu Figurines at MTS Relate the Festive Legends of Navaratri

Click here for Photo Collage 1

Click here for Photo Collage 2

By Nachal Sethuraman

PEARLAND: This year’s Navaratri Golu at the Meenakshi Temple has been a big hit, receiving excellent reviews from all those who have seen it during the celebratory week of Navaratri.

The Golu exhibit set a new standard with its magnificent decor, unique artistic arrangements, thematic representations, and simple concepts that proved to be educational to all.

The legend of the Madurai Meenakshi unfolded at the start of the exhibit.

Golu, a thematic arrangement of traditional dolls and deities, is a festive ritual followed in many South Indian states, especially in Tamil Nadu, during the nine-day Hindu festival of Navaratri.

The displays are placed upon an odd number of steps and showcase religious stories and folklore.

This year’s theme, “Sambhavami Yuge,” comes from a verse in the Bhagavad Gita and is represented through a variety of different scenes in the Golu.

• The authentic depiction of the battle field Kurukshetra from the Mahabharata, with Sri Krishna showing Vishwaroopam to Arjun justifies the theme of the Golu.

The artisans from Shilpi India who work at the Meenakshi Temple built the magnificent booths that house many of the Golus. From left: Arumugam, Viswanathan Durai, Manikandan Balu, Ramanathan Gandhi and Sethu Praveen.

• The photographic depiction of the story of Meenakshi’s birth to her wedding (Meenakshi Kalyanam) through cut-outs and storytelling boards was done to provide insight into the Legend of Madurai Meenakshi.

• “The Soul of India Lives In Its Villages”, a theme from Mahatma Gandhi shows the authentic depiction of a village scene. It is a favorite of both children and adults.

• The opulently dressed Maa Durga and Shiva is very eye catching as the painted ceramic faces of Shiva and Durga brought from Kumartuli, Kolkata are draped in finery representing their bodies.

• The traditional 7 Golu steps are filled with a vast display of beautiful & colorful traditional dolls.

The officers of the Meenakshi temple, from left, Dr. Kamala Raghavan, Treasurer; MTS Board Chair, Dr. Padmini Ranganathan and Partha Krishnaswamy, Joint Secretary

• The various deities of the Meenakshi Temple are depicted inside magnificent booths reflecting the facades of temple gopuram architecture and made by the Shilpi artisans of India who work at the Temple.

In addition to being a feast for the eyes, this year’s Golu provided an educational experience about Hinduism and insight into the rich culture and heritage of India.

By popular demand, the exhibit will remain open to the public through the Diwali Bazaar day, November 3rd. Temple hours are weekdays: 9am to 1pm, 5pm to 8:30 pm; Saturday & Sunday: 9am to 8:30pm and the admission is free. For details call 281-489-0358

October 25, 2018
Spectacular Deepavali Bazaar Celebrations at Meenakshi Temple

Sri Meenakshi Temple Society in Pearland
Photos: Arun Narayanan

By M.K. Sriram

PEARLAND: Deepavali festival 2016 turned out to be a most unforgettable experience in Sri Meenakshi Temple Society (MTS). It is estimated that over 7000 people of all ages from far and near of the Houston metroplex visited the temple throughout the day, from early morning till midnight. Year by year, Sri Meenakshi temple has grown from strength to strength, attracting more and more people from all the diverse communities. The Goddess indeed magically showers her blessings to all.

Deepavali, the festival of Lights, is considered as one of the most important Hindu holidays. It symbolizes celebration of the victory of good over evil It is a day of festivities that really transcends the borders of religion. Meenakshi temple is the shining jewel of worship, so what better place to enjoy this day other than Sri Meenakshi Temple – this was the unanimous thought among all the visitors.

The day started auspiciously with a few sprinkles early morning. This is the day when it is believed that the sacred Ganga river flows throughout the world and an early morning bath is equivalent to a dip in the holy waters of Ganga where all our sins are washed away. The priests started the pujas at the break of dawn and worked tirelessly till late evening, attending to the devotees needs. The traditional Lakshmi puja was conducted in the Main Temple late morning and was followed by the Deepavali Katchi. It was a sight to behold. The highlight of the religious event was an elaborate Lakshmi Puja with sahasranama (1008 names) archana was performed in the evening to a packed devotee audience. There was tremendous enthusiasm and devotion among all who participated. The Arathi accompanied by vedic chanting enthralled the hearts of all present.

