Oct Nov Dec

Ganapati Tunai

2009

Murugan Temple of North America

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6300 Princess Garden Parkway, Lanham, MD 20706, USA Phone: 3015524889, FAX: 3015525043 Email: info@murugantemple.org, Internet: www.murugantemple.org

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PRESIDENTS REPORT RATHAM FOR MURUGAN

By Kanagasabai Loganathan The Nallur Festival in 2009 was supported by an initiative named Ratham for Murugan. It was sponsored by the devotees from New York and New Jersey. It is a project for the construction of a Ratham implemented jointly with the Temple management. Over a period of eight months, the Ratham was designed and fabricated in Sri Lanka, then shipped to Maryland. Murugan devotees in New York and New Jersey really put their efforts into collecting contributions and making this a reality within this short period of time. The Ratham was carved out of wood on a style similar to that of Nallur Kanthaswami Temple in Jaffna, Sri Lanka. The result, after about eight months of hard work, was a beautiful Chitra Ther about 21 ft high and 12 ft wide. It has carvings illustrating the Aru Padai Veedu and also has carvings of the
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MTNA CALENDAR HIGHLIGHTS

(See murugantemple.org to view a free online calendar with greater details and up-tothe-minute updates)

12:45 pm 1:30 pm 3:00 pm 4:00 pm

Deeparathanai Lunch Thiru Kalyanam Murugan Procession

Friday, October 16th, Deepavali Sunday, October 18th--Saturday, October 24th Skanda Shashti Sunday, October 18th, Day 1
9:00 am 9:45 am 10:30 am 11:00 am 8:00 pm Ganapati Homam and Abishekam Subramaniya Homam Kavadi and Pal Kudam Murugan Abishekam Murugan Sahasranamam

Saturday, November 21st, Annual Thanksgiving Lunch to PG County Shelters Tuesday, December 1st, Karthigai Deepam
9:00 am 9:30 am 10:00 am 10:30 am 11:00 am Ganapati Homam Ganapati Abishekam Sivan Abishekam Kavadi and Pal Kudam Murugan Abishekam Shanmuga Puja 7:30 pm Special Abishekam to Palani Andavar

5:00 pm Deepam 6:30 pm Special Abishekam to Palani Andavar Sankatahara Chathurthi Special Abishekam to Ganesha (6:00 pm)

Saturday, December 5th, Annual Fund Raising Event

5:00 pm Entertainment, Raffles, Door Prizes and Dinner

Saturday, December 19th, Guru Peyarchhi (Guru Transition)

Navagraha (Guru) Homam, Navagraha (Guru) Abishekam 10:30 am Dakshinamurthy Abishekham, Deeparathanai 9:00 am

Monday, October 19thThursday, October 22nd, Days 2-5

10:00 am Kavadi and Pal Kudam 8:00 pm Murugan Sahasranamam

Friday, October 23rd, Sukla Shasthi Ends, Day 6

9:00 am 9:30 am 10:00 am 7:30 pm 8:00 pm Subramaniya Homam Kavadi and Pal Kudam Murugan Abishekam Soora Samharam Murugan Sahasranamam

Wednesday, December 2nd, Vinayaga Viratam begins

9:00 am Ganapati Homam 9:30 am Ganapati Abishekam 7:00 pm Ganapati Ashasranamam Pillaiyar Kathai stories will be read in the evenings for the next 21 days

Tuesday, December 22nd, Vinayaga Viratam Ends

9:00 am 9:30 am 7:30 pm 8:15 pm Ganapati Homam Ganapati Abishekam Ganapati Sahasranamam Ganapi Procession

Thursday, December 31st, New Years Eve

Temple Open until Midnight

Saturday, October 24th, Skanda Shasthi Celebration

8:30 am 9:00 am 10:00 am 11:00 am Ganapati Abishekam Subramaniya Homam Kavadi and Pal Kudam Sangaabishekam to Murugan

Saturday, December 5th, Swamimalai Karthigai Deepam Celebration Day

9:00 am 9:30 am 10:00 am 10:30 am 11:30 am 1:00 pm Abishekam to Ganesha and Siva Shanmuga Homam Kavadi and Pal Kudam Murugan Abishekam Shanmuga Puja and Deeparathanai Lunch

