Holy Pilgrimage - Hindu temples in USA
India
Cultural Center and Temple INC, Eads, TN
12005 Hwy 64Eads, TN 38028
Phone: 901 202 6070
Email: icct@icctmemphis.org
Temple History
India
Cultural Center and Temple
-- A Dream Come True
Dr. Prasad Duggirala
Aum Srimatgurubhyonamaha
Although the earliest Indian
Immigrants came to Memphis
in the1950s, most of us came here in the 1970s and 80s. During this time, there
were no religious, cultural, or social organizations to serve the needs of the
250 families. With the formation of the Telugu Association of Memphis and India
Association of Memphis in 1980, the people of Mid-south were exposed to Indian
culture. The Indian community used to organize religious and cultural
activities in the community halls of local malls, church basements and public
school auditoriums. Dr. Rajagopalan and Mrs. Savitri Tahiliani used to conduct
religious functions like Satyanarayana Katha and Ganesh Chaturthi. The need for
a place of worship and gathering was a popular topic in social events and was
considered an unrealizable dream and it remained so for a long time.
In 1981, under the leadership of Mr. Vijay Rawtani, the first
President of India Association of Memphis, an exploratory meeting was organized
at theUniversity of Memphis and a consensus was
reached that there was a need for a Temple
and a Community Center. This idea was further explored by an informal committee
of interested community members under the leadership of Dr. A.P. Mahesh Kumar.
This committee felt a need for an autonomous non-profit religious and cultural
organization. With the help of a prominent attorney Mr. Marvin Ratner, the
by-laws were written and a religious and cultural non-profit organization was
registered in the state of Tennessee.
A bank account was opened with $250 donated by the committee members. The India Cultural
Center and Temple, Inc.
was born.
The "Temple
Committee" as the
members were called collectively, had to endure much skepticism from the
community as they were perceived as unrealistic dreamers. After a diligent
search for a proper site for the project, the committee was able to buy 12
acres of land on Highway 64 in Eads for a cash payment of $48,000 on October
1985. It was a pleasant surprise to learn that this land was at the highest
elevation in Shelby
County. Mrs. Savitri
Tahiliani performed a Satyanarayana pooja to offer thanks to the God for His
blessings in accomplishing this seemingly impossible feat. The news of site
acquisition was received with some apprehension by the community because of the
physical distance of the site from the town.
On Vijaya Dasami day in 1985, the land was consecrated with a
Bhoomi pooja done by a priest from Sri
Venkateswara Temple
in Pittsburg.
The first religious ceremony -Sri Sita-Rama Kalyanam- was organized by the
members of Telugu Association in April 1986. To help familiarize the location
to the community, many festivals were celebrated in Eads Headstart
School across from the
temple land in the following years.
To give credibility, authority and legality to the Temple Committee,
a Board of Directors was elected in 1986 as per the existing by-laws. An
Executive Committee was chosen from among the Board of Directors to carryout
the business of ICCT. In 1987, an ad-hoc planning committee with Dr. Prasad
Duggirala as its Chairman was appointed to develop plans for the Temple and Community
Center. The deities in the Temple
were chosen by a democratic process of polling the community. The planning
committee selected Padmasri Muthaiah Sthapathi of Chennai as the temple
architect and conceptual drawings for the Temple
and Community Center were developed and approved by the Broad of Directors. The
publication of these drawings and an informative dinner in 1990 rejuvenated the
enthusiasm for the project. The Fund Raising Committee was formed in 1990 with
Dr. Vijaya Duggirala as its Chairperson. Under her leadership, the committee
organized many fund raising dinners raising $500,000 by 1992. With her firm
personal commitment to the project and zeal, she charmed many community members
into giving generously to the cause resulting in millions of dollars of
donation to the ICCT in the ensuing years.
The years 1990 and 1991 were very turbulent in the history of
ICCT. To provide stability and vision during this time, Dr. N.V. Raghavaiah was
elected as the President of Board of Directors. Working hand in hand with the
Planning Committee, Dr. Raghavaiah was instrumental in appointing Mr. Claude
Braganza as the architect for the project and in obtaining a loan of $450,000,
which was guaranteed by 10 members of the community. On November 2, 1992, Mr.
