Yes. Since last Sunday, Chicago has the unique distinction of having the replica of Kanchipuram by having all the devatas – Ekambareswar, Kamakshi, Adi Sankara with 4 sishyas, Kumarakottam Subrahmanyam Sway at Ganesh Gayathri Temple founded by Sivasri Chandrasekara Gurukkal. We are very proud of having a great opportunity to have this temple in our community.
I’ve written a lot about Sri Gurukkal and his contribution in building Vedic community in Chicagoland. A staunch Periyava devotee has been teaching Veda to Chicagoland community for more than 3-4 decades now. If anyone chants Veda in Chicagoland, they need to thank mama for all the Vedic foundation he has laid out for all of us.
He started Ganesh Gayathri Temple several years back but only now he was blessed with these murtis. The kumbabishekam was done last Sunday.
I am out of words to describe the beauty and the divinity in the vigrahams. The Sthapathi Sri Nandakumar, who sculpted these vigrahams has done an outstanding job and only with Acharya’s and Swami and ambal’s anugraham, he was able to get such a wonderful work. The shivalingam was in Ekambareswarar temple for more than 2-3months before coming to Chicago.
One has to come and have darshan to enjoy the beauty of ambal and receive blessings of Her. Currently the temple is still in a house but Sri Gurukkal mama has plans to expand this in 2019.
Next time, when you miss Kanchipuram, dont worry – come to this temple! For Mahaperiyava darshan, drive down to my place 🙂
Here are some photos and videos from Kumbaishekam…
Categories: Announcements
Please give the address and phone nos. in Chicago immediately. My daughter from Denver is visiting Chicago on august 1 for a few days. I want her to visit Kanchi at Chicago we are all devotees of MahaPeriyava.
Namaskaram,
What’s the address to visit this temple?
Really Superb Jaya Jaya Shankara Hara Hara Shankara
Illogical please on what you think on outside baratham
Videos are now working….
Dear Sir, the Videos are not available. Kindly arrange. sincerely yours, St.Louis. 26-10-18.
Breathtakingly beautiful! Thank you so much.
This is excellent news. It has tremendous significance for the future of HIndus.
Though India, especially the South, is famed as the land of temples, Hindu temples are now under the administrative control of so called secular ( ie Anti-Hindu) governments and parties. Under this dispensation, the Agamic rules of rites, rituals and worship are not followed. The government machinery is systematically looting the Hindu temples and govts are eyeing their wealth and property. The Hindu community is unable to assert their control over their own temples., yet Hindus are thoughtlessly pouring money into these temples, so that govts may loot all the more! The temples are deteriorating without maintenance, the archakas are poorly paid while govt servants flourish legally and otherwise. With the non performance of regular pujas and rituals ( including Kumbhabishekam), the Murtis are losing their divine power.. Temples are more or less made to function like tourist spots and museums. Their precincts and immediate surroundings are vulgarly commercialised. One no more feels the serenity and sacredness of the atmosphere of a temple , however hoary its past, however great its puranic glory.
In the circumstances, temples coming up abroad have a special significance. Their appearance and construction reflect the deep devotion of the promoters, their financial and other kinds of sacrifice, and their total commitment- which in short constitute Bhakti and Shraddha. This is a promise and an assurance that their functional purity would be maintained.
In the former days, it used to be said that Vedic and Tantric (Agamic) mantras are not effective outside Bharatvarsha. But Bharatvarsha itself is turning into a mleccha desa now, with foreign practices introduced in all areas. ( Thus Hindu temples are kept open at midnight on 31 December, and even on eclipse days, under govt, orders!) Courts are extensively interfering in Hindu temple customs and rituals. In the circumstances, Hindu temples coming up in the US is a good development.
On further reflection, a few further points strike for consideration.
1. India and the American continent are intimately connected. The American continent is the ‘Patala’ loka mentioned in the Puranas. It can be observed from a globe that American lies almost exactly below India at a far distance.
2.. It will be observed from the remnants of Inca, Maya and other civilizations that prevailed there before they were destroyed by European Christian invaders that they bear close resemblance to Indian things. It is reported that even in the Grand Canyan, there are hidden carvings which resemble Indian carvings.
