We are truly excited to be within reach of achieving an important milestone of the grand opening of our SV temple in Michigan.  This could only be accomplished with your overwhelming and unconditional support over the past many years.

The Nutana Bhimbha Pratishta Maha Samprokshanam also referred to as Mahakumbabishekam (grand inauguration) ceremonies are planned for Tuesday, May 28th through Sunday, June 2nd, 2013.  His Holiness Sri Sri Sri Tridandi Sreemannarayana Ramanuja Chinna Jeeyar Swami will preside over the religious ceremonies of the Grand Opening.  Prana Pratishta will be on Sunday, June 2nd at 9:45 AM.

Kumbabishekam is a rare and blessed opportunity for our community.   This event will involve several religious ceremonies leading up to the installation of 8 deities; Lords Venkateswara, Sridevi, Bhudevi, Garuda, Jaya & Vijaya, Ganapathi and Anjaneya, over a period of 6 days.

Board or Trustees of the temple are extending warm and sincere welcome to you and your family to get involved and celebrate this memorable event.

Website

http://www.svtemplemi.org/

6 day program guide link

http://www.svtemplemi.org/6-day-program/

Sincerely

Board of Trustees

SV Temple & Cultural center

Michigan

Hanuman Jayanti is celebrated on full moon day during Chaitra month. Hanuman, who is also known as Vanara God, was born on this day and Hanuman Jayanti is celebrated to commemorate the birth of Hanuman.

Devotees observe Hanuman Jayanti during different time of the year according to their regional beliefs and the type of calendar being followed. Hanuman Jayanti during Chaitra Purnima is the most popular one in North Indian states.

In Andhra, Hanuman Jayanthi is celebrated for 41-days which starts on Chaitra Purnima and ends on the tenth day during Krishna Paksha in Vaishakha month. In Andhra Pradesh devotees begin 41-days Deeksha on Chaitra Purnima and conclude it on Hanuman Jayanthi day.

In Tamil Nadu Hanuman Jayanti is known as Hanumath Jayanthi and observed during Margashirsha Amavasya. In Gregorian calendar Tamil Hanuman Jayanti falls in January or December.

It is believed that Hanuman was born at Sunrise. On Hanuman Jayanti day temples start spiritual discourses at dawn before Sunrise and stop it after Sunrise.

Hanuman, an ardent devotee of Lord Rama and Sita himself, is also known as Anjaneya

 The First Sikh Temple was built in 1912 in Stockton, California. It was presidential election year. Dr. Woodrow Wilson won election defeating incumbent President William Howard Taft and former president Theodore Roosevelt. The Stockton Sikh Temple soon emerged as the site of Asian Indians' campaign for civil rights, and the pivot of India's freedom movement. The British spent considerable amount on suppressing their activities. To commemorate history of the Pacific Coast Khalsa Diwan Society, many events have been planned. The foremost is the conference on September 22, 2012 in University of the Pacific, Stockton, California from 8:30 AM - 5:30 PM. The event is free for the public. Snacks and lunch will also be provided free of cost to all those who will attend the conference.

“Stockton Gurdwara, home of the Sikh pioneers, is the Pacific Coast’s premier example of living history,” said Harnek Singh Atwal, President of PCKDS Gurdwara Sahib Stockton. “It was at the forefront of American civil rights struggles for citizenship, immigration, and land-ownership. It also launched India’s first organized and sustained campaign for independence from the British Empire. There are heroes on every corner of this building.”

The conference will highlight the heroes of Stockton Gurdwara and its foundational relationship to the Sikh American community. Speakers include Dr. Bruce La Brack (University of the Pacific), Dr. Karen Isaksen Leonard (University of California, Irvine), Dr. Harold Gould (University of Virginia, Charlottesville), Dr. Hugh Johnston (Simon Fraser University), Dr. Amrik Singh (California State University, Sacramento), and 13 others.