Sri Lakshmi was then taken on a procession around the temple with great fanfare and pomp in a most beautifully decorated and shining silver Ratham (chariot), stunningly lit up with blue lamps. Hundreds and hundreds of devotees took part in pulling the chariot rope to the resounding drumbeat of chenda melam (traditional drums of Kerala).

Among the many attractions organized by MTS are the children’s cultural program. Brightly clad children entertained the visitors by displaying their wonderful talents in traditional Indian dances and songs. Budding artists competed in art and rangoli competitions. Children also had a fun time bouncing around at a special playground setup for them.

This year, the 21st Health Fair was yet another successful event. Participants lined up long before the registration opened. Sri. S. Narayanan, the temple chairman gave the welcome remarks. Dr. P. Vaduganathan, the coordinator of the Health Fair recognized the Health care providers for their valuable contributions. Honorable Mayor of Pearland Tom Reid, and Kyle Price, CEO of Memorial Hermann Southeast Hospital cut the ribbon and inaugurated the Fair.

The services provided were: EKG (Memorial Hospital) , Blood tests including Fasting Lipids, Comprehensive Metabolic profile , Complete Blood count and Thyroid test ( Kindred Hospital) , Vision screening ( UT McGovern Medical students) Dental screening, urologic. Gastroenterology and a rheumatology advise and Flu shots (Cypress Spring Family clinic). There were about 150 people registered and received screening tests.

Over 50 vendors displayed their exotic jewelry, saris, costumes, art works, pictures, books etc in the grand bazaar that filled up the entire Youth Center. Honorable Mayor of Pearland Tom Reid, and John Kelley, Superintendent of Pearland Independent School District cut the ribbon and inaugurated the Bazaar.

Hundreds and hundreds of visitors were seen thronging the bazaar shopping their hearts and wallets out. The busiest place was perhaps, unsurprisingly the food tent. Five local restaurants set up shop and served authentic Indian dishes non-stop from noon till midnight

November 3, 2016
Sita Rama Kalyanam at Sri Meenakshi Temple

Seer Varisai commenced at Ganesha Temple after Viswakshena Aradhana

By Nalini Sadagopan

PEARLAND: Sita Rama Kalyanam celebration, an annual event at the Meenakshi Temple Society of Pearland, felt even more auspicious this year as the date coincided with Sri Rama Navami on March 28th 2015 on Saturday. The stage was decorated so beautifully with the Rama parivar (Rama, Sita, Lakshman and Hanuman) that it brought in the celestial ambience. The blissful wedding took place with every step of the way being carefully explained by the knowledgeable priests (Sri Pavan Kumar, Sri Sridharan and Sriman Narayana Charyulu) at the altar while those gathered to sponsor the event diligently followed the ritual. Right from the bedecked bride and groom, to the décor, to the spread of sweets made by devotees, the spectators were blessed to be part of this holy matrimony. Highlight in the sweet display was the paruppu thengai , a cone shaped delicacy made specifically for wedding s in the Southern India. Rituals included tying the kankanam, kanya dhanam (offering of the bride to the groom), mangalya dharanam (tying the knot), and homam ; the entire ceremony took place colorfully and sequentially.

Devotees gathered around Ratham during the procession in front of the Rajagopuram

The Houston devotees proved to be ardent supporters of the Sita Rama wedding and had flocked fervently to take make it a huge success. There was enthusiastic participation from the board members at the event and rava laddu specially made by the committee was offered as prasadam to the attendees. Following the wedding, the celestial couple was carried around the temple premises in the silver chariot in a procession. Other notable activities were – the rendering of Raguveeragadhyam by priest Sridharan, Nama Ramayanam and Bhajans by devotees during the festival and a sumptuous lunch.

Srirama

Kudos to the MTS volunteers and board, especially the event coordinators – Bhargavi Golla, Swaroopa Reddy and Kumari Mikkilieni, for tirelessly bringing such great events to the community in an effort to keep our rich Vedic and value-based traditions alive.

April 2, 2015
Classical Arts Society Held 38th Tyagaraja Aradhana at MTS

Unchavrithi – Enactment of the daily routine of Saint Tyagaraja door to door singing Sankeerthanam

By Chittoor Ramachandran

PEARLAND: Classical Arts Society together with Sri Meenakshi Devasthanam presented the enthralling first part of the 38th annual Tyagaraja Aradhana last weekend (Jan 10 – 11) at MTS Kalyanamandapam. Carnatic musicians of Greater Houston, youth and adults, trained at various levels offered their respect to the composer- Saint Tyagaraja by rendering his compositions.

