5:00 pm Deepam 6:30 pm Special Abishekam to Palani

Andavar — Sankatahara Chathurthi Special Abishekam

to Ganesha (6:00 pm) —

Saturday, December 5th, Annual Fund Raising Event

5:00 pm Entertainment, Raffles, Door Prizes and Dinner

Saturday, December 19th, Guru Peyarchhi (Guru Transition)

9:00 am Navagraha (Guru) Homam, Navagraha (Guru) Abishekam

10:30 am Dakshinamurthy Abishekham, Deeparathanai

Tuesday, December 22nd, Vinayaga Viratam Ends

9:00 am Ganapati Homam 9:30 am Ganapati Abishekam 7:30 pm Ganapati Sahasranamam 8:15 pm Ganapi Procession

Thursday, December 31st, New Year’s Eve

— Temple Open until Midnight —

MTNA CALENDAR HIGHLIGHTS (See murugantemple.org to view a free on-line calendar with greater details and up-to-

the-minute updates)

Friday, October 16th, Deepavali

Sunday, October 18th--Saturday, October 24th Skanda Shashti

Sunday, October 18th, Day 1 9:00 am Ganapati Homam and Abishekam 9:45 am Subramaniya Homam 10:30 am Kavadi and Pal Kudam 11:00 am Murugan Abishekam 8:00 pm Murugan Sahasranamam

Monday, October 19th—Thursday, October 22nd, Days 2-5

10:00 am Kavadi and Pal Kudam 8:00 pm Murugan Sahasranamam

Friday, October 23rd, Sukla Shasthi Ends, Day 6

9:00 am Subramaniya Homam 9:30 am Kavadi and Pal Kudam 10:00 am Murugan Abishekam 7:30 pm Soora Samharam 8:00 pm Murugan Sahasranamam

Saturday, October 24th, Skanda Shasthi Celebration

8:30 am Ganapati Abishekam 9:00 am Subramaniya Homam 10:00 am Kavadi and Pal Kudam 11:00 am Sangaabishekam to Murugan

— Bajan During Alankaram —

Inside PRESIDENT’S REPORT RATHAM FOR MURUGAN 1,2 MURUGAN RIDES IN A GLORIOUS RATHAM 3, 4 FUND RAISER 4 TREASURER’S REPORT 5 GRADUATION AWARDS 5 TEMPLE SERVICES, HOURS, AND DIRECTIONS 6

12:45 pm Deeparathanai 1:30 pm Lunch 3:00 pm Thiru Kalyanam 4:00 pm Murugan Procession

Saturday, November 21st, Annual Thanksgiving Lunch to PG County

Shelters

Tuesday, December 1st, Karthigai Deepam

9:00 am Ganapati Homam 9:30 am Ganapati Abishekam 10:00 am Sivan Abishekam 10:30 am Kavadi and Pal Kudam 11:00 am Murugan Abishekam Shanmuga

Puja 7:30 pm Special Abishekam to Palani

Andavar

Wednesday, December 2nd, Vinayaga Viratam begins

9:00 am Ganapati Homam 9:30 am Ganapati Abishekam 7:00 pm Ganapati Ashasranamam — Pillaiyar Kathai stories will be read in the

evenings for the next 21 days —

Saturday, December 5th, Swamimalai Karthigai Deepam Celebration Day

9:00 am Abishekam to Ganesha and Siva 9:30 am Shanmuga Homam 10:00 am Kavadi and Pal Kudam 10:30 am Murugan Abishekam 11:30 am Shanmuga Puja and Deeparathanai 1:00 pm Lunch

Ganapati Tunai

Murugan Temple of North AmericaMurugan Temple of North Americatl tl mbkhpf;fmbkhpf;f KUfd: nfhapy;KUfd: nfhapy;6300 Princess Garden Parkway, Lanham, MD 20706, USA

Phone: 301−552−4889, FAX: 301−552−5043Email: info@murugantemple.org, Internet: www.murugantemple.org

““ahkpUf;fgahkpUf;fg; ; gankdgankd::””

20092009OctOctNovNovDecDec

PRESIDENT’S REPORT —RATHAM FOR MURUGAN

By Kanagasabai Loganathan The Nallur Festival in 2009 was supported by an initiative named