Varadaraja Bhattar of Sri Venkateswara Temple,
Pittsburg
performed the ground- breaking ceremony. There was a heavy down pour of rain
through out the day, as though the Gods were blessing the event from heavens.
Actual construction was started on June 27, 1993 and the buildings were
completed in May 1994. Mr. Jamnu Tahiliani, a founding member of ICCT and a
renowned structural engineer, graciously donated his time and expertise and
designed earthquake-resistant buildings of long durability.
To provide continuity of leadership and stability to the
organization, in December 1992, the Board of Trustees was created and the
by-laws were amended to transfer the authority to conduct business of ICCT from
the Board of Directors to the Board of Trustees. This bi-cameral system of
government lasted until 1996.
Sri Srinivasacharya Vedala of Oklahoma city set the muhurtham for Prana
Prathishta during June 17-19 of 1994. It was done with great religious fervor
by six priests from Chicago and New York, under the direction of Sri Varadaraja Bhattar
of Sri Venkateswara
Temple, Pittsburg. The vibration of Veda mantras
chanted by the Priests filled the air creating an atmosphere reminiscent of
Nymisaranya - an abode of Rishis in ancient India. The celebrations were aptly
concluded with a soul stirring devotional concert by Smt. Shobha Raju. By
sending his saffron robe through her, His Divine Grace Sri Bhagawan Satya Sai
Baba blessed the entire event.
Sri Srinivasa Nanduri (Vasudeva) and Sri Ramachandra Bhatt were
appointed as priests. Soon after the 40 days of Mandalabhishekams were
completed, Sri Ramachandra Bhatt left leaving the burden of maintaining the
temple on the shoulders of Vasudeva. He fulfilled this responsibility admirably
against all odds until February 1995. Two senior Priests from Tirumala
Tirupathi Devasthanam - Sri Venkata Satyanarayana Charyulu Narayanam
(Vaikhanasa Agama) and Sri Satyanarayana Malladi (Karana Agama) arrived in time
for Maha Siva Ratri and started establishing the Agama-based worship. Sri Rama
Parivar, Garuda and Nandi Prathista were done on the first anniversary in June
1995. Brahmotsavam for Lord Venkateswara and Navaratri celebrations for Sri
Durga were conducted by them in October 1995 strictly according to the agama
sastras. By the grace of God, nine different vahanas for nine days of
procession mysteriously materialized. The volunteers who built these had no
prior experience and their only qualifications were faith and devotion. Even
today ours is the only temple in North America
that conducts these festivals as prescribed in the Agamas. The second
anniversary was celebrated with Poolangi Seva to Lord Venkateswara and Annabhishekam
to Lord Siva in 1996. Since then these have become annual events attracting
devotees from all around the country. Since 1996, a pictorial annual calendar
has been published-thanks to the yeoman service of Mr. Vidyadhar
Wundavalli.
To streamline the administration of the Temple, the by-laws were amended in 1996 to
abolish the Board of Directors and to make the Board of Trustees the sole
authority to conduct the business of ICCT. The community at large was
represented by annually electing two trustees from the voting members. All the
decisions are made by the active Trustees at their monthly meetings and are
implemented by the Executive Committee with the help of seven auxiliary
committees.
