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Start of the procession to carry the goddess clockwise around the temple. The splendidly decorated bier with the procession statue of Muthumariamman is carried on the bare shoulders of men. To the back right is the entrance of the temple located on the ground-floor. (Aug. 1998). |
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Germany's vibrant capital Berlin has only a comparatively small Hindu temple despite a fair number of Tamil and Indian Hindus. The Sri Mayurapathy Murugan temple, founded in 1991, is situated in the basement of a residential building in Kreuzberg. Letters in Tamil and western alphabet are written to the entrance's sides. The windows of the temple are painted similar to a shrine's outlook. (21.04.2004) |
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Inside the Sri Mayurapathy Murugan temple, members of the temple board and the priest pose in front of a wall painting. Both the shrine room with its five brick-made shrines and the floor in front are small and narrow. It was not allowed to take pictures of the shrines and installed gods. (21.04.2004) |
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Coming back to Hamm/Westphalia, a rather less excited town which is home to three Hindu temples, however. The Sri Kamadchi Ampal temple is situated in its industrial outskirts whereas the Sri Sithi Vinayakar temple and the Sri Arumuka Velelakan temple are located in pedestrian walking distance from the station. The image provides an impression of the yard leading to the Sri Sithi Vinayakar temple on a normal winter day. The temple was established in 1994 in a former metal-working warehouse. (March 2001) |
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The same site during the annual temple festival in August. The temple's main deity, Vinayakar, is brought out to circumambulate the temple in a procession card. Musicians play with earsplitting vociferousness to welcome Vinayakar. (05.08.2001) |
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The annual procession with 1,500 to 2,000 participants fills the street of the residential area. In front torn by ropes is the procession cart with Vinayakar, followed by Murugan and his wives carried bare-shouldered on a splendidly decorated bier. (01.08.1999) |
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Part of the procession are men who fulfil a vow in rolling the mile's distance around the temple. The slide show on temple festivals and public processions created by Brigitte Luchesi provide more details on this topic. (01.08.1999) |
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The temple festival 2001 was graced by the visit of Satguru Sivaya Subramuniyaswami. He stands in front of the hotel honoured with garlands around his neck. Above him hotel guests watching the procession with some puzzlement. Subramuniyaswami donated the three-foot tall, 1,100-pound granite statue of Sithi Vinayakar for the temple's main shrine in 1994. (05.08.2001) |
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Not all attend the procession. Quite a few take the chance to buy goods from India or Sri Lanka, offered for sale by traders at a market in the temple's neighbourhood. (05.08.2001) |
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Money and religion is no contradiction but rather go well together. Men buy offering trays containing fruits, incense sticks and the like for Euro 50,- (US$ 43,-) each. The trays will be handed to the priests when the procession will have come back to receive the blessings of the gods. At the back is the temple's entrance portal. (05.08.2001) |
