By Basu Ghosh Das
(See pictures of the bhumi puja at the following internet URL):
http://picasaweb.google.com/basughoshdas1/BhumiPujaISKCONSalemTamilNaduSouth India#
On the auspicious occasion of “Makara Sankranti” (also celebrated as “New Year’s day” throughout Tamil Nadu), January 14, 2010, the “bhumi puja” (“worship of the earth underneath the to be constructed temple) and installation of Ananta Shesha (a Deity of an expansion of Lord Vishnu) was performed at ISKCON Salem.
Salem is a district headquarters city, located two hundred kilometers Southeast of Bangalore, in Tamil Nadu State in South India.
Sriman Priti Vardhana Prabhu, Co-Director of the Bhaktivedanta Academy at Sridham Mayapur, along with five Academy students, performed the “bhumi puja” rituals, including homa, abhisheka, and installation of Ananta Shesha.
The bhumi puja ceremonies lasted from 6:00 AM until 9:00 AM.
Senior ISKCON devotees, H. H. Bhakti Vikas Swami, H. H. Bhakti Vinoda Swami, Zonal Secretary for parts of Tamil Nadu and Kerala, Basu Ghosh Das, ISKCON Baroda Temple President, Akinchana Krishna Das, General Manager of ISKCON Vellore (Tamil Nadu), Gokul Chandra Das, ISKCON Salem General Manager, and Savyasachi Das, were present at the function. The function was also attended by a large number of devotees from surrounding areas.
Very shortly, ISKCON Salem plans to begin construction of a grand Sri Sri Radha Gokulananda temple, to be constructed from entirely natural and eco-friendly building materials, specifically CSB, “compressed stabilized earth blocks” and “rammed earth”. The total planned expenditure for the temple is Rupees three crore and fifty lakhs (approximately $ 700,000). Pictures of the temple design and layout accompany this article.