The event began with traditional Unchavrithi, an enactment of the daily routine of the saint Tyagaraja going door to door along with his disciples singing devotional songs. (Note. Respectfully offering a fistful of grains to the singing bards used to be considered a moral deed). Several musicians joined the procession singing Tyagaraja’s devotional compositions along with the accomplished musician Sri Vatsa Kumar dressed as Tyagaraja.

The 2015 Aradhana commenced with an invocatory puja by the priest followed by a welcome speech by Smt. Prabha Bala, CAS Founding member and Board President and a brief inaugural address by the MTS Board chairman Dr.Vadugunathan. The CAS Board member Dr. Ganesh Balasubramanian, introduced as the coordinator of the 2015 Tyagaraja Aradhana was in charge henceforth.

The well-coordinated joint rendition of Tyagaraja’s majestic Ghana raga Pancharatna Krithis by dozens of vocalists, violinists and percussionists filled the air with bhakthi as the first event.

Group rendition of the majestic Pancharathna keerthanam

The two-day Aradhana gave opportunities for more than two hundred individuals to pay tribute to Saint Tyagaraja by singing one of his compositions.

The melodious Tyagaraja krithis played by Smt. Manjula Rao (violin) and Charan Rajan ( mridangam) added vigor to the festive ambiance. The first day concluded with a splendid mini concert of Uma Ranganathan who made an impact in the audience very quickly. By the time she reached anupallavi of Anuragamule (Raga Saraswathi) the audience had already been mesmerized with her extraordinary style. Uma elaborated Kaligiyunte (Keeravani) followed by Muthuswamy Dikshtar krithi Mamava Pattabhirama (Manirang), and concluded with the serene Geetharthamu in Surutti. The seasoned violinist Smt. Manjula Rao was in her best form in the concert. The amazingly talented Karun Salvady (mridangam) enhanced the concert noticeably well. Uma introduced periodic narration of brief incidents in the Saint’s life related to the krithi which made her presentation informative and enjoyable.

The vocal concert presented (on Day 2) by the accomplished youth Shilpa Sadagopan was delightful. Her inherent talent, superb training by top notch teachers and passion for music were all visible during her hour-long rendition. Starting with the krithi in Poorvikalyani (Gnanamo sagarada) Shilpa proceeded with a great confidence and elaborated the krithi Kadanavariki (Thodi). That was followed by Telisi Rama (Poornachandrika), Gurulekha (Gowri manohari) and a Dasar krithi in Ameer kalyani. Her distinctly melodious concert was a treat. The violinist Deepa Ramachandran added much to the quality of the concert. Karun Salvady provided excellent support.

Sandhya Raghunathan’s choreography of Tyagaraja compositions was remarkably ingenious. She could convey the meaning of several krithis instantaneously and effortlessly to the audience very effectively. With her high quality of abhinaya and perfection in dancing, Sandhya enchanted the audience.

Second part of the Aradhana will be held as a grand Musical Fiesta in April (Sat 24 and Sun 25). The world class performers scheduled are Malladi Brothers and Sanjay Subramanian. For more information: www.classicalartsocietyhouston.org.

January 22, 2015
Pongal Celebrations at Sri Meenakshi Temple

Ladies gather in front of Rajagopuram to partake in the procession before offering Pongal to the deities.

By Ponni Sivaraman

PEARLAND: Thai Pongal or Makara Sankranthi is a harvest festival that is celebrated on a grand scale by the all over India, especially in South India. Makara Sankranthi marks the transition of the Sun into the zodiac sign of Makara rashi (Capricorn) which is also believed to mark the arrival of spring. Pongal is a four-day festival of Thanksgiving, celebrated on the first day of the Tamil month “Thai” to honor the Sun God for a bountiful harvest.

Surya Namaskar at Sri Meenakshi Temple started the Pongal celebration.

This year, the Devotees from different Indian states gathered at Sri Meenakshi Temple on January 17, to welcome and celebrate Pongal in a very traditional village style. Nearly 200 devotees, many with their families, dressed in traditional South Indian attire prepared the sweet or “Sarkarai Pongal “in brass pots over earthen wood stoves. The word, “Pongal “ is derived from the Tamil word “ Pongu” meaning to boil over or to be bountiful, and as such the most auspicious moment of “ boiling over of the milk” is considered to be a sign of abundance in the coming year.

