Mandir Vani Hindu Temple and Cultural Center of the Rockies 8375 S. Wadsworth Blvd., Littleton, CO 80128 (Tax ID: 84-1301209) www.hindutempleofcolorado.org 303-948-9693 email:htcc@comcast.net The mission of the Hindu Temple and Cultural Center of the Rockies (HTCC) is to provide a forum for religious worship and celebrations, and for cultural, religious, and spiritual development activities based on Hindu / Vedic / Sanatan - Dharma traditions. Editorial Board K. C. Upadhyay (Priest) Prabhakara Rao (Editor) Mahesh Jha (President) Officers President Mahesh Jha 303-526-0260 Vice President New Temple Narender Kumar 303-797-8029 Vice President - Operations C. P. Mishra 303-973-7765 Secretary Ram Vaithianathan 303-799-8157 Treasurer Satish Kumar 303-973-4635 Trustees Agarwal, Bipin 303-883-6198 Budhiraja, Arun 303-755-4805 Chatterjee, Saroj 303-470-2801 Jha, Mahesh 303-883-6198 Kumar, Narender 303-797-8029 Kumar, Satish 303-973-4635 Kumar, Satish V 720-489-5093 Mishra, C. P. 303-973-7765 Nallapati, Srinivas 303-791-0481 Nanda, Ved 303-377-6438 Nayar, Reva 303-690-4347 Patel, Paresh 303-693-0576 Pawar, Vasant 303-663-2575 Rao, Prabhakara 303-979-4193 Talanki, Sridhar 303-883-2403 Upadhyay, Raja 303-526-4297 Vaithianathan, Ram 303-799-8157 Verma, Sudhir 720-323-7799 Priests Acharya K. C. Upadhyay 720-344-1448 Pundit N. D. Raghavendra 303-954-9274 Direction to the Temple: From C 470, Exit Wadsworth Blvd North, left on Chatfield Ave (First Light), left on Wadsworth Court (First Street), first driveway on the left is to the temple parking lot. Temple Hours: Monday - Friday: Saturday & Sunday: 10 am to 2 pm & 5 pm to 9 pm 9 am to 9 pm Volume 12 No.3 December 2008 Mandir Vani Page 1
Accomplishments By Mahesh Jha, President, Hindu Temple and Cultural Center of the Rockies We had several major celebrations since last issue of Mandir Vani including Sri Krishna Janmashtami in August, two Ganesh Chaturthi celebrations in September, Navaratri (Chandi Yagna at the New Temple land), Dushehra (Sai Baba Nirvana), Karwa Chowth and Diwali in October. These were attended by 300 to over 500 people and we want to thank all of you who attended these celebrations for your support. The attendance at these celebrations have validated the planned size of New Temple and reinforced the urgency for building it as soon as we can. To that end, we want to share the good news with you. In October, the City of Centennial approved our request for a text amendment that would now allow the construction and operation of a temple at the land we have purchased at 7200 South Potomac Street. The city has also reviewed the Development Plan that SlaterPaull, Project Architect, had submitted in September. The Development Plan includes Site Plan, Grading Plan, Landscaping Plan, Building Floor Plans and Elevation drawings. Based on the feedback from City of Centennial and input we had received from the community in August, the drawings are currently being revised by the architects. It is planned to submit the revised drawings to the City of Centennial in November, and based on the favorable reaction of the City we have seen, we anticipate that the Final Plan will be approved by January 2009. We are also planning to use these drawings to seek preliminary cost estimates from local contractors to get a reliable budget estimate for the construction of the temple. The request for bids will be sent out by November end and we should receive the bids in January 2009. As of right now, our best guess is that it will be between $3 and $4 million. We need to raise at least $2 million during next six months, to start construction in late Spring or early Summer of 2009. We are very hopeful that with God s blessing and your financial support, we will accomplish the goal. As we approach the Thanksgiving and the Season to share, I request each one of you to share your fortune with your community. This is once in a life time opportunity. As you know, the donations are tax deductible and they should be made before December 31, to take the deduction for this year. Please use the donation form on the last page of Mandir Vani to send your donation/pledge to support this once in a life time community project. Based on the growth of activities over last several years, we believe that we can serve the community better by employing an on-site Manager (on a part time basis to start with) to manage accounting, operation and maintenance, administration, and community relations functions. We sent the announcement including Job Description to our email list last month and hope to fill the position in near future. If you are not getting emails from the Temple, send us a note at htcc@comcast.net with your name(s) and address(es). May God bless you all! Volume 12 No.3 December 2008 Mandir Vani Page 2