In August 1997, inspired by and with the blessings and guidance of
Sri Vidyananda Giri and Sri Swami Paripoornananda of Vyasasram, Tirupathi, Sri
Venkateswara Adbhuta Santi Maha Yagnam was conducted. This Maha Yagnam was
spiritually uplifting to all the participants and enhanced the aura of the Temple. Thus ours was the
first Temple in North
America to conduct a Yagna. Since then we have conducted eight
yagnas:
1998 - Sri Maha Rudra Yagam Sri
Kumara Swamy of Saiva Siddhanta Church,
Kauai - Presiding
1999 - Sri Maha Lakshmi Yagam Sri
Swamy Vidyananda Giri of Vyasasram, Tirupathi - Presiding
2000 - Sri Chandi Maha Yagnam Sri
Chandrakali Matha of Kali
Gardens, Nambur -
Presiding
2001 - Maha Ganapathy Yagam Sri
Somanatha Maharshi, Vanasthalipuram - Presiding
2002 - Sri Sudarsana Maha Yagnam Sri
Somanatha Maharshi, Vanasthalipuram - Presiding
2003 - Sri Skanda Maha Yagam Sri
Ganapathy Sacchidananda Swamiji of Dattapeetam, Mysore - Presiding
2004 - Sri Rama Taraka Mantra Sri
Paripoornananda Swamiji of Vyasasram, Maha YagnamTirupathi - Presiding
In addition, Sri Sivaya Subramuniya Swami of Kauai
presided Ganesh Chaturthi celebrations in the year 2000. Acharya Khemchand of Nepal conducted
several Bhagavat Pravachans. Sri Dhood Dhari Baba of Nepal and Anantha Acharya of
Brindhavan conducted Ramayan Pravachans. All these great saints added sanctity
and aura to the Temple
with their visits.
To promote broad based participation of the community in the
completion of Temple construction, Sahasranama
Mala project was conceived in November 1999, which has been a great success in
generating donations from all the segments of Hindu community from all over the
North America.
In 2001 a Children
School was launched
successfully-thanks to the efforts of Drs. Bina and Ashok Rao and Mrs. Priya
Rao. The children are taught basics of Hinduism, prayers, and slokas as per the
syllabus of Arsha Vidya Gurukulam.
Nine Shilpis from Chennai arrived in May 2001, to Indianize the Temple. The community is
great full to Dr. N.V. Ragahavaiah for guarantying $300,000 and fulfilling the
commitment through personal donations and collection of funds from the
community. Our Shilpis Sri Loganathan Chinaswamy, Sri Perumal Shanmugam, Sri
Gandhi Ramasamyvelar, Sri Aranganathan Kannan, Sri Ananthan Chidambaram, Sri
Manikandan Haridoss, Sri Sanjeevi Raj Gurusamy, Sri Senthil Kannan
Thiruneelakantan, Sri Viswanathan Muthuvairuasari, under the guidance of Sri
Muthaiah Sthapathi have done a marvelous job Indianizing the temple. They
poured their heart and soul into their work and created an architectural master
piece of unparalleled beauty. Their services were sincerely appreciated by the
Hindu community with pride and gratitude.
Sri Somanatha Maharishi laid the foundation stone for the
Multipurpose Ceremonial Pavilion during Sri Sudarsana Maha Yagnam and the
building was completed and occupied in February 2005. The much-awaited priest
quarters were built and occupied in December 2002. Mr. Phanendra Devineni’s
services in expediting the construction of the priest quarters and the
Multipurpose Ceremonial Pavilion are invaluable. Using his engineering and
business management background, he helped complete these two projects in a
timely manner and within the planned budget. It is anticipated that he will
play a major role in planning & construction of future projects.
In 2002, once again the by-laws were rewritten by an ad-hoc
committee and were approved by the Board of Trustees with a two-third majority.
A constitution was written adopting Vaikhanasa Agama and Karana Agama-based
temple worship for eternity.
At the suggestion of Dr. Sreedhar Rao Rayudu, voluntary Annadanam
on Saturdays was implemented since January 2003 and it was enthusiastically
embraced by the community.
Even though our temple is 11 years-old, it is recognized
nationally for its traditional worship. The credit goes to our priests - Sri
Satyanarayana Charyulu Narayanam, Sri Venkata Krishna Sai Swarna, Sri Kiran
Narayanam, Sri Vijaya Prasad Murikipudi for their devotion to their duties and
loyalty to the organization. Especially, Sri Satyanarayana Charyulu and Sri
Venkata Krishna Sai deserve a special mention for their commitment to the
growth of our temple and to their excellent rapport with the community. They
were instrumental in raising large donations. We are fortunate to have these
two extra ordinary priests and it is a matter of pride for our temple, as these
two individuals are in constant demand to perform Kumbhabhishekams of other
temples throughout North America.
