Holy Pilgrimage - Hindu temples in USA
Bharatiya Temple
of Lansing, Haslett, MI
955 Haslett Rd, Haslett, MI 48840.
517-339 - 6337
Bharatiya Temple of
Lansing is located at 955 Haslett
Road, Haslett, Michigan
48840 (see Directions).
Its inauguration on March 12, 1994 marked the beginning of a new era for the
Hindu community in the greater Lansing area and
was the culmination of 12 years of effort by the first group of Trustees of the
Temple (see History).
The objectives of the Temple,
as set down in its Constitution, are as follows:
- Establish permanent Hindu deities (Rama Parivar, Shiva Parivar, Radha-Krishna, Balaji, Ambadevi) in the main sanctum;
- Perform various religious activities such as traditional Puja, Bhajan, Satsang, Havan, and Arati;
- Preserve the Hindu identity (religion, culture, and traditions) for future generations;
- Promote Indian culture and values;
- Provide humanitarian services to the local and world community;
- Promote study and understanding of all religions of the world;
- Develop and maintain harmonious relations among all faiths of the world.
These pages show the
progress made on all the above fronts. For a comprehensive guide to most
aspects of the Temple,
in the form of questions and answers,
In the second half
of 1994, five groups of deities were
brought from India and
placed in the Temple
sanctum. The consecration (Maha Prana Pratishta) of these deities, a
once-in-a-lifetime event for any temple, was celebrated during June 10-14, 1998
and was a deeply satisfying event for all participants; during this ceremony,
the deities were installed in seven sanctums designed by acclaimed architect
Muthiah Sthapathi and built under his direction by a crew of skilled workers.
In November that year, three shikharas (towers) were installed on top of the
building over the sanctum area. The completion of this phase of the temple
construction was celebrated with the performance of Shikhara Kumbhabhishekam,
the ceremony of worshipfully showering the Kalasha (sacred pot) atop the
central shikhara with holy water from Kumbhas (pots), on June 26-27, 1999.
Consecration of the planetary deities, the Navagrahas, was celebrated as a
3-day event during Independence Day Weekend 2006 (June 30 - July 2, 2006).
At the request of
the Lansing-area Jain families, a separate sanctum was completed in the Temple building in 1999
for installing Jain murtis. A Svetambar murti of Bhagavan Mahavir and a
Digambar murti of Bhagavan Parsvanath arrived from India in December 1999, and their
Pratishtha was celebrated during May 26-29, 2000. Since the beginning of 2000,
Jain devotees have conducted a Puja on the 4th Sunday of every month at 11 AM
and Arati every evening at 7:30 PM.
In response to the
growing needs of the community, a temple expansion project was started in Fall
2007. The completion of the year-long project in September 2008 added several
much-needed amenities: a beautiful acoustic hall, a large dining facility, and
several other amenities, which community members are enjoying for various
functions.
A five-day Maha
Kumbhabhishekam ceremony to re-energize the Deities and mark the completion of
twelve years of the Temple
since the initial consecration of the Deities in June 1998 was celebrated on
June 9-13, 2010. The power and sanctity of the Temple depends on such periodic major
ceremonies in addition to the daily rituals.
The Temple has brought our community together,
providing the mid-Michigan Hindu and Jain community a place to practice our
religion, foster spiritual growth, and introduce the Hindu religion and culture
to our children and to those interested in learning about them. It was a
particularly proud moment for our community when East
Lansing High School's
graduating seniors held their Baccalaureate event at our Temple in May 2009. It has fostered numerous
religious, spiritual, and social programs . Moreover, the Temple has been critical to increasing the
visibility of our community in the Greater Lansing area.
Since January 1998,
the Temple has
had the services of full-time priests. For most of the time, there have been
two priests. Upon the arrival of the priests, the Temple open hours were expanded and a
schedule of two Pujas every day of the year was implemented Both priests are
available for private pujas at devotees homes or places of business. To
schedule services both in and outside the temple, please call them
either at the temple (phone number 517-339-6337) or at their homes. For
Shastriji: home phone number is 517-575-0888, cell number is 517-944-2100, and
e-mail is shastrimaharaj@gmail.com.