Ratham for Murugan. It was sponsored by the devotees from New York and New Jersey. It is a project for the construction of a Ratham implemented jointly with the Temple management. Over a period of eight months, the Ratham was designed and fabricated in Sri Lanka, then shipped to Maryland. Murugan devotees in New York and New Jersey really put their efforts into collecting contributions and making this a reality within this short period of time. The Ratham was carved out of wood on a style similar to that of Nallur Kanthaswami Temple in Jaffna, Sri Lanka. The result, after about eight months of hard work, was a beautiful Chitra Ther about 21 ft high and 12 ft wide. It has carvings illustrating the Aru Padai Veedu and also has carvings of the

(Continued on page 2)

three famous swamis of Sri Lanka from the Nandinatha Sampradaya's Kailasa Parampara: Kadaitswami, Chellappaswami and Yogaswami. Satguru Sivaya Subramuniyaswami, the foremost disciple of Yogaswami, who established the Kauai Hindu Monastery in Hawaii and was instrumental in constructing the Murugan Temple by giving a murti of Ganesha, and His d i s c i p l e S a t g u r u Bodhinatha Veylanswami presided over the festivals.

The festival was a two day celebration in praise of Yalpanam Nallur K a n t h a s w a m i a n d Kathirkamam Kanthan. The first day was devoted t o H o m a m s a n d Abhishekams to Ganapati and Murugan. The second day celebrations began with Pal Kudam and Kavadi. The Kavadis were unique with Vel on the cheeks and the body of those who carried the Kavadi in fulfillment of their vows. The abishekam of the Moolavar (Murugan) was with milk from the Kavadi and Pal Kuddam.

Following the abhishekam, the Utsava murti was prepared for his procession on the Ratham. The Sathuppadi (decoration) was exquisite with gold jewels, flowers and silk. The center piece of the jewels was a Vel and Kodi crafted in gold in India. The Utsavar was carried to the Ratham by devotees on a specially made Simhasanam, an exquisite carving in wood. The procession was accompanied by Nathaswaram and Melathalam playing the Ragam Malladi, a melody reserved for processions of deities. The carrying of the Utsavar by devotees accompanied by Melat Thalam and chanting by devotees was something soothing to the eyes and to the ears and which one should live to see.

(Continued from page 1) Ratham for Murugan

Utsavar accompanied by Valli and Theivanai was taken up to the Ratham at the auspicious time. Sangalpam was given to the Sponsors and to the Tharmagarthas (Temple Chairman and

President). The Ratham was then ready to be pulled with heavy ropes. It was a marvelous sight with a flood of devotees trying to reach the ropes to pull. Following traditions the men had to be without their shirts. Men holding the rope on the right and women holding the rope on the left were waiting for the signal to begin. The Kurukkal gave the signal by ringing the puja bell. And, all felt a surge of devotees pulling the Ratham around the Temple’s outer Veethi. The Ratham after about three hours was brought back where it started from at the appointed auspicious time. The Utsavar was then decora ted in green illustrating the coolness of

the lord after his fierce ride. The procession back to the Temple was something soothing with appropriate melodies from the Nadhaswaram and Melathalam.

The day’s events concluded with Thirukalyanam, the marriage ceremony of Murugan and Valli Theivayanai.

The festival on the whole was memorable with over seven hundred devotees attending to receive the blessings of Murugan. No one believed that we could achieve this in the States. The Devotees did it and we all believe that it is a divine gift to the devotees of Murugan Temple of North America.— Kanagasabai Loganathan, President, Murugan Temple of North America

Stapadi prepares to bless the Ratham for its maiden run

As the Ratham comes to rest, Temple President Kanagasabai Loganathan shares a timeless moment with the Satguru, and a

number of sponsors, and devotees

Satguru Bodhinatha Veylanswami and Murugan Temple Chair-man, Gopal Guruswami view the Ratham Procession

era, being worshipped with all the traditional trappings and drawn by dear devotees in a grand and divine fashion around the outer ‘veethi’ of the MTNA temple in the freshly-minted and beautifully decked ‘Ratham’!

(Continued on page 4)

LORD MURUGAN RIDES IN A GLORIOUS RATHAM AT THE ANNUAL NALLUR AND KATHIRGAMAM FESTIVAL

By Kanaga Ranganathan Excerpts from this essay provide an inner view of the Ratham

and its effect on Murugan Temple’s Nallur and Kathirgamam Festival. You can read the entire essay on line at www.murugantemple.org.

