Ground-Breaking Of $1.2 Million Columbus Ganesh Temple In Indiana On August 3
Ground-breaking ceremony of 8,000 square feet Sri Ganesh Mandir in Columbus, Indiana; complete with ancient Hindu rituals conducted by seven priests; will be held on August 3.
This upcoming Hindu Temple on a two-acre plot is planned to accommodate about 700 devotees on Hindu festivals and other special celebrations/ceremonies. It will include sanctuary with murtis of deities, a stage and open area for special events/performances, kitchen, etc.; and is proposed to be complete by next spring; reports suggest.
Besides a worship center, it will also reportedly function as Hindu community center catering to the recreational and social needs of the community. It will also host classes for India’s classical music, dance, languages, etc.; and undertake various charitable activities.
All are welcome to attend the six-hour long ground-breaking ceremonies; which will include Bhumi Puja, Maha Ganapathi Homa Yagnam, Havan, Arati; ending with free prasad lunch.
Meanwhile, Hindu statesman Rajan Zed, in a statement in Nevada, commended efforts of the temple leaders and area community towards realizing this 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.
Existing Hindu Society of Southern Indiana (HSSI) temple in Columbus, inaugurated in 2015, opens daily; and besides worship services also conducts Bhagavad-Gita lessons, Balavihar classes, Gurukul, etc. Trustees include Anuja Mazgaonkar, Mandar Deo, Prasad Kondapi, Srikanth Padmanabhan, Vasu Iyer, Vijayagopal Subramaniam. Mission of HSSI, founded 2010, includes promoting “understanding and practice of Hindu faith”.
Hinduismhas about 1.1 billion adherents and moksh (liberation) is its ultimate goal. There are about three million Hindus in USA. In Hinduism, Lord Ganesh is worshipped as god of wisdom and remover of obstacles and is invoked before the beginning of any major undertaking.