[Guruvayur/Guruvayoor] HPI, January 8, 2007

[Guest guest]

Jai Sreekrishna Thank you Sreedharji for sharing this information. What attracted me most is the Ganesh Chaturthi celebrations in Australia. This is totally a new information for me. Thank you for sharing Ganapati Pappa Moriya, Vignangal ozhichhu Kathu Rakshikkename Ente Vinayaka It is really wonderful to hear about tabloid presentation of Srimad Bhagavatham and Ramayanam by children over there and also about Sathynarayana Pooja celebrations. We can be proud that our puranas like Srimad Bhagavatam and Ramayanam and our own Satyanarayana pooja are finding their way everywhere and anywehere in the world. Let us PRAISE HIM and pray "Loka Samastha Sukhino Bhavanthu" Humbly Syamala"sreedhar c.p"

<sreepal20 wrote: Hare Krishna, For Infom January 8,

2007 Top Kerala Temple Board Faces Graft Probe Villagers in Tamil Nadu Celebrate the Month of Margazhi Ganesha Chaturthi Celebrations in Australia op Kerala Temple Board Faces Graft Probe KOCHI, INDIA, January 3, 2007: The Kerala High court yesterday set up a three-member committee to probe corruption charges against a board that runs many temples in the state. The committee led by

former Supreme court judge K.S. Paripoornan with former Central Bureau of Investigation director D.R. Karthikeyan and former judge Tulasidas as members has been asked to submit a report on the case against the Travancore Devaswom Board (TDB) within six months. The TDB manages and runs temples in the southern districts of Kerala, including the Sabarimala temple which is expected to net revenue of more than US$22 million in the ongoing festival season that closes on January 20. The autonomous temple authority also runs a number of schools, colleges and cultural institutions.The TDB has been accused of misappropriating money donated by devotees, corruption in purchases and taking bribes while recruiting staff. The state's Vigilance and Anti-Corruption Bureau had earlier submitted a report to the government on the irregularities in the TDB deals. The court said it was the court's duty to ensure that the money donated by the devotees is not misused or wasted and hence

the order. While welcoming the court verdict, Temple Affairs Minister G. Sudharkaran said the government would soon issue an ordinance making amendments in the laws governing the three temple administration boards in the state. 2. lagers in Tamil Nadu Celebrate the Month of Margazhi TAMIL NADU, INDIA, December 26, 2006: In Tamil Nadu during the month of Margazhi which starts on December 15th and ends on January 15th, villagers honor this sacred time of the year by singing daily bhajans.

The news release explains, "In the morning women in the village sweep the street in front of their homes and sprinkle it with water. In this month, they draw Kolams in front of their homes early in the morning before sun rise. The kolam is a design drawn with white and colored powder. This is drawn on the street in front of the main door of the house. There is a kolam in front of every house in the village. At 5.30 am a group of men and boys start from the Ganesha temple in the village. They walk through the entire village singing bhajans (devotional songs). They carry small musical instruments to help them. As they pass through the village, they stop for a while at every kolam. In some houses they are welcomed with tea or coffee. They come back to the temple at around 7 a.m. The trip takes about an hour and a half. There is a special early morning puja or prayer after they come backto the Ganesha temple. The daily morning puja is sponsored by one of the villagers.

Devotees are served with payasam which is a rice based sweet and also channa." After puja as the Ganapati temple, devotees attend a second and third puja at two different Amman temples. The daily bhajan ritual ends on the night before Pongal, the harvest festival, when the whole village participates in a chariot procession carrying Lord Ganesha. "He comes into the village on his special chariot and visits every home. An elephant leads this procession. Then come the men and boys who sing the bhajans. The lit-up chariot of Lord Ganesha again stops at every kolam. Kolams on that day are colorful and more exotic than those drawn throughout the month. Villagers receive the Lord with special prayers in front of their homes. The Chariot goes back to the temple after 4 am in the morning. At sunrise Pongal starts," the article expounds. 3. Ganesha Chaturthi Celebrations in Australia Karthik Subramanian SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA, September 12, 2006: (HPI note: In the "better late than never" category, we offer this overlooked report on Ganesha Chaturthi celebrations in Australia last September.) Every year during August - September most Hindus in Australia eagerly ask one question. When is Ganesha Visarjana this year? Of late Ganesha's pot-bellied grace has extended past the boundaries of Hindu community and many local non-Hindus have started participating in the festival with equal if not more zealous and enthusiasm.Sri Venkateswara Temple, Helensburg, about 50kms South of Sydney has been celebrating Ganesha Visarjana since 1991 bringing together Hindus of various Hindu organizations