Bajan During Alankaram

PRESIDENTS REPORT RATHAM FOR MURUGAN MURUGAN RIDES IN A GLORIOUS RATHAM FUND RAISER TREASURERS REPORT GRADUATION AWARDS TEMPLE SERVICES, HOURS, AND DIRECTIONS

Inside

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Satguru Bodhinatha Veylanswami and Murugan Temple Chairman, Gopal Guruswami view the Ratham Procession
(Continued from page 1) Ratham for Murugan

As the Ratham comes to rest, Temple President Kanagasabai Loganathan shares a timeless moment with the Satguru, and a number of sponsors, and devotees

three famous swamis of Sri Lanka from the Nandinatha Sampradaya's Kailasa Parampara: Kadaitswami, Chellappaswami and Yogaswami. Satguru Sivaya Subramuniyaswami, the foremost disciple of Yogaswami, who established the Kauai Hindu Monastery in Hawaii and was instrumental in constructing the Murugan Temple by giving a murti of Ganesha, and His disciple Satguru Bodhinatha Veylanswami presided over the festivals.

Utsavar accompanied by Valli and Theivanai was taken up to the Ratham at the auspicious time. Sangalpam was given to the Sponsors and to the Tharmagarthas (Temple Chairman and President). The Ratham was then ready to be pulled with heavy ropes. It was a marvelous sight with a flood of devotees trying to reach the ropes to pull. Following traditions the men had to be without their shirts. Men holding the The festival was a rope on the right and two day celebration in women holding the rope on praise of Yalpanam Nallur the left were waiting for the Kanthaswami and signal to begin. The Kathirkamam Kanthan. Kurukkal gave the signal The first day was devoted by ringing the puja bell. to Homams and And, all felt a surge of Abhishekams to Ganapati devotees pulling the and Murugan. The second Rath am arou nd th e day celebrations began Temples outer Veethi. The with Pal Kudam and Ratham after about three Kavadi. The Kavadis were hours was brought back unique with Vel on the where it started from at the cheeks and the body of appointed auspicious time. those who carried the The Utsavar was then Kavadi in fulfillment of decorated in green their vows. The abishekam Stapadi prepares to bless the Ratham for its maiden run illustrating the coolness of of the Moolavar (Murugan) the lord after his fierce ride. The procession back to the Temple was with milk from the Kavadi and Pal Kuddam. was something soothing with appropriate melodies from the Following the abhishekam, the Utsava murti was prepared Nadhaswaram and Melathalam. for his procession on the Ratham. The Sathuppadi (decoration) The days events concluded with Thirukalyanam, the was exquisite with gold jewels, flowers and silk. The center piece marriage ceremony of Murugan and Valli Theivayanai. of the jewels was a Vel and Kodi crafted in gold in India. The The festival on the whole was memorable with over seven Utsavar was carried to the Ratham by devotees on a specially hundred devotees attending to receive the blessings of Murugan. made Simhasanam, an exquisite carving in wood. The procession No one believed that we could achieve this in the States. The was accompanied by Nathaswaram and Melathalam playing the Devotees did it and we all believe that it is a divine gift to the Ragam Malladi, a melody reserved for processions of deities. The carrying of the Utsavar by devotees accompanied by Melat devotees of Murugan Temple of North America. Thalam and chanting by devotees was something soothing to the Kanagasabai Loganathan, President, Murugan Temple of eyes and to the ears and which one should live to see.

North America

LORD MURUGAN RIDES IN A GLORIOUS RATHAM AT THE ANNUAL NALLUR AND KATHIRGAMAM FESTIVAL By Kanaga Ranganathan Excerpts from this essay provide an inner view of the Ratham and its effect on Murugan Temples Nallur and Kathirgamam Festival. You can read the entire essay on line at www.murugantemple.org. Muruga, Muruga, Om Muruga, Muruganukku Arohara such ecstatic cries of bliss from the young and old, men and women, devotees from far and near and even babes of tender age filled the sacred atmosphere with so much of joy and abandon that one had to remind oneself that one was indeed in the holy temple of Lord Murugan in North America. The elderly in the crowd were transported in a trice to the historic temple of Nallur where they had witnessed their beloved Lord Murugan riding majestically and gloriously in the richly-decked Ther (chariot) to the joyous, devotional cries of thousands of devotees. There were others in the crowd who were reminded of their Lord Murugan feted in the sylvan, historic temple of Kathirgamam in the deep South and how they had traversed a long, jungle path to see Him with all His glory worshipped by people of different faiths. What a joy it was, indeed a wordless rapture, to see our own Lord Murugan, the Thamil Kadavul, who had gifted us with this beautiful, poetic language of Tamil from the ancient pre-sangam

