Grand Opening of Unique South Indian Krishna Temple Sri Guruvayurappan Temple, Houston

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By Biju Pillai

HOUSTON: Sri Guruvayurappan temple in Houston (SGT) is a unique Krishna temple in the Western hemisphere. The present Balalaya Sanctum has been attracting thousands of devotees over the past few years.  The main temple construction is nearing completion and the Prathishta and Maha Kumbhabhishekam are scheduled during a nine-day grand opening ceremony from April 18 to 26.  Busy preparations are underway for the auspicious celebrations at the temple premises at 11620 Ormandy St, Houston, TX 77035. Following the Consecration of deities and Kumbhabhishekam on April 23, and as per traditions, the temple will propitiously re-open before sunrise, to all devotees on Sunday, April 26.

Houstonians are blessed to have in their city a unique Krishna temple, modeled after the ancient, legendary Kerala Temple of Guruvayur that will strictly adhere to the Tantric Pooja Vidhi and other traditional rituals similar to Guruvayur.  In addition to consecration of Sri Guruvayurappan (Lord Krishna) as the main deity, the temple will also have Lord Ayyappa, Lord Ganapathi and Devi deities. The Vigrahas are handcrafted by renowned shilpies from Kerala, who are artisans specialized in temple work following a legacy of generations.  They will also be creating and carving out the intricately stunning structural work of the Sreekovils, the Sanctum Sanctorum.

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Sri Guruvayurappan temple, Houston would have facilities to organize Hindu weddings, celebrations, ceremonies and festivals.  The temple would offer a tranquil environment for devotees to pursue their spiritual advancement along with religious classes for children and youth. There are plans to arrange numerous educational programs, meetings and classes in order to provide a better insight into the Hindu religion and culture for the benefit of our youth, the upcoming generation.  The concept would be to instill an understanding of our profound faith in them, thus incorporating the value system into their everyday life.

In Kerala temples, chenda melam is a requirement as well as a prominent attraction for many rituals and other auspicious festivals. Chenda (big drum) along with other accompanying drum and wind instruments blend their mesmeric crescendo that are believed to generate and conserve potential energy within the Vigrahas as well as bestow an ecstatic devotional ambiance for the devotees.
The installation of the deities (Prathishta) is between 10:30 am and 12:30 pm on Thursday, April 23. The sacred process will be conducted over a week of ritually intensive ceremonies.  Following the Prathishta, Utsavam (festival) will be celebrated from April 27 to May 2 with several sacraments and cultural programs. The festival will conclude on May 2, with special pooja, rituals, chenda melam, cultural programs including Carnatic music recitals and traditional dance programs by professional arts schools in Greater Houston.

For more information about the temple opening and programs, please call 713-729-8994 or visit www.guruvayurappanhouston.org.