Traditional Sarkarai Pongal was cooked in village style Clay pot at MTS

The sun was up bright and towering over the Raja Gopuram and the celebration started with the Surya Namaskar,; with Achalesh Amar of Hindu Swayamsevak Sangh and Hasita Karthik from Vyasa ( Vivekanada Yoga Anusandana Samasthana) leading the enthusiastic Yoga group. This was followed by prayers and sangalpam by Sri Manikka Bhattar. It was an awesome experience to see several ladies helped by their spouses and children making Pongal in the traditional way. Greetings of “PONGALO PONGAL”, and wishes for a bountiful life were then exchanged by the participants as the sweet pongal was being cooked. Pongal greetings were shared in different Indian languages- Tamil, Telugu, Malayalam, Kannda, Hindi, Gujarathi, Marati, Kashmiri, Punjabi and even in Nepali. It felt like you were in an Indian village. This Neivedhyam was then offered to the Gods with a final aarti and the Prasadam was distributed to all.

It was a feeling of Joy, Happiness and Nostalgia that was felt on that beautiful sunny day. All this was made possible by coordinators Nach Vaduganathan, Bhargavi Golla and Meera Srikanth. Cultural programs were also scheduled by the Teulugu association on the same day with Tamil Association celebration, the following day. All the Temple staff worked hard before and after to ensure the Pongal celebration was memorable to all devotees.

January 22, 2015
Grand New Year and Vaikunda Ekadasi Celebrations at Sri Meenakshi Temple

By M.K.Sriram and Akilan Gopal

PEARLAND: It was a great and divine start to 2015 for several thousand devotees who worshipped at Sri Meenakshi Temple on New Year’s day.   The forecasters predicted a rainy and cold day, but this did not make any impact on the spirits and minds of the devotees – they came in large numbers from far and wide, from tiny tots to the elderly – a truly extraordinary display of their faith.

MTS executives honoring Shoba Ramesh and other artists

It is indeed a very rare occurrence to have Vaikunda Ekadasi falling on January 1st.   The Laksharchana for Lord Venkateswara was concluded with the participation of hundreds of devotees, while hundreds more lined up for the Vaikunda Swarga Dwara darshan outside the temple. This is the one time every year when the “Gates to Heaven” open and devotees have the blissful experience of having darshan of Maha Vishnu in his abode in heaven. As the doors opened at about 10 AM, there was rapturous chanting of Govinda Govinda and devotees entered the Lord’s abode. It was an indescribable sight to see the Lord with His consorts Bhoo Devi and Sri Devi adorned with dazzling alankarams seated on His Garuda vahana. Hundreds of devotees thronged through the heavenly gates to have darshan, the Indian Consul General, Harish with his wife among them. At around 11 AM, the deities on the Garuda Vahanam were taken in a procession around the temple to the chanting of Purusha Sooktham and various other Vedic verses.   It was truly amazing that there was a non-stop stream of ardent devotees walking through Swarga Dwaaram from 10 AM till late in the evening. Later at 5 PM, Goddess Meenakshi with Lord Sundareswara most beautifully decorated were taken in a procession around the temple on a pallakku (palanquin) by hundreds of devotees. The priests tirelessly performed the archanas non-stop all day and till late evening for all the deities.

Sam Kannappan, President, Dr. SG. Appan, Trustee with Dr. GS. Goplakrishna, Vice Presdient and Dr. P. Vaduganathan, Chairman with Board and Council members of MTS.

This was also the day when. Sam Kannappan, a founding member of the temple was appointed as the President and Dr. S.G. Appan, a long time highly respected member, as trustee for a period of four years, in front of a packed devotees.

The whole atmosphere was very festive. The afternoon cultural program “ Dhasavathar” was organized by Mala Gopal. It consist of songs and dances from local dance schools followed by Carnatic music concert by Shoba Ramesh, an All India Radio artist accompanies by Charan Rajan on Miruthangam and Divya Ramachandran on the violin.