Many young community members have volunteered their time and
services to create a warm welcoming atmosphere to the temple visitors and to
spread the message of the temple through various media. Mr. Durga Prasad Koka
designed a beautiful website which was further refined into a dynamic website
by the efforts of Mr. Prabhakar Thippana. Mr. Murali Chandrashekaran donates
his precious time to help priests carry out the rituals in the temple and to
teach Yoga to the children. Mr. Sudhir Agrawal, with his knowledge of
accounting & financial planning, provided invaluable service in obtaining
tax exempt status for the ICCT and establishing policies & procedures for
proper accounting.
These 25 years have been a trying but rewarding years in turning a
dream into reality. The Temple has become a
focal point to the Hindus of mid-south region of USA. Many people have struggled to
bring the project to this level with their generous contributions of hard
earned money, precious time and emotions. It’s really gratifying to see little
children experiencing the timeless traditions of Vedic culture and this makes
the entire struggle worthwhile.
The master plan for the project envisions a meditation garden, an
Arch, a Pushkarini, a Community Center and a Performing Arts Center in the 3rd
phase of development. Two additional acres of land were acquired to accommodate
these ambitious plans. Now it is up to the new generation of community leaders
to take this organization to new heights and I am sure they will rise to the
occasion.
Endaro Mahanu Bhavulu. Andariki Vandanamulu
(So many great souls. My salutations to all.)
Sarve Jana Sukhino Bhavantu
Om Santi : Santi : Santi :
Om Tat Sat Om
Temple Timings
Mon - Fri:
8:00 AM - 12:00 PM
5:00 PM - 8:00 PM
Sat - Sun:
8:00 AM - 8:00 PM
Address
12005, Hwy 64 E.
Eads, TN - 38028
Phone: 901-202-6070
Temple Deities
Our temple has 9 shrines in its complex. The main shrine of our temple is Lord Venkateshwara along with his consorts Sridevi, Bhudevi & Dwara-Palakas ( Jaya & Vijaya). The temple consists of both Vaishnavite ( i.e. people who worship Lord Vishnu ) and Shaivite ( i.e. people who worship Lord Siva) deities. Given below is a brief description of each temple:Sri Rama Parivar, Radha Krishna , Sri Chandramouliswara, Parvathi Devi, Ganesha, Valli, Devasena Sahita Sri Subrahmanyeswara
Priests:
Venkata Satyanarayana Charulu Narayanam, Venkata Krishna Sai Swarna,
Sri Kiran Narayanam, Pradeep Kumar Deevi
Daily Schedule
Note: This lists only the schedule for nitya poojas. For any special occasion, you will receive an email or check the home page regularly.|
Mon
- Fri (Morning)
|
|
|
8:00 am
|
Suprabhatam
|
|
8:30 am
|
Nitya Pooja for Lakshmi, Bhudevi, Ram Parivaar & Radha
Krishna.
Nitya Abhishekam & Pooja for Siva,Parvathi, Ganesh & Murugan. |
|
9:00 am
|
Thomala Seva
|
|
9:30 am
|
Venkateswara Sahasranama Archana
|
|
10:00 am
|
Maha-Nivedana & Aarathi
|
|
Sat
& Sun (Morning)
|
|
|
8:00 am
|
Suprabhatam
|
|
8:30 am
|
Nitya Pooja for Lakshmi, Bhudevi, Ram Parivaar & Radha
Krishna.
