MURUGAN TEMPLE OF NORTH AMERICA

| fzgjp Jiz

ahkpUf;f gankd;

April June 2016 NEWSLETTER

tl mbkhpf;f KUfd; Myak;

MURUGAN TEMPLE OF NORTH AMERICA

Cordially invites you to attend the Grand Occasion of

NOOTHANA RAJAGOPURA MAHAA KUMBHABISHEKAM

Sunday July 3 July 10, 2016
Grand Celebration Sunday, July 10, 2016
(Tamil month of Aani, 26, Tamil Year of Dhurmuki)
At the auspicious time set by Sivacharyas

9:30 am 11:45 am
12:30 pm Dheeparadhanai
Come and join thousands of Murugan devotees and receive
Lord Murugans bountiful blessings!
PLEASE CONTACT: 301-552-4889 TO FIND OUT HOW YOU CAN SPONSOR EVENTS OF THE CELEBRATION

MAJOR CELEBRATIONS AND RELIGIOUS EVENTS AT MTNA

APRILJUNE 2016
Please check the details in the 2016 MTNA calendar
or visit our website: www.murugantemple.org
Information is available with the Temple manager at: 301-552-4889
APRIL 2016

May 2016

Sunday, April 10

Saturday, May 21

9:30 am 63 Naayanmar Guru Puja

Vaikasi Visakam and Pazahamuthir Solai

Thamizh Vizha
All day sponsorship $151

Wednesday, April 13
Tamil New Year Dhurmuki begins
9:00 am Ganapathy Homam and
Subramanya Homam
9:45 am Ganapathy Abishekam
10 am Palani Andavar Abishekam
11 am Murugan Abishekam

Friday, May 2
Kumbhabishekam Anniversary Day 1
All day sponsorship $125
Saturday, May 28
Kumbhabishekam Anniversary Day 2
All day sponsorship $151
9:30 am Sangu Puja
3 pmMurugan Thirukalyanam
4 pmMurugan Procession

Thursday, April 21
10:30 am Rajamathangi Homam
7:45 pmMeenakshi Special Abishekam

JUNE 2016 - No special religious events

MURUGAN TEMPLE CHILDRENS CLASSES

The Murugan Temple Childrens Class offers a beautiful range of subjects from Bajan to Hindu Religion to Hatha Yoga to Tamil. The largest crowd attends the Bajan classes which begin at 10:15 am
and a dedicated group of about 25 students attend the Tamil class which begins a little after noon.
Tamil Classes are certified and materials are provided by the American Tamil Academy. Classes
ranging from Mazhalai (Beginner level) to Nilai-5 (Relatively advanced level) and are open to all interested parents and children. Attendance is distributed as follows:
Mazhalai - 4
Nilai 1 - 4
Nilai 2 - 5
Nilai 3 - 4
Nilai 4 - 5
Nilai 5 - 5
Adults Class 3

For more information, contact Dr. Pathmathevan Mahadevan email: Pathmathevan M appan69@hotmail.com.
_________________________________________________________________________________________

RECENT RELIGIOUS EVENTS AT MTNA

Thaippoosam and
Pazhani Peru Vizha
Celebration in
January 2016.
Mahaa Sivrathri
First Jaama
Puja, March, 2016
Panguni Uttiram & Thiruparankundram Thirumana Vizha, March, 2016.
Devotees, including a young one, singing the praise of
Lord Murugan at the festival.

A short talk on Lord Murugan by

Mrs. Saraswathi Ranganathan
.

A CALL FOR ARTICLES AND OLD PHOTOS OF MURUGAN TEMPLE OF NORTH AMERICA
In connection with the grand celebration of Noothana Rajagopura Mahaa Kumbhabishekam in July 2016, MTNA
will publish a souvenir. The proposed souvenir will contain articles by members of the Murugan congregation.
You are invited to share your thoughts about your beautiful experience of visiting the temple and seeking Lord
Murugans bountiful blessings. Each article should be one to two pages when typed; it can be in English or
Tamil. We will accept even hand-written work, but prefer typed article in Word format or pdf format. All submitted work is subject to editing by the Souvenir Committee.
Please send your article by email to: sridar227@gmail.com.
Secondly, it is our intent to include a pictorial history of the development of the temple. If you have any old photos that depict the first MTNA Kumbhabishekam in 1999 or some from very early stages of the development of
the temple and dont mind sharing them with us, you can send them to the temple address. We will be sure to
return the photos to you after we scan them.
The deadline for the articles and the photos is April 30, 2016. We look forward to your submissions.
Pictures of the decorative main door (East entrance to the temple) and one of the panels to be
fixed on the door. These were constructed in Tamil Nadu.
__________________________________________________
DECORATIVE WORK
IN THE PRAYER HALL
Arupadai Veedu (mWgil tPL) sculptures
to be installed in the prayer hall at the
temple.
Silpis Nagaraj Shankam and Mohan are the
primary sculptors who designed and
created these divine figures.

