This article is an extract from Szubha.com we acknowledge the work of the reporter and the orgainsation

Victoria’s Lord Vinayagar temple

by Our Reporter

Om hara hara mahadeva... the granite edifice of the Lord Vinayagar temple is home to the beloved Pilliar. The temple is managed under the auspices of Melbourne Vinayagar Hindu Sangam. Ramana Akula writes about the holy temple.

THE JOURNEY
The temple is the first traditional place of worship in Victoria having opened its divine portal in September 1992, for devotees of all denominations and faiths. With the support of many benefactors, the temple commenced construction in 1991 and was consecrated in September 1992. The deity was donated to the Hindu community in Melbourne by the Sri Sankaracharya Matt. 
The journey was a tough one, as all pilgrimages tend to be. The fact that we had a very small community of new migrants left us with little choice but to raise funds from loans and charitable activities. The challenges that come with ensuring the temple meets the expected traditional standards made the journey worthwhile for all individuals. It is indeed a great achievement and testament to the members’ dedication that the temple continues to prosper and serve the needs of the devotees.

Mr Shan Pillai, who served as the first treasurer and past President, is a good example of the extraordinary efforts individuals have made to contribute to the temple. He remembers the days when individuals offered their personal assets as guarantees for bank mortgages, borrowed money as personal loans from banks and lent that to the temple without interest. The spontaneity with which contributions poured in made the dream come true. There were also many devotees who provided labour to support the construction of the temple. Pillai always stresses that these devotees continue their efforts and treat Pilliar as their little child that needs love, care and devotion.

The temple was recently renovated, and enlarged to accommodate the growing Hindu population of Melbourne. The renovations entailed the first-ever hand-crafted granite Rajagopuram (up to Kalkaram level) in the Southern Hemisphere. The second consecration ceremony after these renovations was held in July 2007.

TRADITIONAL CEREMONIES
The temple offers traditional ceremonies that are a sheer joy for devotees to participate in. Every effort is made to ensure that the temple meets the exacting standards required for traditional ceremonies. The temple President Raj Nagarajan believes that this commitment to tradition and devotion at the temple attracts and binds the devotees together. The devotees appreciate and devotedly participate in the various traditions such as idol procession around the temple on specially constructed vahanas, lighting of lamps to invoke Saturn as per the lunar calendar, the daily abhishekams and homams performed to propitiate the gods, pooja offered to new cars, marriage ceremonies and naming ceremonies. The temple also provides for services in the homes of the devotees for marriage, naming ceremony, punyadaan and homams. The priests at the temple are also available for consultations relating to auspicious dates, astrological horoscope readings and general counselling. Mr Thurasingam, the current treasurer and the longstanding pooja committee member, adds that devotees have been consistently sponsoring daily poojas for the past 19 years on auspicious days in the Hindu calendar. Devotees can also celebrate days that are of personal significance to them by participating in “daily pooja”. Mr Sri Nantha Kumar, a committee member, adds that the temple is working towards having a sponsor for all 365 days of the year. He hopes that the younger generation will come forward too and support this initiative.

The priests conduct the famous Pilliar Katha that runs for 21 days. The story of Ganesha is narrated and pooja offered with a vedic chanting of 100,008 mantras. Mr Dhanapalan, a committee member informed that the preparations are on for the New Year special pooja. The plan is to perform Sangabhishegam for the great Sri Vakrathunda Vinayagar with 1,008 conch shells. Devotees are encouraged to participate by sponsorship available at the temple. The new look 2010 calendar is also getting ready for sale on New Year’s day.

Festivals such as Diwali, Navarathri, Sivarathri , Tamil New Year and Ganesh Chathurthi are some of the other traditional offerings at the temple. The temple provides free annadana (prasad) to all the devotees on certain festival days.
The temple priests, Sree Gowreeswara Kurukkal and Sree Nityananda Kurukkal look forward to receiving you at the temple to participate in the poojas and partake the delicious prasad.

COMMUNITY WORK
The Sangam is proud of the community work that they have been carrying on for the past 17 years. Particularly in the past two years, the temple has been an active participant in several fund raising events for charities such as Oxfam and Knox Council. In addition, the temple members have been helping the red shield appeal for many years supporting the Salvation Army. This year, of course, the temple was heavily involved in the Parliament of World Religions. The Sangam is also involved with organisation such as Oxfam, Inter faith and VHP. The Sangam has a newsletter Saivaneri distributed to members and the interested public on their mailing list, and this is coordinated by committee member Mrs. Miruthula.

The Chariot Festival is a traditional event where Pilliar is paraded through the streets of The Basin. The colourful procession is enjoyed by the community and gives an opportunity for Pilliar to enjoy the beautiful surrounds of The Basin. This is the only temple in Australia where the chariot is drawn onto the streets of the city. Mr Sivanathan, the former secretary, speaks with nostalgia of these ceremonies in our homeland and is extremely proud of having created a similar atmosphere in a foreign land.

TEMPLE KITCHEN
It may not be an exaggeration to say that the temple kitchen serves the best south Indian delicacies like idli and dosa. Mr Ramana Akula, a committee member, says that the kitchen is fully manned by volunteers who take pleasure in not only cooking but also serving the food. The kitchen starts at about 6.30pm and finishes normally at about 11pm, unless there are catering orders. Mrs. Shoba Akula, Mrs Rohini Sivanathan, Mrs Neelima Deiter, Mrs Vasanthi Moganaraju and Mrs Parames Pillai say that they have heaps of fun, and appreciate the opportunity to be of service to a loyal clientele. The kitchen is open for dinner on Tuesday and Friday nights and Saturday for lunch and dinner and lunch on Sunday. They also host all you can eat brunch every third Sunday of the month. The catering for marriages, parties, dinners and special events is encouraged.
The journey that was embarked upon in 1989 continues in a grand manner. The Sangam is very proud to be a key player in upholding Hindu faith and offer the opportunity for devotees to have a place of worship. The challenge is to attract the youth and get them involved in the activities to continue on the mission to propagate Hindu faith and culture. Om hara hara mahadeva...