Progress on New Temple Narender Kumar, Vice President On October 8 th the Centennial Planning and Zoning Commission unanimously approved change in Potomac PUD to allow for place of public assembly (or Church) at 7200 S. Potomac Street. The City Council followed up with another unanimous approval of the change on October 13, 2008. In both instances there was no opposition! Hindu community should be encouraged to know that the City is very curious and somewhat exited about this project. They believe our Temple will be a unique structure and will bring people of all denominations to visit them and perhaps put Centennial on map as a diverse community. The preliminary design of the Temple, which includes site layout, parking lot, landscaping, grading and view of the building on four sides is complete. The Indianization of the building is being finalized by Selvanathan Sthapati in Chennai and will be sent to us any day. City has provided us with comments that are being addressed. Afterwards, Subash Nadkarni will prepare another rendering, which will closely match the look of the structure. After selection of a contractor, further work on the project will depend upon collection of funds and the cost estimate for completion of the project. Here are some facts, which may interest you. The kitchen design in the basement is based on successful kitchens in other Temples and with advice of Vijay Sikka of Taste of India. The grand stairs at the entrance will have elephant carvings and there will be 5 foot wide sidewalk all around the Temple. We have asked Subash to provide us with rendering showing the deities. Thank you for your trust and God bless you. Treasurer s Report (Jan to Oct 2008) - Satish Kumar, Treasurer Month Income Expense Major Celebrations Jan 6,684.65 9,812.79 New Year Ganesha Puja Feb 10,664.18 11,711.92 Mar 14,736.12 13,176.59 Maha Shivaratri Apr 15,444.81 11,249.77 Sri Rama Navami May 12,406.65 12,038.42 Jun 9,099.11 10,884.00 Graduation Puja Jul 12,002.25 11,767.15 Aug 11,237.65 13,560.42 Krishna Janmashtami Sep 14,728.52 12,287.94 Ganesh Chaturthi Oct 13,751.40 10,898.67 Total $120,755.34 $117,387.67 Current Temple Fund $118,999.12 New Temple Fund $335,989.39 Total $454,988.51 Volume 12 No.3 December 2008 Mandir Vani Page 3
New Hindu Temple Site Development Plan New Hindu Temple Stairs *********************************************************************************** We will build a Beautiful Hindu Temple in Colorado. Yes, We Can!!! Volume 12 No.3 December 2008 Mandir Vani Page 4
HINDU TEMPLE AND CULTURAL CENTER OF THE ROCKIES 8375 S. WADSWORTH BLVD. LITTLETON, CO 80128, TEL: (303) 948-9693 Calendar of Festivals for 2009 Festival Date Day Time January New Year (Ganesh Pooja) 01 Thursday 11 am Navagrah Pooja 04 Sunday 11 am Poornima/Satyanarayana Pooja 10 Saturday 6:45 pm Lohadi 13 Tuesday Makar Sankranti/Pongal 14 Wednesday 11 am Vasant Panchami 31 Saturday February Saraswati Pooja (Celebration at Temple) 01 Sunday 11 am Poornima/Satyanarayana Pooja 09 Monday 6:45 pm Maha Shivaratri 22 Sunday 8 pm Holashtak Begins 26 Thursday March Holashtak Ends 10 Tuesday Holi 10 Tuesday Poornima/Satyanarayana Pooja 10 Tuesday 6:45 pm Hindu New Year (Ugadi) 26 Thursday Vikram Samvat 2066 Begins 26 Thursday Vasant Navaratra Begins 26 Thursday April Durga Ashtami 02 Thursday Shri Ram Navami 03 Friday Akhand Ram Charit Manasa Paath begins Saturday 04 April at 11 am and ends Sunday 05 April at 11 am Poornima/Satyanarayana Pooja 09 Thursday 6:45 pm Shri Hanuman Jayanthi 09 Thursday Akshaya Triteeya 27 Monday May Aadi Shankaracharya Jayanthi 01 Friday Nrisimha Jayanthi 07 Thursday Poornima/Satyanarayana Pooja 08 Friday 6:45 pm Volume 12 No.3 December 2008 Mandir Vani Page 5