SRI NAGARAJ SHANKAM

A senior Silpi and Sthapathy was
among the temple artisans from
Tamil Nadu; he was adept at creating divine figures. He made invaluable contributions to the construction of the five-tier tower and the
ornate interior decorations at our
temple.
Due to complications from severe
stroke, Sri Nagaraj Shankam
passed away peacefully at Doctors
Hospital, Lanham on Thursday,
March 10, 2016.
Our thoughts and prayers are with the members of his
family, friends and co-workers here at the temple.

Murugan Temple
of North America

VOLUNTEERS NEEDED

www.murugantemple.org
301-552-4889

You can find us on the Face Book at

https://www.facebook.com/MuruganTempleNorthAmerica

Devotees are the foundation of any temple. Volunteers are the pillars. MTNA needs more volunteers. We cordially invite the devotees to volunteer a few hours a month to help on various occasions. Please join the dedicated team of volunteers to show your devotion to Lord Murugan.
Please contact Dr. Manimekalai Saravanan at the temple phone number.
6300 Princess Garden Parkway, Lanham,
Maryland 20706, USA

MURUGAN TEMPLE PUJA FUND

We use flowers and garlands, milk and

fruits for deities for daily pujas as well as for special occasions. Please donate generously to the
MTNA PUJA FUND.
Contact 301-552-4889
for online donation or for other ways to donate.
_______________________________________

Sri Chandikeswarar
statue, sculpted in Tamil
Nadu under the
guidance of Padmasri
Muthiah Sthapathy,
to be
installed in the
prayer hall.

cUtha; mUtha; csjha; ,yjha;

kUtha; kyuha; kzpaha; xspaha;
fUtha; capuha;f; fjpaha; tpjpaha;
FUtha; tUtha; mUs;tha; Ffnd
- fe;jh; mEg{jp
TEMPLE HOURS: Monday Friday 9 am 12 noon & 5 pm - 9 pm;
Saturday, Sunday, & Holidays 9 am 9 pm.
TEMPLE SERVICES: MTNA Priests are available to perform religious
ceremonies for devotees. Please call the Temple Manager to discuss your
needs and make prior arrangements for ceremonies at the Temple or in your
home. Also, ask for information about local hotels for your short stay during
visit to the temple.

Xk; KUfh
ntYk;
kapYk;
Jiz

AUDITORIUM: The Temples auditorium capable of seating about 200 people

in the basement is available for rent by Devotees. The Temple has also ample
parking space. Please call the Temple Manager at 301 552-4889 for
reservations.

The Murugan Temple of North America is a traditional

Hindu Temple. It has a floor area of 7000 sq. ft with
main sannidhi for Murugan (Karthikeya) and separate
sannidhi for each of the other deities: Vinayaka
(Ganesha), Durgai Amman, Siva, Meenakshi Amman
and Palani Andavar. Navagrahas are featured as well.
Visit our web site: www.murugantemple.org

DIRECTIONS TO MURUGAN TEMPLE: From I-95 (also 495, Capital

Beltway), take exit 20-A, Lanham (Rte 450 East), then follow the signs to
Princess Garden Parkway. Turn right on Princess Garden Parkway. Murugan
Temple is on your left within half a mile (6300 Princess Garden Parkway).
From Baltimore-Washington Parkway take Exit to Rt. 193 East Greenbelt
Road. Turn left on Greenbelt Road. Turn right on Hanover Parkway, which
becomes Princess Garden Parkway. Drive about 2.5 miles. The temple will be
on your right.