And to make this even more authentic, local Indian restaurants brought the taste of India. Chairman Dr Vaduganathan summarized that this day has been the most unprecedented day in the temple history with an over 7500 people visiting the temple, that too in spite of inclement weather.   MTS Joint secretary Murali Ravuri, the event coordinator was ably supported by the temple Board members, several volunteers with their spouses, their children, the temple staff, priests and shilpis by putting in hundreds of hours of hard work to make this all happen. This is indeed a great beginning to the New Year!

January 8, 2015
Founders’ Day Celebration at Sri Meenkashi Temple

PEARLAND: Sri Meenkashi Temple celebrated Founders’ day as a formal dinner event on Saturday, December 13. The evening was dedicated by the current Board to honor all those who have worked hard in the Board and advisory council since 1979.

This year was special because of a special skit and musical program called “Melodies and Memories”. The temple chairman Dr. P. Vaduganathan who wrote the skit , had acted as a Swamy Vaduganantha and narrated the 35 year story of Sri Meenakshi temple to a few villagers in India as to how this first Shakthi temple in USA serves as a model to many temples. As the story evolved Mala Gopal, the cultural coordinator had choreographed songs and dances to portray each stage of the temple. As part of the program several steering committee members, Dr. KR. Thiyagarajan, Dr. Venugopal Menon, Dr. Bala Ayer, Dr. A.P. Raghuthaman, Padma Anantha for her husband Anantha and Dr. S.G. Appan for his late father Subramanian were brought on stage along with several past chairmen, Board and council members and honored. The evening ended with a delicious dinner. The founders were very pleased that the current leadership did not forget the sacrifices made by so many over the years and complemented the efforts of the current Board especially the chairman P. Vaduganathan, Secretary Srikanth and Treasurer Padma Golla for arranging this nice evening.

December 18, 2014
Steadfast Ayyappa Devotees Get the Gratification of Annadanam at MTS

Beautifully decorated Aiyyappa resplendent at the Puja with the eighteen steps at Sri Meenakshi Temple

By Chitoor Ramachandran

PEARLAND: The month of karthigai (vrichikam) (Nov-Dec) makes the premises of Sri Meenakshi Temple vibrant with numerous festive events individually distinct in the importance, intent and tradition. The 41 days of austere Ayyappa vrutham (Mandalam) and the associated worship of Sri Ayyappa (Sri Dharma Shasta) conspicuously bring out several disciplines recommended to take up in the spiritual path of life. The divine Sharana ghosham fill the air.

Sri Guruswamy Venkatesan thanking the devotees that were enjoying the grand feast after the Aiyyappa Puja at MTS

Ancient Hindu literature mentions about Sri Dharma Shastha as the authority of righteousness. According to the legend, Sri Dharma Shasta took birth in this world as Sri Ayyappa as a protector of His devotees in the present Kali Yuga. Sri Ayyappa reinstates the moral values in the society that are degraded during Kali Yuga. When the purpose of his incarnation was over, Sri Ayyappa merged with Sri Dharma Shastha. Sri Ayyappa symbolizes a combination of powers represented by Sriman Narayana , the power that protects the universe, and Sri Mahadeva, the power that periodically re-absorbs the expressions in reality. Sri Ayyappa combines both these aspects of Brahman. Sri Ayyappa reminds us of the fact that there is no difference between the Brahman within all of us, irrespective of our physical and manmade demarcations. Vedic scholars refer to the mahavakyam (Great Saying) ‘ Tat Twam Asi ‘ which frequently appears in Chandogya Upanishad ‘Tat Twam Asi’ and its relevance to Sri Ayyappa has been explained in many Hindu texts. The meaning of “Tat Twam Asi” is ‘ That thou art ‘, which refers to our experience of identity with Brahman. Everyone who takes the vow to observe Ayyappa vrutham is addressed as ‘Ayyappa’- a symbolic way to recognize that they share the same divinity of the Lord within them.

Strict adherence to the rules the Ayyappas follow is to help them purify themselves externally and internally (mind, action, body, diet etc.). The basic principle that is modeled in the vrutham is that such austerities will create a habit that eventually will transform the way they treat others with respect, since others share the same divinity (satvic). According to the tradition, for those who intend to seek the darshan at Sabari malai (the abode of Sri Ayyappa), vrutham is essential. More information on Ayyappa vrutham is available in www. HoustonAyyappas.com.