For Panditji: cell number is 602-363-4462 and e-mail is vedicpandit@gmail.com. Another way to
schedule their services is to contact the Temple's
Priest committee chairperson, Vani Avula, by
e-mailing to dr_avula@yahoo.com.
If you are residing
in or visiting the Lansing area, we invite you
to visit our Temple,
no matter whether your interest is to observe or to participate. For further
information about the Temple,
please call any member of the democratically-elected nine-member Board of Trustees.
We have created Links
to several Web sites devoted to Hinduism, Hindu organizations, other Bharatiya
religions, general-interest topics dealing with India, and Indian stories for
children.
Deities
- Shri Ganesha
- Shri Uma-Maheshwara
- Shri Amba Mata
- Shri Rama Parivar
- Shri Radha Krishna
- Shri Venkateshwara (Balaji)
- Shri Kartikeya (Subrahmanya)
The deities were
installed in their present configuration at the time of their Prana Pratishtha
(consecration) in June 1998, but have been at the temple for longer than that.
The deity of Shri Ganesha was a gift to the Hindu community of Lansing
in 1982 by Satguru Sivaya Subramuniyaswami of Hawaii. Shri Ganesha remained in the home of
community members Sudhakar and Usha Kulkarni for ten years, before moving to
the newly constructed temple in April 1992. All the other deities were received
from India
in the summer of 1994 and, along with Shri Ganesha, were installed in a
temporary sanctum on October 2, 1994. During the Prana Pratishtha ceremony of
June 10-14, 1998, they were permanently installed in the present sanctum,
consisting of seven small sanctums (mandaps) designed by acclaimed architect
Muthiah Sthapathi of Chennai and built under his direction by a crew of skilled
workers. The Prana Pratishtha ceremony, a procedure prescribed by the
scriptures to transform the murtis (idols) into living deities -- a
once-in-a-lifetime event for any temple -- was a deeply satisfying event for
all participants.
The temple has a
side sanctum, opening from the main sanctum, for Navagraha Devatas, the nine
planetary deities. They were consecrated in a 3-day ceremony over Independence
Day 2006 weekend (June 30 - July 2, 2006). Prior to their consecration, they
were in a temporary sanctum since September 2001.
The picture above
shows the Navagraha Devatas. In the center is Surya (Sun). In the front corner
of the picture is Chandra (Moon), and clockwise from there are: Kuja or Mangala
(Mars), Rahu (northern nodal point of the moon), Sani (Saturn), Ketu (southern
nodal point of the moon), Guru or Brhaspati (Jupiter), Budha (Mercury), and
Sukra (Venus). As per tradition, no two of them face each other.
Noteworthy statues
at the temple are those of Lord Nataraja (Dancing Siva) in the main temple hall
and of Goddess Saraswati in the library. Pictures of these are shown at:
The temple also has another sanctum where Jain murtis are worshipped.
This sanctum was
built in 1999 under the direction of Muthiah Sthapathi. He designed it in the
second half of 1998, incorporating motifs taken from the Jain temple in Mount Abu
in Rajasthan, and his team of assistants completed it in early 1999. In
December 1999, murtis of
arrived from India.
They were consecrated during Memorial Day weekend in 2000 (May 26-29, 2000).
Regular Puja Schedule
- Sunday:
Shri Ganesha
Abhishekam at 9:30 AM (60 minutes)
- Monday:
Shri Rudra Puja-Archana
at 10:15 AM (15 minutes) and Shri Rudra Abhishekam at 6:15 PM (90 minutes)
- Tuesday:
Shri Subrahmanya
Abhishekam at 10:15 AM (60 minutes); Shri Subrahmanya and Shri Hanuman
Prayer-Chanting and Puja at 7:00 PM (60 minutes)
- Wednesday:
Shri Krishna Puja-Archana
at 10:15 AM (15 minutes)
- Thursday:
Shri Rama
Puja-Archana at 10:15 AM (15 minutes)
- Friday:
Shri Navagraha
Abhishekam at 10:15 AM (60 minutes); Shri Amba Mata Puja-Archana at 11:15 AM
(15 minutes)
- Saturday:
Shri Venkateswara
Suprabhatam at 10:00 AM (30 minutes), Shri Venkateswara Abhishekam at 10:45 AM
(60 minutes).
