Indianapolis temple to be consecrated in 5-day long ancient rituals costing $250,000

Five-days of elaborate ancient Hindu rituals by 30 priests costing $250,000 will be performed at the "Maha Kumbhabhishekam" ceremony to mark the consecration/inauguration of the newly built Hindu Temple of Central Indiana (HTCI) in Indianapolis, starting June three.

Ancient temple ritual of Kumbhabhishekam is believed to synergize-unite-homogenize the mystic powers of the deity and it involves ritual bathing with sanctified sacred waters accompanied by chanting of appropriate mantras, thus transforming the deity statue into a vibrant representation of the God.

This mega-ceremony will also mark the formal inauguration of Shiva, Radha Krishna, Ram Parivar, Durga, Jain, Balaji, Ganesha, Saraswathi, Ayyappa, Bhoodevi and Shirdi Sai Baba shrines and Rajagopuram. Seventeen moolamoorthies, made of granite and marble in India, will go through elaborate series of rituals. A large tent will be set-up next to the Temple to accommodate devotees and visitors who will be served free food and drinks during the five-day event.

Meanwhile, Hindu statesman Rajan Zed, in a statement in Nevada today, applauded efforts of temple management and area community for realizing this wonderful Hindu temple complex.

Rajan Zed, who is President of Universal Society of Hinduism, further said that it was important to pass on Hindu spirituality, concepts and traditions to coming generations amidst so many distractions in the consumerist society and hoped that this temple would help in this direction. Zed stressed that instead of running after materialism; we should focus on inner search and realization of Self and work towards achieving moksh (liberation), which was the goal of Hinduism.

Thirty-two temple craftsmen from India are currently engaged in giving final touches to the temple spread in about 13.5 acres, which will include 11,000 square feet worship hall and 400 square feet havan-room, reports suggest. Once finished, it will have the distinct appearance of an Indian Hindu temple.

“Maha Kumbabhishekam” ceremonies will include poojas, homams, aradhanams, archanas, nyasams, jaladhivasam, cultural programs, snapanam, chaayasnapanam, dhaanyadhivasam, gopurakalshasthapanam, pushpadhivasam, nethronmeelanam, dashadarshanam, shayaadhivaasam, yantra sthapanam, grudhashirorpanam, thrikandaparikalpanam, purnahuti, kumbhabhishekam, pranaprathistapanam, mahaneerikshanam, abhishekam, aalankaram, mahanivedanam, baliharanam, mangala aarati, kannika darshan, thalapoli, harivarasanam, etc. Procession with kalashams and young girls carrying oil lamps will be held. Devotees will apply oil at the feet of all deities. Dr. Satyanarayana Reddy Marri is Chairman of the Kumbhabhishekam Planning Committee

HTCI, open all days, besides worship services, also organizes festivals, havans, daily poojas and aarthis, bhajans, lectures on scriptures, talks, cultural programs, children's forum, heritage camps, youth programs, Hindi-Sanskrit-yoga-Indian music and dance classes; and undertakes educational, cultural, charitable, religious and spiritual projects. Vijayapal Reddy and Arun Jain are Chairman and Vice-Chairman respectively of its Board of Trustees, while Ambat Babu and Jagannath Pandey are President and Vice President respectively of its Executive Committee. Bardinath Shastri and Ramaswamy Bhattar are priests.

Devotees can garland all deities at HTCI for about $200 worth of fresh flowers.