Special worship is conducted daily in the shrine of Sri Ayyappa at Sri Meenakshi Temple throughout the season of Mandalam, led by Priest Sri R. K. E Parameswaran. Among the charitable activities MTS and Ayyappa devotees engage in, donating or sharing food (annadanam) is considered the most virtuous. The annual tradition of Shastha Preethi (Pooja followed by a Grand feast) was held on November 29 at MTS with unprecedented attendance of several hundred devotees. This tradition is highly revered by ardent Hindus. It is believed that Sri Ayyappa Himself joins in the feast sitting next to the devotee. Therefore, participating in Shashtha Preethi is considered a blessing.

Many volunteers under the leadership of Sri Guruswamy Venkatesan and the RAC team of MTS deserve great appreciation. MTS extends helping hands to the hungry during the holiday season by collecting and donating food items to the needy.

December 4, 2014
Unique Annabhishekam at Sri Meenakshi Temple

Lord Siva adorned with Annam (rice) symbolic of his Grace that feeds the World.
Photo: S Narayanan

By M.K. Sriram

PEARLAND: Karthikai, the seventh month in the Tamil calendar is considered a very holy month. Annabhishekam, i.e. abhishekam with cooked rice is traditionally performed for Lord Sundarewswar at Madurai Meenkashi temple as well as many other Shiva temples on the full moon day in this month. MTS has been following the same tradition for more than 25 years. Lord Shiva is known to be very fond of abhishekam, and on this special day He who provides annam to the entire world is showered with annam by His devotees. More than 100 ardent devotees gathered at the Shiva sannidhi the evening of November 6, to participate in this event. They brought various abhishekam materials including cooked rice, prasadam, fruits and flowers.

Abhishekam with various dravyams such as milk, curd, honey, annam and panchamritham was performed to the resounding chanting of Sri Rudram and other vedic hymns. The devotees sang various bhajans and devotional songs while they patiently waited for the darshan of Lord Sundareswara. The priests took great efforts to do an elaborate and most beautiful alankaram of the Shiva Lingam with rice. When the sannidhi opened again, it was a most spectacular sight to behold.

Archana and arathi was followed by prasadam distribution. All in all, it was a very fulfilling and blissful evening of worship.

November 13, 2014
Sri Meenakshi Temple’s Main Temple Renovation Project Bhoomi Puja (Ground-breaking Ceremony)

By Dr. Venugopal Menon

PEARLAND: It was another auspicious inauguration, another stride in the celestial course of the inspiring chronicle of Sri Meenakshi Temple in Pearland. It was the Bhoomi Puja of its Main Temple expansion on Sunday, November 2.

On a serenely bright and balmy morning, about 300 devotees were blessed to participate in the once-in-a-lifetime sacred observance of initiating the second stage of the temple’s revered evolution. Adhering to all the time-honored, devout conventions prescribed by the Agamic traditions, Sri Meenakshi Temple celebrated the Ground-breaking ceremony on the weekend that saved an hour with the daylight savings.

Thirty-five years ago, Houston Hindus were blessed with Sri Meenakshi Temple, the first Shakthi Temple outside of India. It was a promising beginning and a propitious trend that followed with the establishment of several hundred temples in the continental United States.

To accommodate the ever growing needs of its devotees, a new Lakshmi Sanctum, Prakarams around the three main deities (Sri Meenakshi, Sri Sundareswara and Sri Venkateswara) and overall extension of space are included as the objectives of this project.

The auspicious initiation of any new construction is the traditional and customary ‘Bhoomi Puja’ (Ground-breaking ceremony), in which devotees request and get permission from Mother Earth to build on her sacred grounds and to ask for forgiveness for the disruption of living beings on the land.

The event started at 8.30 am with Ganapathy Homam, and Abhishekam for Prasanna Ganapathy. Following the Puja, devotees proceeded in a procession around the outer prakaram, entering through the Rajagopuram, doing Aarthi at all the four main sanctums. This was followed by the Bhoomi Puja on the north side of the temple, at the site where the future Mahalakshmi Sanctum is to be constructed. All the priests participated in the Puja and placed the Navarthnas, the nine jewels and the Navadhanyam, the nine grains symbolizing auspiciousness, abundance and prosperity in any endeavor.

Honorable Mayor of Pearland Tom Reid was present for the whole event. A unique feature of the event was the participation of the Vedic Heritage School students of MTS, over 100 of them arriving through the West Gopuram guided by their Gurus, and offering flowers at the site. Afterwards, they joined the group and recited the stanzas of sacred ‘Manthra Pushpam’, from Yajur Veda, normally sung as a chorus after pujas. This was followed by Devi Sthuthi in praise of Goddess Meenakshi, recited by the priests and repeated by all the devotees.

