Holy Pilgrimage - Hindu temples in USA
Shri
Mandir, San Diego, CA
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Address :
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9474 Black
Mountain Road
San Diego CA 92126 |
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Phone :
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(858)
566-5644
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Shri Mandir welcomes
you to join our upcoming festival celebrations!
History of Shri Mandir
The Shri Mandir as we know it today has
a rich history dating back to 1994. What you see now is the culmination of
countless hours of work from countless volunteers. While the Mandir is
contuniing to grow, it is important to reflect upon some of the key points of
its history and what has brought it to this stage.
The concept of a Mandir was originally
conceived in early 1994 as the result of preliminary discussions between Harki
Parikh and Tej and Asha Agrawal. The idea was to establish a single place of
worship but embrace the diversity of our religion by having various groups donate
‘murthis’. This basic concept was further strengthened by Harki Parikh, who
offered the space rent-free for two full years. The Mandir had a solid vision,
and now needed volunteers who help make it a reality.
A committee was formed to discuss the constitution,
by-laws, and operational procedures of the Mandir. This committee consisted of
two core groups: the Trustee Committee, which started with Harki Parikh, Tej
Agrawal, and Rohit Saraiya, and would later see many more people added, and the
Executive Committee, which was comprised of dedicated volunteers from the San
Diego community. Alex Jain was appointed President of the Executive Committee.
The Mandir now had a group of local volunteers who shared the same vision, and
needed priests to perform the ceremonies.
Mr. Shastriji, a priest from New Delhi,
was hired to start the temple activities. Asha Agrawal provided a temporary
installation of a Lord Ganesha murthi to fulfill immediate needs. Asha later
ordered and donated the first marble idol of Lord Ganesha. It was ordered from
Jaipur, Rajasthan and air-shipped to San Diego. The committee then approached
several local groups to donate idols. This synergy of activities is what gave
the Mandir a household name in the community. Shri Mandir started growing with
its daily activities and functions. Many local businessmen established their
operations in the complex with the understanding that this small open-air mall
would be San Diego’s “Little India”.
As with any operation, there were bound
to be some changes. Shastriji decided to leave for personal reasons. This void
was filled by a new priest, Shri Raghavendra Aithal. He became a very active
member of the community, getting more involvement from local groups and
commitments for murthi donations. He performed a greater variety of ceremonies,
both within the Mandir and at private residents. This outreach was met with
open arms from the community. Slowly but surely, more deities were installed in
the Mandir and community involvement grew exponentially.
Following are the Murti Sthapna
Sponsors and continue to co-ordinate annual functions for the respective deity:
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Ganesh
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Asha & Tej Agrawal
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Hanuman
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Anila & Adarsh Bhaveja
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Ram - Sita
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Lata & Sudesh Kumar, Manju & Amrish Goel
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Krishna
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Mina & Jayanti Patel
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Shiv-Parvati and Ganesh
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Usha & Madan Dilawri
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Durga
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Geeta & Ramnarayan
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Jain Murti
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Jain Society of San Diego
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Balaji
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Hemlata & Rami Reddy, Manorama &
Chandrashekar Reddy, Annapurna & Bobba Venkatadri, Sujatha & P
Tripuranini
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Radha
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Mina & Jayanti Patel
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Ambaji
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Hema & Kiran Majmudar
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Subramanyam
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Tamil Community
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Laxmiji
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Nisha Goyal
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Lakshman
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Usha & Madan Dilawari
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Pramod Kamdar was elected the next
President of the Executive Committee. While there were numerous activities in
the Mandir, there was a strong need to have one giant celebration that brought
together all devotees and interested parties alike.
The Shri Mandir organized a grand
Diwali Mela to celebrate the festive occasion. This was met with optimism from
the community and was the impetus for future celebrations at so large a scale.
The Diwali Mela became a talent show for local artists, singers, dancers,
musicians, and fashion boutiques. Currently, about 2500 people attend the Mela
every year. It is one of the Mandir’s most important fund-raising events.
Following the Mela, many new functions were introduced: Akhanda Ramayan, Shiv
Ratri, Janamastami, Ganesha Visarjana, and so forth. The Akhanda Ramayan
involves continuous reading of the Ramcharit Manas for about 24 hours, ending
in Abhishek. The Ganesha Visarjana brought large activities outside of the
Mandir altogether. The event starts with the Ganesha Puja in the Mandir and
then a procession to La Jolla Beach Pier for Visarjana. With all activities in
the temple, it was clear that another priest was needed to met the hectic puja
schedule and keep the Mandir running smoothly.
Navgrah Sthapna was also preformed with
the following sponsors:
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Thenmozhi & M. Prabhakaran
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Hema & Kiran Majmudar
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Neeru & Yogen Dalal
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Saroj & Dakshana Murthy
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Jyoti & Harki Parekh
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Geeta & Ramnarayan
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Ahalya & Rishikesh
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Vijaya & Prabhu Orekondy
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Shri Satish Shukla was hired out of
Indore, Madhya Pradesh. He immediately became involved with the community,
introducing new events and pujas. He is an accomplished singer and dholki
player, and has quickly learned the harmonium. He started Mata Ki Bheten with
the assistance of many local singers. Shri Raghavendraji left Shri Mandir to
pursue other opportunities. The Exective Committee next appointed Asha Agrawal
as the President. To fill the void left by Shri Raghavendraji, a new priest,
Shri Mahendrada C. Srinivasa was hired. He is a welcome addition to the Mandir
community and has built a strong following. A spring festival, Basant Mela, was
also introduced. This also became a grand celebration and fundraising event
enjoyed by all. Past presidents include Chadmbar Kulkarni, Subandu Majmudar and
Hema Majmudar,
Shri Mandir’s Mission is “Provide a common place to foster the sprit of
worship, dedication and meditation and to cultivate the Hindu values of life
based on the old scriptures of India for all people who practice the Faith of
Hinduism and shall include other traditional religion originated in the
sub-continent of India. Diffuse the knowledge of the ethical, spiritual,
religious, philosophical and social foundations and practice of Hindu Dharma
and culture”.
At this juncture, Shri Mandir has
achieved something truly magical. The collective efforts of countless people,
the selfless dedication, and shared vision have made it a “product of the
people”. Let us continue to support our Mandir and help it grow to new leaps
and bounds.
Deities:
Ambaji
Skanda / Karthikeya / Subramhanya / Murugan
Rishbh Dev & Parshvanath & Mahaveer
Lakshmeeji & Shree Krishna & Radhaji
Durga Maa
Durga Maa & Ganeshji & Shivji & Mata Parvatee
Ganeshji
Shivji & Mata Parvatee
Lakshman & Shree Ram & Mata Seeta
Veer Hanuman
Venkateshwara / Balaji
Shirdi Saibaba
Contact Us
|
Address :
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9474 Black
Mountain Road
San Diego CA 92126 |
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Phone :
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(858)
566-5644
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Directions :
From I-15Take Miramar Rd. Exit. Go west & through two light to Black Mtn. Rd., turn right.
From I-805
Take Mira Mar Rd. Exit. Go east about 5 miles to Black Mtn. Rd. and turn left
Go North on Black Mtn. Rd. about 100 yds. Take left into the Little India Shopping Center.
Om
Tat Sat
(Continued...)
(My
humble salutations to the great devotees
, wikisources and Pilgrimage tourist guide for the
collection )
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