“Muruga, Muruga, Om Muruga”, “Muruganukku Arohara” –such ecstatic cries of bliss from the young and old, men and women, devotees from far and near and even babes of tender age filled the sacred atmosphere with so much of joy and abandon that one had to remind oneself that one was indeed in the holy temple of Lord Murugan in North America. The elderly in the crowd were transported in a trice to the historic temple of Nallur where they had witnessed their beloved Lord Murugan riding majestically and gloriously in the richly-decked ‘Ther’ (chariot) to the joyous, devotional cries of thousands of devotees. There were others in the crowd who were reminded of their Lord Murugan feted in the sylvan, historic temple of Kathirgamam in the deep South and how they had traversed a long, jungle path to see Him with all His glory worshipped by people of different faiths. What a joy it was, indeed a wordless rapture, to see our own Lord Murugan, the ‘Thamil Kadavul’, who had gifted us with this beautiful, poetic language of Tamil from the ancient pre-sangam

Ratham Procession pauses to recall one of Murugan’s six temples

A Ratham Sponsor learning the fine points of Kavadi Dance

We should all consider ourselves fortunate that in a place far away from our own cultural center, we are able to find this wonderful opportunity of paying homage and worship in the true traditional manner to our Lord Murugan who has enshrined Himself in this nation’s capital to give solace to hundreds of devotees. Riding with all majestic, divine beauty, Murugan evokes so much of piety and goodness in our hearts as He wends His way around the MTNA temple. He is the ‘Su-brahm’, the Lord of all the seen and unseen world, all of which draw their life, the energy, their movement and their very breath from Him. With the two Sakthis by His side, the kriya sakthi representing the power of action in the form of Theivanai, the ichcha sakthi representing the power of noble desire in the form of Valli; and with his seat of peacock representing the conquest of ego in this multi-colored material world; Our Lord rides with His Vel of True Jnanam which has the power to pierce through the mountain of our collosal ignorance and delusion. As we surrender ourselves to our Lord Murugan, ‘the Kali Yuga Varathan,’ we thank whole-heartedly the temple management for granting this blessing.

(Continued from page 3) Lord Murugan Rides Ratham

Utsava murthi on the way to Ratham

Spontaneous dancing breaks out as during the Ratham procession

MTNA cordially invites you to attend the  

Annual Fund Raising Event 

Saturday, December 5, 2009 at 5 pm  

Entertainment, Raffles, Door prizes, and Dinner  

At the MTNA auditorium

After being blessed in front of Lord Murugan, Utsava murti is lifted for the journey to the Ratham

MURUGAN TEMPLE HONORS ITS GRADUATES

On Sunday, August 16th, 2009 MTNA recognized graduates at all levels with a special puja to Goddess Saraswathy with family and friends praying for their continued success. About forty graduates were congratulated, recognized and presented with certificates. The high school graduates were awarded with cash gifts donated by Mrs. Saraswathy Ranganathan in memory of her late husband Mr. C P Ranganathan and Dr. Jay Gopal in memory of his late father Dr. L.M. Jegathesan both the families are strong

devotees of Murugan. Graduates included: High School—Kaylesh Ramu, and Devya

Natesan; College—Guru Ramu and Aneesh Sridhar from University of Maryland, College Park, and Vanitha Gopal from the American University of Antigua to follow clinical medical studies in New York; Fine Arts Academies of Bharatha Naatyam—Divya Natesan, from Abinaya Natiya Salai and Kavya Sundar, from Naritya Shala.

Mr. Vignarajah congratulated the graduates and honored the parents for their loving support. He also recognized teachers: Mr. Sivasailam from Howard Community, Dr. Nigel Siva, Dr. Jana

Kesavan, and others at the Murugan Temple, and Dr. Sethuraman Tamil Sangam President for teaching Tamil and m o t i v a t i n g t h e children in the D.C. and VA areas. He t h a n k e d M r . V a y u d e v a f o r d e s i g n i n g t h e certificates. Mr. Loganathan, MTNA President, distributed the certificates.

Treasurer’s Report: Financial Results—Second Quarter 2009 There was a surplus from operations of about $ 7,573 for the second quarter, which fell short of requirements to meet mortgage payments of about $8,100. This shortfall was met from reserves. Donations towards the Rajagopuram project totaled $3,252. There were no capital expenditures. If you require additional information about the Temple’s financials, send a note to—info@murugantemple.org—Put “Question for the Treasurer” in the subject line.

