Sri Vidya Temple Kumbhabhishekam
July 1, 2010 • Photography & Travel
The Sri Vidya Temple Society in Rochester, New York, is celebrating its Maha Kumbhabhishekam from July 1 to 11. The central deity of this temple is Rajarajeswari, the Supreme Being in a feminine aspect. A Kumbhabhishekam for a temple normally happens once every 12-years. Renovations and repairs are made to the temple and then the temple undergoes a consecration ceremony.
Maha Kumbhabhishekam literally means ritualistic pouring of sacred water from the great vessel. A simple summary of what takes place is this. Deities are invoked and worshiped in great rituals of fire ceremonies called yagnas and homas, which are performed in the open. The divine energy invoked by appropriate homas are transferred into kumbhas – brass or mud vessels containing water mixed with powders and a range of natural products. Mantras from the Vedas (central scriptures of Hinduism) are chanted. The energy in the water in the kumbhas are then transferred to the statue of the deity in the temple by pouring the water on the gopuram (top of the temple tower) and on the statue of the deity. This pouring from the kumbhas is accompanied by the chanting of appropriate mantras derived from the Vedas. Now the temple and the statue of the Deity are re-energized.
I’ll be posting more photos and updates over the next few days. The temple website has more information about the Kumbhabhishekam. Click here.
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