A Hindu Temple will officially open on a seven acre plot in Mobile with a three-day elaborate Grand Opening based on ancient Hindu rituals. The opening ceremony is scheduled for March 29 to 31 in West Mobile.
The Temple is being raised by the Gulf Coast Hindu Society (GCHS), a religious non-profit organization.
This “Gruha Pravesha and Hariahra Parivara Pranaprathista Mahotsavam” (Grand Inauguration of New Temple and Consecration Process) of the 5000 square feet temple comes after years of hard work by the local Hindu community.
The Temple will serve the Greater Mobile area and the Gulf Coast.
The celebrations and rituals will include Gruhapravesam, Harihara parivara pranaprathista, Visesha Abhisekham, Divya Darshanam, Ksheerabdhivaasam, Dhaanyadhisvaasam, Moola Mantra Homam/Havan, etc. Families have been requested to “bring fruits and cut/loose flowers to offer GOD”.
Hindu statesman Rajan Zed commended the efforts of temple leaders and the area community towards realizing this temple complex.
Rajan Zed is the President of Universal Society of Hinduism.
President Zed said that it was important to pass on Hindu spirituality, concepts and traditions to coming generations amidst so many distractions in the consumerist society and hoped that this temple would help in this direction.
This temple will serve devotes from Gulf Coast area of Alabama, Florida, and Mississippi; where the Hindu population has been growing. Besides worship services; it will also celebrate various festivals, hold events, have meditation and yoga sessions, organize discourses, etc.
The mission of the GCHS includes “to practice Hindu Religion, Culture & Tradition”.
Haribhai Patel is the Chair of the Board of Trustees; while Madhu Chilukuri, Pawan Agarwal, Rajneesh Singh and Venkatesan S are the President, Vice President, Treasurer and Secretary respectively of the Executive Committee.
The area Hindu community has been meeting in individual homes and rented public places to pray since about 1986.
Hinduism has about 1.1 billion adherents worldwide, with most of them living in India, Moksh (liberation) is its ultimate goal. There are about three million Hindus living in the USA.