A Ratham Sponsor learning the fine points of Kavadi Dance

era, being worshipped with all the traditional trappings and drawn by dear devotees in a grand and divine fashion around the outer veethi of the MTNA temple in the freshly-minted and beautifully decked Ratham!
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Ratham Procession pauses to recall one of Murugans six temples

Spontaneous dancing breaks out as during the Ratham procession

(Continued from page 3) Lord Murugan Rides Ratham

We should all consider ourselves fortunate that in a place far away from our own cultural center, we are able to find this wonderful opportunity of paying homage and worship in the true traditional manner to our Lord Murugan who has enshrined Himself in this nations capital to give solace to hundreds of devotees. Riding with all majestic, divine beauty, Murugan evokes so much of piety and goodness in our hearts as He wends His way around the MTNA temple. He is the Su-brahm, the Lord of all the seen and unseen world, all of which draw their life, the energy, their movement and their very breath from Him. With the two Sakthis by His side, the kriya sakthi representing the power of action in the form of Theivanai, the ichcha sakthi representing the power of noble desire in the form of Valli; and with his seat of peacock representing the conquest of ego in this multi-colored material world; Our Lord rides with His Vel of True Jnanam which has the power to pierce through the mountain of our collosal ignorance and delusion. As we surrender ourselves to our Lord Murugan, the Kali Yuga Varathan, we thank whole-heartedly the temple management for granting this blessing.

After being blessed in front of Lord Murugan, Utsava murti is lifted for the journey to the Ratham

MTNAcordiallyinvitesyoutoattendthe AnnualFundRaisingEvent Saturday,December5,2009at5pm Entertainment,Raffles,Doorprizes,and Dinner AttheMTNAauditorium

Utsava murthi on the way to Ratham

Treasurers Report: Financial ResultsSecond Quarter 2009

There was a surplus from operations of about $ 7,573 for the second quarter, which fell short of requirements to meet mortgage payments of about $8,100. This shortfall was met from reserves. Donations towards the Rajagopuram project totaled $3,252. There were no capital expenditures. If you require additional information about the Temples financials, send a note to info@murugantemple.orgPut Question for the Treasurer in the subject line.
MURUGAN TEMPLE HONORS ITS GRADUATES On Sunday, August 16th, 2009 MTNA recognized graduates at all levels with a special puja to Goddess Saraswathy with family and friends praying for their continued success. About forty graduates were congratulated, recognized and presented with certificates. The high school graduates were awarded with cash gifts donated by Mrs. Saraswathy Ranganathan in memory of her late husband Mr. C P Ranganathan and Dr. Jay Gopal in memory of his late father Dr. L.M. Jegathesan both the families are strong devotees of Murugan. Graduates included: High SchoolKaylesh Ramu, and Devya Natesan; CollegeGuru Ramu and Aneesh Sridhar from University of
Maryland, College Park, and Vanitha Gopal from the American University of Antigua to follow clinical medical studies in New York;

Fine Arts Academies of Bharatha NaatyamDivya Natesan, from Abinaya Natiya Salai and Kavya Sundar, from Naritya Shala. Mr. Vignarajah congratulated the graduates and honored the parents for their loving support. He also recognized teachers: Mr. Sivasailam from Howard Community, Dr. Nigel Siva, Dr. Jana Kesavan, and others at the Murugan Temple, and Dr. Sethuraman Tamil Sangam President for teaching Tamil and motivating the children in the D.C. and VA areas. He thanked Mr. Vayudeva for designing the certificates. Mr. Loganathan, MTNA President, distributed the certificates.