After the conclusion of the Puja, the Ground-breaking Ceremony was conducted in which devotees participated by digging up a piece of the earth using the sanctified shovel. To be involved in the construction of a temple, breaking the ground and offering the Navadhanyam in Bhoomi Puja, is considered to be the ultimate Karma for a Hindu.

By noon , there were 550 people participating in the event. The Pujas concluded with Maha Aarthi to Goddess Meenakshi inside the main temple. A traditional, delicious feast was served at the Youth Center after the conclusion of the religious observance.

The Construction Committee is finalizing the meticulous details of the plans and the project is expecting to be completed within a year.

November 6, 2014
The Grand Deepavali Bazaar at Sri Meenakshi Temple

Erin Asprec,CEO Memorial Hermann Southeast, Mayor of Pearland Tom Reid, Joanne Barrett, Chief Nursing officer Kindred Hospital, Dr. Ramesh Patel (back) and MTS Chair Dr. Vaduganathan. Photos: Nandhu Radhakrishnan

PEARLAND: Sri Meenakshi Temple looked extraordinarily vibrant starting from the daybreak on Saturday, October 18 with the morning Suprabhadam to welcome Sri Venkateswara and Sri Lakshmi to the beautiful dawn. The festive look of the temple with colorful lights, huge tents and filled parking lots were all indicative of a grand celebration. Deepavali (Diwali) literally means Festival of Lights with an ancient message to erase darkness of ignorance with the light of knowledge.

Sri Mahalakshmi Rathothsavam at MTS Diwali on Saturday, October 18.

A feature of the festivities is the free community Health fair (running 19th year) and was inaugurated by dignitaries (Erin Asprec, CEO Memorial Hermann Southeast hospital, Mayor Tom Reid and Joanne Barrett, Chief Nursing officer, Kindred Hospital). Kindred Hospital and their staff provided all the blood tests. Dr. Nirmala Kethineni of Cypress Spring Family clinic provided Flu shots (either free or heavily subsidized price). Free tests and general medical checkup was conducted. Dr. Ramesh Patel gave lectures on vegetarian diet, stress management and cardiac risk screening. Temple chairman and coordinator of the Health Fair Dr. P. Vaduganathan thanked the Health professionals and volunteers.

Kids Carnival at MTS Diwali Bazaar 2014

Devotees thronged all day with families offering prayers; by noon, the temple premises had turned into a little India. The choices of delicious food items provided by the vendors, art competitions, facial paintings and the carnival games and a shiny Red Fire truck kept the children excitingly engaged.

The Spectacular Fireworks at the MTS Diwali Bazaar (Ratham in foreground)

Many area merchants had their display of beautiful items for sale – ornaments, jewels, clothes, sarees, gift items, paintings, handicrafts, imported art work, ayurvedic medicine, just to name a few. Information booths were set up to promote valuable services and innovative educational materials.

Standing room only at MTS Diwali bazaar with over 4000 visitors

The variety of entertainment demonstrated the wealth of culture in the Indian community living in Greater Houston area. While the children entertained the crowd with their impressive talents, the outstanding classical dance performance by Krithika Subrahmanian and group entertained the audience packed in the Kalyanamandapam.

By sunset, an elaborate set up was made by the priests for the traditional Lakshmi puja; this was preceded with the Diwali parade, where MTS was joined by Namadwar and ISKCON. The dedicated priest of MTS inspired the devotees with Veda manthras and pushpa archana. The utsava murthy of Sri Lakshmi was taken out on the majestic silver chariot pulled by hundreds of devotees with thousands assembled all around the temple to have a darshan of this auspicious scene. The exhilarating sound of Chenda Melam led the Rathotsavam.

The crowd rejoiced in the spectacular firework, which was followed by Garba with live music. The mood was just exhilarating till the end.

We thank the volunteers and employees of MTS for organizing such a flawless festival year after year for two decades. They deserve congratulations for a meticulous job well done with the support of many benevolent well-wishers and supporters. We pray to Sri Meenakshi, Sri Sundareswara, Sri Padmavathi and Sri Venkateswara for a year of happiness and welfare to all.

October 24, 2014