Nitya Abhishekam & Pooja for Siva,Parvathi, Ganesh & Murugan. |
|
9:00 am
|
Bhudevi, Ram-Parivaar, Radha-Krishna Abhishekam as
scheduled. (Sunday only)
|
|
9:30 am
|
Venkateswara Abhishekam (Saturday only)
|
|
12:00 noon
|
Maha-Nivedana & Aarathi
|
|
Mon
- Sun (Evening)
|
|
|
5:30 pm
|
Nitya Abhishekam for Siva
|
|
6:00 pm
|
Nitya Pooja for all deities
|
|
7:00 pm
|
Nivedana & Aarathi
|
|
8:15 pm
|
Ekanta Seva
|
|
Friday
(Evening)
|
|
|
6:00 pm
|
Lakshmi Sahasranama Archana
|
|
6:30 pm
|
Lalitha Sahasranama Archana
|
19th Temple Anniversary Celebrations
June 19th to 23rd, 201319th Temple Anniversary Celebrations will be performed between June 19th to 23rd. All are welcome to participate and get the blessings.
Sri Ekavimshati Kundatmaka Dhanvantri Sahita Geeta Maha Yagnam
Sri Ekavimshati Kundatmaka Dhanvantri Sahita Geeta Maha Yagnam will be performed between May 8th to May 12th, 2013 under the guidance of Sri Siddheswarananda Bharati Swamiji from Siddheswara Peetham, Courtallam, Tamil Nadu, India. This yagnam is being performed by 21 Ritviks at 21 Homakunds for the betterment of the community and to promote universal peace and prosperity, promote tolerance and respect among various faiths and to resurrect, protect and preserve Sanatana Dharma.
Every Saturday - 1:00 pm to 2:30 pm
Sanskrit classes will be conducted every Saturday at the Multi Cultural Pavilion (hall where Navagraha idols are installed). All are welcome. There are no charges or fees to attend the classes. Mr. Sabyasachee Mishra will be leading and teaching Samskrit. If you are interested, please contact hisabya@gmail.com
(Effective from 01 Jan 2010)
1. Wear Conservative and Traditional clothing. Jeans, Shorts,
T-Shirts with slogans, Sweat Pants & Sweat Shirts are not allowed.
2. Must have Tilak on forehead to enter the Temple.
3. Leave your shoes in the shoe racks only.
(Effective from 01 October 2012)
- All kitchen usage must be scheduled through the Annadanam committee.
- For Saturday Annadanam, ICCT Kitchen opens at 8:00 am. The food (Prasadam) needs to be ready by 11:30 am to offer for Naivedyam.
Sri Siddheswarananda Bharati Swami, formerly known as Dr. Prasadaraya Kulapati was born on 23rd January 1937 at Elchur, Prakasam district, Andhra Pradesh into the Potaraju family - a family with a rich literary tradition of four generations of poets and scholars. Swamiji learned Sanskrit and Telugu traditionally and by age nineteen had already gained fame for his asu-kavitam and avadhanam skills. Having secured a B.A. from Guntur Hindu college, M.A. and Ph.D from Sree Venkateswara university, Swamiji returned to Guntur Hindu College in 1956 and worked over the next 40 years as a Lecturer, Professor, Head of Department and retired as its Principal in 1998. During his glorious literary career Sri Swamiji was honored by various organizations with titles such as "Avadhani Saraswati", "Sahiti Sarvabhouma", "Saraswati Kanthabharana", "Rupaka Samrat", "Kavita Sudhakara" etc.
Sri Swamiji has attained several siddhis and has realized the highest spiritual states. Sri Swamiji has enjoyed fruitful spiritual relationships with such renowed masters such as Jillellamoodi Amma, Rasa Yogi Sri Radhika Prasad Maharaj and His Holiness Mouna Swami of Courtallam. His Holiness Sri Siddheswarananda became the 5th Pontiff of the 95 year old Sri Siddheswari Peetham, Courtallam, Tamil Nadu on 19th December 2002.