Graduates and event coordinators pose after the puja and ceremony
Ganapati Tunai Why Fear? I Am Within You and Protect You Always Murugan

Murugan Temple Sponsorship Form

Make Murugan Temples Rajagopuram Part of Your Legacy First Brick (Special) $51 Ten Bricks $1,010 One Thousand Bricks $101,000 SubTotal Rajagopuram Contribution ....................$________ Sponsor Temple Operations Full day of temple operations ...................................... $750 Full month: Garlands (all deities) ............................... $900 Full month: Abhishekam and Omam provisions ........ $450 Full month: Milk ........................................................ $250 A full week of Garlands (all deities)............................ $125 One day: Simple garland for a deity........ ..................... $ 15 Choice of Deity for garland :_______________ Sub Total Operations ..........................................$________ Please indicate desired dates _________________ MTNA Newsletter Printing and Mailing .................$__________ Kavasam for Peedam in silver for Murugan, Valli, Theivayanai....................................................$__________ Thiruvasi for Sivan ..................................................................$__________ Kavasam for Peedam in Silver for Amman .............................$__________ Check Enclosed for................................................................$__________ Name Address State _________ ZIP ___________________ City Phone ____________EMail ________________________________ Family Gothiram _________________________________________ Birth Star (el:rj;jpuk;) _____ Name of Family Member

Please use separate sheet for additional family members

Mail: The Murugan Temple of North America, 6300 Princess Garden Parkway,Lanham, MD 20706

Murugan Temple of North America 6300 Princess Garden Parkway Lanham, MD 20706, USA

CHANGE SERVICE REQUESTED

Non Profit Org. U.S. Postage PAID So. MD Permit No. 3958

Monday
Daily Abishekams 9:00 am Ganes ha 9:30 am Siva 10:00 am Murugan 7:00 pm Siva

Tuesday
Daily Abi shekams 9:00 am Ganesha 9:30 am Siva 10:00 am Mur ugan Thirusathi 7:00 pm Meenakshi

Wednesday
Daily Abishekams 9:00 am Ganesha 9:30 am Siva 10:00 am Murugan

Thursday
DailyAbishekams 9:00 am Ganesha 9:30 am Siva 10:00 am Murugan 7:00 pm Palani Aandavar 7:30 pm Dakshinamurthi

Friday
Daily Abishekams 9:00 am Ganesha 9:30 am Siva 10:00 am Murugan 7:00 pm Ganesha

Saturday
Dai ly Abishekams
9:00 am Ganesha 9:30 am Siva 9:30 am Navagraha 11:00 am Murugan

Sunday
Daily Abishekams
9:00 am Ganesha 9:30 am Siva 11:00 am Murugan 5:00 pm Durgai Abishekam Rahu Kala Puja

The Murugan Temple of North America is a Traditional Saivite Hindu Temple. It has a floor area of 7000 square feet, with main Sannidhi for Murugan (Karttikeya) and four smaller Sannidhis for Vinayaka (Ganesha), Siva (Sivalingham), Meenakshi, and Palani Aandavar. We also have an auditorium that is available for community use.
TEMPLE SERVICES: Please call the Temple Manager at 301 552-4889 to make prior arrangements for ceremonies at the Temple or in your home. Also, ask for information about local hotels. TEMPLE HOURS: Monday Friday 9 am 12 noon & 5 pm - 9 pm; Saturday, Sunday, & Holidays 9 am 9 pm AUDITORIUM: The Temples auditorium capable of seating about 200 people in the basement is available for rent by Devotees. The Temple has also ample parking space. Call the Temple Manager at 301 552-4889 for reservations. DIRECTIONS TO MURUGAN TEMPLE: From I-95 (also 495, Capital Beltway), take exit 20-A, Lanham (Rte 450 East), then follow the signs to Princess Garden Parkway. Turn right on Princess Garden Parkway. Murugan Temple is on your left within half a mile (6300 Princess Garden Parkway) From Baltimore-Washington Parkway take Exit to Rt. 193 East Greenbelt Road. Turn left on Greenbelt Road. Turn right on Hanover Parkway, which becomes Princess Garden Parkway. Drive about 2.5 miles. The temple will be on your right. Page 6