1st Sharada temple outside India

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First Sharada temple outside India in Pennsylvania

New York | November 24, 2005 9:15:06 AM IST

"While most other Hindu orders have expanded overseas since early

19th century, the Adi Sankara order was prevented by its centuries-

old strictures of crossing the 'dark waters'- till Sri Bharati

Tirtha Mahaswamiji, Jagadguru Sankaracharya of the Sringeri Sharada

Peetham ruled in 1995 that the Poconos Mountain centre should be

taken up by his devotees."

 

Devotees across the US can now offer prayers at the imposing new

Sharada temple, an extension of the Sankaracharya monastery in

Sringeri, Karnataka.

This Sringeri Sadhana Center nestled amid Poconos Mountains in

Stroudsburg, eastern Pennsylvania, is the first 'cardinal monastery'

of Sringeri outside India. The centre crossed yet another milestone

in its 10-year-old history with a bhoomi pujan (ground-breaking

ceremony) for its new temple in August.

 

The centre has Sharada, goddess of learning, as its presiding deity.

The idea is to have an imposing Sharada temple in Stroudsburg, which

will be a replica of its great centre in Sringeri.

 

Its design on stone will bring out the message of Advaita, which are

the preachings of saint-philosopher-poet Adi Sankara. Its gopuram

has been designed to provide solace for the grieving and

encouragement for those seeking spiritual truths.

 

While most other Hindu orders have expanded overseas since early

19th century, the Adi Sankara order was prevented by its centuries-

old strictures of crossing the 'dark waters'- till Sri Bharati

Tirtha Mahaswamiji, Jagadguru Sankaracharya of the Sringeri Sharada

Peetham ruled in 1995 that the Poconos Mountain centre should be

taken up by his devotees.

 

A group of mainstream American devotees has been running the centre

for 20 years now. On facing financial problems, the Sankaracharya

intervened, instructing his international devotees to form a board

and get the Poconos centre going.

 

"He instructed his devotees to purchase the centre lest it be lost,"

Hinduism Today wrote in its December 1997 issue. "Now it is an

official extension of the ancient Sri Sharada Peetham of the

Sringeri Mutt, with His Holiness Sri Bharati Tirtha as its spiritual

head."

 

The Sringeri Sankaracharya appointed Ravi Subramanian, formerly

research scientist at the Bhabha Atomic Research Centre in Mumbai

and Bell Labs, New Jersey, and currently principal engineer with

Andrew Corporation in Warren, New Jersey, as its first chairman.

 

"The Foundation was formed," Hinduism Today said. "The nearly

defunct Rajarajeshwari centre was renovated and renamed Sringeri

Sadhana Center, becoming the executive arm of the foundation."

 

The first event in 1995 at the renamed centre was a Vedic summer

camp. It was followed by Ati Rudra Mahayagna in 1997.

 

The bhoomi pujan for the Sharada Temple was followed by a change at

the helm of the foundation. Subramanian passed the baton on to S.

Yegnasubramanian, scientist at Lucent Technologies, who had chaired

the centre's earlier mega event, a vedic yagna, which had never been

performed in America before.

 

Both the yagna and the bhoomi pujan had some aims. The immediate one

was to add to the prosperity of the US. The other aim was to enhance

the social status of India's neglected Vedic priestly classes.

 

"The Ati Rudra Maha Yagna was witnessed by 6,000 devotees. Vedic

priests, numbering 120, surrounded 11 fire altars in a huge

yagnasala (worship hall) at the centre in Stroudsburg.

 

The event cost $600,000, nearly half of which was used to bring 81

qualified priests from India for the ceremony. Permanent

improvements at the centre consumed $100,000. The affair proved

costly and complex to organize.

http://news.webindia123.com/news/showdetails.asp?id=171418&cat=World

(IANS)