“This is a year of tragedies and triumphs for Sikhs in the USA,” said Manjit Singh Uppal, Chairman of Stockton Gurdwara Centennial Committee. “Our greatest triumph is to mark 100 years since the Sikh American community was born. America provided so many opportunities to work hard and live free that all we can do is thank God for the first Sikh establishment in Stockton.”

Sikhs were the earliest South Asian immigrants to North America. They arrived in 1899 through Angel Island Immigration Station in San Francisco, CA. Mostly from Punjab in northwestern India, Sikhs were attracted to the similar climate and agricultural traditions of California’s Central Valley.

In 1913, Stockton Gurdwara founders Baba Jawala Singh and Baba Wasakha Singh formed the Ghadar Party to foment resistance against British occupation of the Indian subcontinent. In 1914, the gurdwara began campaigning against American laws barring Asian land-ownership and citizenship.

An early victory came in 1935, when U.S. Army veteran Bhagat Singh Thind received American citizenship. Another victory was in 1956, when Dalip Singh Saund, a former Secretary of Stockton Gurdwara, became the first Asian, first Indian, and first Sikh ever elected to the U.S. Congress.

The Sikh American centennial celebration begins September 22 with the Sikh Journey in America conference, the first of four events. September 23 is the opening of the Sikh History Museum on the grounds of Gurdwara Sahib Stockton. September 30 is a Punjabi-language conference on “100 Years of Sikhs in the USA (An Eastern Perspective).” October 13 and 14 will complete the celebration with a weekend-long community celebration at the gurdwara.

“Our gurus taught us to pursue liberty and justice for all,” said Amarjit Singh Panesar, Vice-President of Gurdwara Sahib Stockton. “Our ancestors who immigrated to America embraced that vision. They were also inspired by the American founding fathers, who opposed a colonial system of oppression. Our celebration of their hard work for American and South Asian democracy and civil rights will culminate with a parade on October 14, 2012.”

From blocks away, passersby could hear the music and see the crowds building outside of the Hindu Temple Society of North America’s Sri Mahavalaba Ganesha Temple in Flushing.

Hundreds gathered in excitement as a procession began, celebrating the birth of Ganesha, the elephant-headed god worshipped as a remover of obstacles and the embodiment of good luck in the Indian system of beliefs.
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In the company of booming drums and joyous music, a large silver statue of Ganesha was brought out to an even larger silver chariot, all in celebration of a nine-day event capping off on Sunday afternoon outside the temple, at 45-57 Bowne St. A parade then circled the temple, marking the end of the celebration.

Joining in on the procession and festivities were City Councilman Dan Halloran (R-Whitestone) and city Comptroller John Liu, who sported religious garb while taking part in the sunny afternoon of celebration.

“These last nine days have been a great function for us,” said Geeta Dey, a volunteer at the temple. “We are here to celebrate the great god of learning and wisdom, and nothing has stopped us. It has been an amazing event.”

Dey sat inside a tent near the temple Sunday afternoon collecting donations to both raise money for the temple’s ongoing expansion and to help an effort to feed all those in attendance. Behind Dey’s donation table sat tables stacked with containers of traditional food, filling the stomachs of the hundreds of celebrators.

“We are sad that it is coming to an end after today,” she said.

In Hindu culture, it is common to pray to Ganesha first, who is also the main deity of the Flushing temple. According to those at the temple, Ganesha represents the universality of creation and serves as the presiding deity of the entire group.

“This is a huge function where people come together to meet and share their joyful moods with each other,” said Kannan Sharma, another volunteer and member of the temple enjoying the afternoon’s events. “Everyone comes out to be carefree and to dress in beautiful new clothes.”

Outside the temple, tents housed another celebration where those in attendance would remove their shoes, enjoy meals together and peruse various vendors selling goods in collaboration with the festivities of the day. Ganesha-themed trinkets were also on full display, bringing home the theme of the entire celebration.

“It is all in good fun,” Sharma said. “What a beautiful day it is to be able to share this with everyone here.”