June Ganga Dashami 02 Tuesday Nirjala Ekadashi 03 Wednesday Graduation Pooja 07 Sunday 11 am Poornima/Satyanarayana Katha 07 Sunday 6:45 pm July Devashayini Ekadashi 02 Thursday Poornima/Satyanarayana Katha 07 Tuesday 6:45 pm Shravan Month Begins 08 Wednesday Naaga Pachami 12 Sunday Vara Lakshami 31 Friday 6:45 pm August Upaa-karma 05 Wednesday 8:00 am Poornima/Satyanarayana Katha 05 Wednesday 6:45 pm Rakshaabandhana 05 Wednesday Shri Krishna Janmashtami 13 Thursday 6:00 pm Hari Taalika Teej Vrat 22 Saturday Ganesh Chaturthi Celebration 23 Sunday 11 am September Poornima/(Satyanarayana Katha) 04 Friday 6:45 pm Pitri Paksh (Shraddha) Begins 05 Saturday Pitri Paksh (Shraddha) Ends 18 Friday Sharada Navaratri Begins 19 Saturday Durga Ashtami 26 Saturday Dashahara/Vijay Dashami 28 Monday October Sharad Poornima/Satyanarayana Katha 03 Saturday 6:45 pm Karavaa Chauth TBD Dipawali/Lakshami Pooja 17 Saturday 6:00 pm Govardhana Pooja 18 Sunday Bhaiya Dooj 19 Monday Tulasi Vivaha 29 Thursday November Poornima / Satyanarayana Katha 02 Monday 6:45 pm Guru Nanaka Jayanti 02 Monday Gita Jayanthi/Mokshada Jayanthi 27 Friday December Poornima /Satyanarayana Katha 02 Wednesday 6:45 pm Poornima /Satyanarayana Katha 31 Thursday 6:45 pm Volume 12 No.3 December 2008 Mandir Vani Page 6
The Three Debts of Hindus By Acharya Kailash Chandra Upadhyay Manu, the most celebrated Hindu law giver, has emphasized on the three debts to be repaid by Hindus in their life time. These Rins are as follows: Pitri (Parental) Rin, Guru (teacher) Rin, and Dev (God) Rin. Pitri Rin emphasizes on getting married and raising a family, being respectful and taking care of parents and other elders in the family and society. Also, conducting a prayer (shraddh), once a year for the deceased fore fathers (up to three generations great grand parents), and giving donations to charitable organizations for the welfare of others. Thus, Grihastha (household) is truly the center of Hindu life to encompass the sustenance to every aspect of life. Second Rin is Guru Rin. It means that one should get education and educate others in need of it. Also, one s teacher and all the other teachers should be respected and taken care of. Furthermore, if money permits, one should build schools, provide teachers, books, food, shelter, clothes, etc. to the needy students. It is interesting to know that the goal of education in ancient India was highly attributed to the relief from pain and suffering and a choice to choose better life over the bad one and finally get lead to salvation. The famous saying about education goes like this: saa vidyaa yaa vimuktaye meaning only true education leads to salvation. This has inspired and enabled millions of people since time immemorial, to overcome the grip of selfishness to do better for one and all. Therefore, the veneration for a teacher, who teaches the skills to make a living and another teacher (guru) who brings a person to the self realization, stands firm in the eyes of a person who values paying this debt off in his life time. The third Rin, Dev Rin, means that one should worship God or gods of one s choice and do the daily prayer (Sandhya-Vandana) without fail. If possible, performance of various Pujas, Yagyas, and Samskaras as well as construction of a temple and helping on its operations are some of the aspects of this debt. The gist of these three Rinas is to equip us with the ability to maintain our well being at physical, mental, and spiritual level by paying Pitri, Guru, and Dev Rinas off in this sequence. The scope of these Rinas may encroach the boundaries of the other Rinas and interlink them here and there for a comprehensive yet, compliment able being of ours. ************ Board News: We thank Mr. & Mrs. Nirmalya and Saroj Chatterjee, Dr. Vasant Pawar and Mr. Raja Upadhyay for their service to the Temple as Trustee. At the November 16, 2008 Board meeting, the Board elected Mrs. Madhumita Mukherjee, Mrs. Madhu Mahajan and Mr. Hari Morisetty as Trustees. We congratulate them and welcome them to the Board. Volume 12 No.3 December 2008 Mandir Vani Page 7
Diwali Celebration at Hindu Temple The most luminous eve Record Attendance By Asha Mishra Lights outside and inside, children lighting Deepak with much anticipation, Lakshmi Puja, sweets, and ocean of people, yes that was the Diwali celebration at the Hindu Temple. The Hindu Temple Observed the festival of Diwali with much zeal and devotion on the balmy evening of Oct. 27, 2008, an evening that brought an extremely large number, estimated five to seven hundred people to the Temple. Puja comfortably. Indeed the attendance was phenomenally high. As the evening progressed people were barely able to get in and get a brief Darshan and even that became impossible later. The lucky people who arrived early were able to have a seat and watch the The 10 year old Tara Srinivas poured her devotion through beautiful classical dance. Much thanks to young Tara and also to her parents who drove from quite a distance on a week night