Graduates and event coordinators pose after the puja and ceremony

Ganapati Tunai “Why Fear? I Am Within You and Protect You Always” — Murugan

Murugan Temple Sponsorship Form Make Murugan Temple’s Rajagopuram Part of Your Legacy

First Brick (Special) - $51 Ten Bricks – $1,010 One Thousand Bricks – $101,000

SubTotal Rajagopuram Contribution ....................$________

Sponsor Temple Operations Full day of temple operations ...................................... $750 Full month: Garlands (all deities) ............................... $900 Full month: Abhishekam and Omam provisions ........ $450 Full month: Milk ........................................................ $250 A full week of Garlands (all deities)............................ $125 One day: Simple garland for a deity........ ..................... $ 15

Choice of Deity for garland :_______________ Sub Total Operations ..........................................$________ Please indicate desired dates _________________

MTNA Newsletter Printing and Mailing .................$__________ Kavasam for Peedam in silver for Murugan, Valli, Theivayanai....................................................$__________

Thiruvasi for Sivan ..................................................................$__________ Kavasam for Peedam in Silver for Amman.............................$__________

Check Enclosed for................................................................$__________

Name Address City State _________ ZIP ___________________ Phone ____________E–Mail ________________________________ Family Gothiram _________________________________________ Birth Star (el:rj;jpuk;) _____ Name of Family Member

Please use separate sheet for additional family members Mail: The Murugan Temple of North America, 6300 Princess Garden Parkway,Lanham, MD 20706

Page 6

TEMPLE SERVICES: Please call the Temple Manager at 301 552-4889 to make prior arrangements for ceremonies at the Temple or in your home. Also, ask for information about local hotels.

TEMPLE HOURS: Monday – Friday 9 am – 12 noon & 5 pm - 9 pm; Saturday, Sunday, & Holidays 9 am – 9 pm AUDITORIUM: The Temple’s auditorium capable of seating about 200 people in the basement is available for rent by Devotees. The Temple has also

ample parking space. Call the Temple Manager at 301 552-4889 for reservations. 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.

Murugan Temple of North America 6300 Princess Garden Parkway Lanham, MD 20706, USA CHANGE SERVICE REQUESTED

Non Profit Org. U.S. Postage

PAID So. MD

Permit No. 3958

FridayFridayDaily Abishekams

9:00 am Ganesha9:30 am Siva

10:00 am Murugan7:00 pm Ganesha

SundaySundayDaily Abishekams9:00 am Ganesha9:30 am Siva11:00 am Murugan5:00 pm Durgai

AbishekamRahu Kala Puja

SaturdaySaturdayDai ly Abishekams9:00 am Ganesha9:30 am Siva9:30 am Navagraha11:00 am Murugan

FridayFridayDaily Abishekams

9:00 am Ganesha9:30 am Siva

10:00 am Murugan7:00 pm Ganesha

SundaySundayDaily Abishekams9:00 am Ganesha9:30 am Siva11:00 am Murugan5:00 pm Durgai

AbishekamRahu Kala Puja

SaturdaySaturdayDai ly Abishekams9:00 am Ganesha9:30 am Siva9:30 am Navagraha11:00 am Murugan

WednesdayWednesdayDaily Abishekams

9:00 am Ganesha9:30 am Siva

10:00 am Murugan

TuesdayTuesdayDaily Abishekams

9:00 am Ganesha9:30 am Siva

10:00 am Mur uganThirusathi

7:00 pm Meenakshi

ThursdayThursdayDai lyAbishekams9:00 am Ganesha9:30 am Siva10:00 am Murugan

7:00 pm Palani Aandavar7:30 pm Dakshinamurthi

MondayMondayDaily Abishekams

9:00 am Ganesha9:30 am Siva

10:00 am Murugan7:00 pm Siva

WednesdayWednesdayDaily Abishekams

9:00 am Ganesha9:30 am Siva

10:00 am Murugan

TuesdayTuesdayDaily Abishekams

9:00 am Ganesha9:30 am Siva

10:00 am Mur uganThirusathi

7:00 pm Meenakshi

ThursdayThursdayDai lyAbishekams9:00 am Ganesha9:30 am Siva10:00 am Murugan

7:00 pm Palani Aandavar7:30 pm Dakshinamurthi

MondayMondayDaily Abishekams

9:00 am Ganesha9:30 am Siva

10:00 am Murugan7:00 pm Siva

The Murugan Temple of North America is a Traditional Saivite Hindu Temple. It has a floor area of 7000 square feet, with main Sannidhi for Murugan (Karttikeya) and four smaller Sannidhis for Vinayaka (Ganesha), Siva (Sivalingham), Meenakshi, and Palani

Aandavar. We also have an auditorium that is available for community use.