in and around Sydney, Australia. This year the festival, celebrated on 3rd of September commencing at 8am brought over 4,000 people from near and far -- incidentally, near by Australian standards is a radius of 500kms.A special Lord Ganesha Deity m ade out of clay was decorated and invoked with appropriate Vedic hymns with traditional nadaswaram and mridangam accompaniments. Amidst a fine spring day in Sydney the outer section of the temple was bustling with cultural activities. Accomplished community musicians, dancers and speakers from various missions were enthralling the captive audience on spirituality through discourses and cultural programs. Several children's activities were organized. The most popular was the Ganesha coloring competition. The best-colored poster was auctioned with the proceeds going to the temple.Devotees flocked in numbers to taste the culinary delights of hot traditional South and North Indian cuisines drawn by the aroma

of dosas, vadas, and rotis emanating from the community kitchen manned by volunteers, again all proceeds going to the temple.The procession to Stanwell Park beach was on by 2.30 pm, devotees making their way by car and through several bus trips organized by the temple. By 3.30 pm, the crowd was swelling at the beach much to the amusement of local Aussie beach goers, many of whom decided to join in to the loud banging of drums and chanting of "Ganpathi Bappa Morya.. .."The crowd surged towards the waters of the South Pacific Ocean carrying the Lord deeper and deeper, electric with fever chanting "Ganpathi Bappa Morya ...." until a large wave engulfed the crowd claiming its share of The Remover of Obstacles. As the wave subsided devotees were left holding the pedestal. The Lord who had taken a form to bless and mingle with Devotees had gone back to His formless self leaving some devotees close to tears. Consciousness dawned, realizing the truth and

significance of the endless process of creation and destruction, joy replaced tears and the devotees danced back to the shore. In separate activities, "Friends of India" also celebrated Ganeshoutsav. Their celebration is a testimony of faith and perseverance. Back in 1996 a group of nine families, recent skilled migrants to Australia, decided to celebrate Ganesha Chaturthi to inculcate spirituality and culture to the next generation. Joining forces they invoked Lord Gane sha in a garage of one of the devotees, duly sanctified. The news got around and so did the enthusiasm to participate was contagious. The next year the garage was too small to accommodate the growing numbers and the venue was shifted to larger community hall in Liverpool. Year by year the popularity grew exponentially and the venue shifted to bigger and better locations as seen it last year where it was celebrated at Sydney Olympic Centre attracting over 3,000 devotees. This year it was celebrated

on September 9th and 10th at Whitlam Leisure Centre in Liverpool, in Sydney's West. The entire leisure center was booked for the weekend starting from Friday evening. The hall was busy with activities from Friday evening resembling a traditional Hindu Wedding. Ganesha puja was performed on Saturday morning with the participation of over 1,000 devotees. A clay vigraha of Ganesha hand crafted by a devotee was invoked by two priests who later performed the puja followed by Laksharchane (Chanting 100,000 names of the Lord).Children were kept occupied with coloring and clay modeling activities. Many versions of Ganesha were hand modeled by children, some with surprisingly intricate details and accuracy. Homemade prasad served on banana leaves in traditional style was relished by children and adults alike. The heavy downpour didn't deter the attendance to the cultural program that evening. The cultural program designed by youth performed by children displayed a rich

variety including Bharatanatyam dance, classical instrumental and vocal music, drama and some Bollywood themes. The program ended with traditional dinner served to 2,500 people, all free of cost. Sathyanarayana puja was performed on Sunday followed by tabloid presentation of Ramayana and Bhagavatha by children. About 80 children participated in this colorful and 'most original' presentation. Swami Damadoranand of Vedanta centre presided over the function. The site of the final immersion was Chipping Norton Lake, a picturesque lake in South West of Sydney on Georges River. This is sacred to native Aboriginal Australians and it was fitting that the Lord Ganesha had chosen to merge with these waters here. Daily

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