3. Bhikku Chaman Lal wrote a book with the title “HINDU INDIA? ” over 50 years ago. He proposed the theory that the original Mayas were from India who had accompanied Arjuna on his expedition as described in the Mahabharata. He showed that the expedition could have taken advantage of the natural wind patterns , if they had started at the proper time in the season and safely reached America. He gave as a proof of their Indian origin their legend that their founding ancestor was one who could shoot arrows with both hands- exactly what we call Savyasachi, an epithet for Arjuna.! He also illustrated the book with many photographs of Maya people, showing how their physiognomy, certain features of hair style and dress of women strongly resembled Indian features. This book carried a foreword by Mahatma Gandhi.
This read with what Mahaperiyava has said about the prevalence of the Hindu civilization all over the world in the ancient days will surely show that India and America are closely related.
4. There is one more aspect. it is known that geologically the area south of the Vindhyas ( the Deccan plateau) is more ancient than even the Himalayas. According to Skanda Puana. Lord Shiva manifested as a pillar or column of Effulgence, spanning heaven and earth, the top or bottom of which could not be found by Brahma or Vishnu. This is Arunachala, called Aadhi Arunachala. This is the Original Linga, symbol of Shiva. Later on, on the request of Devas, It hid its Effulgence and manifested as a mountain of stone. Geologists have confirmed that it is indeed of volcanic origin and is millions of years old.
Bhagavan Sri Ramana Maharshi, who was particularly devoted to Arunachala and resided there for 54 years continuously without separation for even a single day, said that if according to the Purana, it is the centre of the earth (அதுவே தலம் அருணாசலம் தலம் யாவிலும் அதிகம் அது பூமியின் இதயம்), then Arunachala here must be the outward point of an axis here, which must run through the earth , and there must be a corresponding point in the other hemisphere, in America. Once during a discussion on the subject, Major A.W.Chadwick, who had fought in the first world war, who had been to America, and who was spiritually inclined, brought a map and went through it along with Bhagavan and they came to a conclusion that the point must be somewhere on the Andes ranges, though it could also be now submerged in the sea. This shows that even spiritually India and America have been connected.
Kanchi and Arunachala are intimately connected. Ambal did tapas to become part of the Lord. Though she did tapas on the banks of the river in Kanchi, she became part of the Lord at Arunachala! According to Arunachala Purana, she did tapas here too at Gautama Ashrama.Bhagavan Ramana sang of this in one hymn:
அசலனே ஆயினும் அச்சபவை தன்னில்
அசலையாம் அம்மை எதிராடும்-அசல
வுருவில் அச்சக்தி ஒடுங்கிட ஓங்கும்
அருணா சமென் றறி.
[Though Lord Shiva is achala ie remains as Unmoving Self, in the Sabha at Chidambaram He dances, (in rapture) in front of Shakti who remains without movement! But that Shakti merges in the Lord who prevails as Arunachala. This you should know.]
In the light of the foregoing, it is entirely appropriate and a sign of divine dispensation that Kanchi has now moved to America which is spiritually connected to India.
[ We have several such instances like there being a Kasi in the South too. And now we have Uttara Nataraja temple too! ]
The only discomforting thought is that Chicago is a big center of beef industry in America and I hope this will not pollute the divine atmosphere of the temple.]
The correct version of the hymn:
அசலனே ஆயினும் அச்சவை தன்னில்
அசலையாம் அம்மை எதிராடும்- அசல
வுருவில் அச்சக்தி யொடுங்கிட ஓங்கும்
அருணா சலமென் றறி.
Sorry for the slip.
Unbelievably exquisite. Fantastic. The Gold kavacham fits her so well that it looks as though the idol is made of gold! Sri Chakram surrounded by ashta-mahasiddhis is terrific. Honestly, a mind-blowing stuff. It could not have come up but for Sri Mahaaperiyavaa’s paripurna Blessings. Thank you for this post.
Pranams to swami
Your devotion to kanchipuram is unmatched
Regards
Ramasubramanian