to have Tara perform. Children started the celebration by participating in the candle lighting ceremony. All the kids received goody bags Temple management extends much appreciation and thanks also to Madhu and Vipul Seth of The Gourmet Kitchen who took much pain in setting up tents on the side of the Temple and provided multi-course dinner to the attendees on complementary basis. The Senator Mark Udall took the opportunity to meet the Indian community and observe the most opulent Hindu celebration of Diwali. Other recent major celebrations included: Colorado Kannada Koota Sponsored Ganesh Chaturthi on Sept. 7, 2008 Sai Baba Group Sponsored Ganesh Chaturthi on Sept 14, 2008 Chandi Yagna at the New Temple Site on Oct 5, 2008 We plan to start the New Year with the Ganesh Puja on Thursday January 1, 2009 and the Navagraha Puja on Sunday January 4, 2009. ******************************** Flexibility for Donation : A cash contribution by check is the best way to make a donation for current temple operations as well as New Temple Fund. This provides full value to the temple and easy record keeping for tax benefits. However, additional convenient choices are available for your donations for the New Temple Fund. These include payment on credit cards (Mastercard or Visa) and donation of company stocks. Volume 12 No.3 December 2008 Mandir Vani Page 8
Schedule of Suggested Donations for Various Ceremonies Chief Priest: Acharya Kailash C. Upadhyay 720-344-1448 (H), 720-299-8890 (C ) Assistant Priest: Pundit N. D. Raghavendra 303-954-9274 (H), 720-308-8804 (C ) The HTCC Board of Trustees adopted a standard policy regarding performance of various religious and cultural ceremonies by either of the priests at the request of the Yajmans (sponsors). It is requested that the sponsors (Yajmans) donate the amount indicated below, or more, for specific ceremonies. Please pay the amount by a check made to Hindu Temple and give it to the priest who performed the ceremony. If you choose to pay cash, ask and get a proper receipt. The priest will give the money and copy of the receipt to our Treasurer. Pujas Ceremony Performed At Temple Off Site** Archana (108 names) of any one deity $21 Arcana of any 5 Deities $51 Arati of any one deity $21 Arati of any 5 deities $101 Sankata Haran Chaturthee $31 Pradosh - Shiva Abhishekam* $101 Sunday Puja of any deity and/or Havan with Prasad Bhoj in the Temple $501 Sunday Puja of any deity and/or Havan with Yajman providing Prasad Bhoj $161 Poornimma night Satya Narayana Puja, Prasad by Yajman $51 Puja of any deity, Satya Narayana Katha, Havan $161 $211 Chandeepath (Durga Saptshatee) during Navaratra, one day $201 $251 Birthday Puja $161 $211 Punyahvachan $161 $211 Sanskaaras Namakaran or Annaprashan (Naming baby/first Solid Food) $161 $211 Vidyaarambh (Schooling initiation) $101 $211 Choodakaran (Mundan) $161 $211 Yagyopaveet (Janaeu) - Thread Ceremony $261 $311 Vivah (Wedding) $751 $601 Seemantham $201 $251 Last Rite (performed at cremation) $211 Shraadh and Pind Dan (at home) $211 Other Ceremonies Bhoomi Puja/Shilanyasa (for new building) $251 Grihapravesh/Vastu Puja (House warming) $251 Vaahan Aashirvaadam (blessing New Car) $25 * Group sponsorship encouraged. Up to 3 sponsors - share $101 donation. If more sponsors - $31 each. ** The amount should not be offset by any money offered by you or your friends and relatives on deities, in arati thali or as dakshina given to priest at blessing time. That money is for the priest and not the temple. The amounts suggested are for Denver and surrounding suburbs. Please pay following amounts separately to the priest to cover extra time for travel and mileage: $50 for Boulder, Brighton, Lafayette and Longmont; $100 for Colo. Springs and Fort Collins Volume 12 No.3 December 2008 Mandir Vani Page 9
Hindu Temple and Cultural Center of the Rockies 8375 S. Wadsworth Blvd. Littleton, CO 80128 303-948-9693 Non Profit Organization US Postage Paid Permit No 237 Littleton, CO Donation Appeal Please continue to show your support by making generous donations at the Temple or by mail (cut and enclose the coupon printed below) to : 8375 S. Wadsworth Blvd., Littleton, CO 80128. The contributions are tax deductible. The Tax ID Number for the Hindu Temple and Cultural Center is 84-1301209 Enclosed is a check for $, my/our contribution for the New Hindu Temple and Cultural Center of the Rockies. Name:, Spouse Name: Address: City, State, Zip: Phone:, E-mail: Volume 12 No.3 December 2008 Mandir Vani Page 10