Pashupatinath Deities Make Dusserah Celebration Even More Special
The three deities Krishna and Radha, Durga and Ganesh were unveiled in the Pashupatinath Temple main building in the Pran Pratistha Pooja on Saturday, October 14.
By Jawahar Malhotra
RICHMOND, TX: The small but growing Nepalese community in the Metroplex marked an important milestone in its spiritual existence with the installation of three major deities in the newly expanded Pashupatinath Temple in far southwest Fort Bend County this past weekend.
The event coincided with the celebration of Dashain, the longest and most auspicious festival for Nepalese on Saturday at an annual function held the day before, The fifteen day celebration of Dashain which ends with the day of the full moon coincides with Dusserah for Hindus worldwide.
This past Sunday, October 14, idols of the three deities Krishna and Radha, Durga and Ganesh were unveiled in the temple main building with a large number of the community participating in the Pran Pratistha Pooja which began at 11am. Towards the conclusion of the religious services, special guest Sri Preston Kulkarni, the Democratic candidate for US Congressional District 22 was honored by the priest during the final aarti.
Nepalese Association of Houston President Vishna Nepal and his board at the Dashain celebration on Saturday, October 13, at the Taj Party Hall.
Nestled along a curve in FM 562 about two miles south of the George Ranch historical park, a small stupa and wood frame building behind a brick fence marks the site of the full Pashupatinath temple complex that is slowly evolving on the 8.29 acre property. Once inside the driveway, the ochre colored building set into a corner across from the stupa marks the temple where the deities were installed.
“Each deity is especially carved by an artisan in Nepal from one piece a black stone,” explained Pashupatinath Temple President Dinkar Amatya who has been the pivotal force behind establishing the place of worship.
The site was founded in 2003 by Guruji Shree 108 Tahal Kishorji Maharaaj with the help from his disciple Saroj Patel and was consecrated as the first Shri Krishna Pranami Mandir in North America. The stupa housing the shiv lingam was the first structure of the Pashupatinath mandir there in 2005. After the SKPM vacated the site last October, it was acquired by the Pashupatinath Mandir organization and the main hall is the site for the new deities and the congregation to meet.
Congressman Al Green posed with many from the audience at the celebration.
The Pooja coincided with the celebration of Dashain the night before, on Saturday, October 13, at the Taj Party Hall on Savoy Drive off Harwin Drive, which has been the site for the large event for the past 8 years. Just as in past years, the celebration brought in around 350 people under the organizational skills of the Nepalese Association of Houston’s President Jyoti Ghimery.
Ghimery said that the Nepalese Association holds cultural and philanthropic events throughout the year to benefit even the non-Nepalese living here in Houston. There are over 5,000 Nepalese living in the Houston area, many of them students but there are a large number of professionals and business people too. The NAH announced the results of the newly chosen president Vishnu Nepal and his board.”
Many talented individuals from the community presented songs and dances, including many from young kids. A special moment occurred when Congressman Al Green made an appearance and spoke to the audience. Green was instrumental in obtaining a special temporary stay visa status for families which were visiting the US in 2015 at the time of the massive earthquake in Nepal, allowing them to linger in the US for two years. Green was given an award of appreciation from the NAH Board.
The evening ended with most of the guests joining in harmonious group dancing. There were singers who sang folk songs along with some Bollywood movie numbers and the crowd chanted along.