Personal Services
Abhishekam - One DayAbhishekam sponsorship for one time to a Deity as per schedule |
Aksharabhyasam
Sponsorship for Education initiation ceremony
|
Annaprasana (Baby feeding)Annaprasana sponsorship for baby feeding ceremony |
Bhoomi Pooja (Ground Breaking)Bhoomi pooja sponsorship for ground breaking ceremony |
Gruha PravesamGruha Pravesam sponsorship |
Gruha Pravesam with Homam/Satyanarayana PoojaGruha Pravesam with Homam/Satyanarayana pooja sponsorship |
HomamSponsorship for Homam |
KalyanotsavamSponsorship for Kalyanotsavam |
Kesakhandana (Hair Offering)Kesakhandana Sponsorship for Hair Offering |
Namakaranam (Naming Ceremony)Namakaranam Sponsorship for Naming Ceremony |
NischitarthamSponsorship for Nischitartham |
PunyahavachanamSponsorship for Punyahavachanam |
Sahasranama Archana - One DaySponsorship for One Day Sahasranama Archana |
Satyanarayana PoojaSponsorship for Satyanarayana Pooja |
Seemantham - Baby ShowerSponsorship for Seemantham |
Shastyabdhapoorthi - 60th BirthdaySponsorship for Shastyabdhapoorthi |
Upanayanam - Sacred Thread CeremonySponsorship for Upanayanam |
Vahana (Vehicle) PoojaSponsorship for Vahana (Vehicle) pooja |
Vivaham - Wedding CeremonySponsorship for Vivaham |
|
ICCT Previous Yagnams
Our YagnamsIn August 1997, inspired by and with the blessings and guidance of Sri Vidyananda Giri and Sri Swami Paripoornananda of Vyasasram, Tirupathi, Sri Venkateswara Adbhuta Santi Maha Yagnam was conducted. This Maha Yagnam was spiritually uplifting to all the participants and enhanced the aura of the Temple. Thus ours was the first Temple in North America to conduct a Yagna. Since then we have conducted these yagnas:
1997 - Sri Venkateswara Adbhuta Santi Maha Yagnam, Sri Vidyananda Giri and Sri Swami Paripoornananda of Vyasasram, Tirupathi - Presiding
1998 - Sri Maha Rudra Yagam, Sri Kumara Swamy of Saiva Siddhanta Church, Kauai - Presiding
1999 - Sri Maha Lakshmi Yagam, Sri Swamy Vidyananda Giri of Vyasasram, Tirupathi - Presiding
2000 - Sri Chandi Maha Yagnam, Sri Chandrakali Matha of Kali Gardens, Nambur - Presiding
2001 - Maha Ganapathy Yagam, Sri Somanatha Maharshi, Vanasthalipuram - Presiding
2002 - Sri Sudarsana Maha Yagnam, Sri Somanatha Maharshi, Vanasthalipuram - Presiding
2003 - Sri Skanda Maha Yagam, Sri Ganapathy Sacchidananda Swamiji of Dattapeetam, Mysore - Presiding
2004 - Sri Rama Taraka Mantra Maha Yagnam, Sri Paripoornananda Swamiji of Vyasasram, Tirupathi - Presiding
2005 - Maha Kumbhabhishekam, Sri Ganapathy Sacchidananda Swamiji of Dattapeetam, Mysore - Presiding
2006 - Sri Vijaya Durga Yagam, Mataji Karunamayi Nellore - Presiding
2007 - Ashtottara Satakundatmaka Ashtamukha Gandabherunda Narasimha Mahayagnam, Mataji Karunamayi Nellore - Presiding
2008 - Maha Mrityunjaya Yagnam, Mataji Karunamayi Nellore - Presiding
2009 - Ashta Lakshmi Yagnam, Mataji Karunamayi Nellore - Presiding
2010 - Sri Lakshmi Ganapthi Maha Yaga Sahitha Sri Chakra Prana Prathishta, Mataji Karunamayi Nellore - Presiding
2011 - Ashtottara Shatakundatmaka Sri Rama Raksha Ashtakshari Maha Yagnam Mataji Karunamayi Nellore - Presiding
2012 - Sapta Vimsathi Nakshatra Purvaka Shanmukha Yagnam, Sri Paripoornananda Giri Swami of Vyasasramam, Tirupathi - Presiding
Contact Information
India Cultural Center and Temple12005 Hwy 64
Eads, TN 38028
Phone: 901 202 6070
Email: icct@icctmemphis.org
Om Tat Sat
(Continued...)
(My
humble salutations to the great devotees
, wikisources and Pilgrimage tourist guide for the
collection )
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