On Sankatahara Chaturthi days:
Shri Ganesha Abhishekam is performed at
6:30 PM.
On Krittigai days: Shri Subrahmanya Abhishekam is performed at 6:15 PM.
Purnima days: Shri Satyanarayana Puja is performed at 6:15 PM.
Daily: Evening Arati for Temple Deities at 7:30 PM.
Note: Archanas requested by devotees
will be peformed at any time until the evening Arati (7:30 PM), but not after
the Arati.
First Sunday of
Month: Puja and satsang from 11:30 AM,
followed by lunch. Contact Meena Sharma, 517-347-0567.
Second Sunday of
Month:Bhakti Sangeet & Meditation, 11:30am
to 1pm
Devotional Music & Mediation conducted by Dr. Kumar Arun,
517-349-0668, kumar2786@hotmail.com.
God is omnipresent.
He resides in our heart. When we sing His glories with 'bhakti', our body &
mind starts focusing on Him as Father, Mother,Friend & Beloved. Our goal
should be to connect our consciousness with God's presence within ourselves.
Third Sunday of
Month: Havan at 11:30 AM, followed by lunch.
Contact Jai Jaglan, 517-337-8085.
Fourth Sunday of
Month: Jain Puja at 11 AM. Contact Navin Jain,
517-347-4168.
Classes at the Temple
The following classes are conducted at the Temple at
the indicated times. They are free, unless otherwise indicated.
- Chinmaya Bala Vihar
class for children every Sunday from 4:00 to 5:30 PM during the school
year. BalaVihar is a forum through which children learn about many aspects
of Hindu culture and philosophy. Children are taught according to their
level of understanding. The Chinmaya method of teaching has been
repeatedly proven to work in Bala Vihars around the world. For additional
information please visit:
http://lansingtemple.org/misc/BV-Flier-East-Lansing.pdf (BV East Lansing);
http://lansingtemple.org/misc/BV-trifold-2011.pdf (BV trifold);
http://www.chinmaya-aa.org/index.php/activities/balavihar
- Kathopnishad/Gita class for adults every Sunday, from 10:30 to noon. One complete round of studying the Bhagavad-gita has been completed. From April 10, 2011 to January 2012, the Kathopanishad is being studied, as an interlude before the Gita class is started again from the very beginning. The discussion leader is Dr. C.A. Reddy, phone: (517) 332-7836, e-mail: reddy@msu.edu.
- Class on "Sankara Bhashyam on Gita" for adults every Saturday from 11 AM to 12:30 PM. The discussion leader is Dr. K.S. Sripada Raju.
- Hindi Youth Group meets on the 1st and 3rd Sunday from 11 Am to noon. Depending on the number, the groups may be divided by High School and Middle School (grade 6-8) students. Activities include Youth Led Puja (in spring), YGEGLE (Music ensemble that plays Hindi songs), Hindi Movie nights and Potlucks and some conversational Hindi and other age-appropriate activities. For additional information, call Madan or Dianne Syal at (517)-333-2152 or email: syaldm@yahoo.com
- Yoga class weekly on Tuesday evenings (6 to 7 PM, year-round). This is a continuous, on-going, free class. It is conducted by Jennifer Leedy of Yoga Services Research Foundation, phone: (517) 694-5309, e-mail: leedyj@msu.edu.
Bharatiya Temple
BalVihar
BalVihar at the Bharatiya Temple of Lansing provides a fun-filled and wholesome way to learn about the Hindu religion, its history, culture and traditions for children of all ages. Based on their ages and exposure to Hinduism, kids attend either the young group or the youth group.
BalVihar conducts various educational activities that promote Hindu religion and values and develops spiritual awareness in children. It is held every Sunday from 10:30am to 11:30am (for young children) and 11:30 to 12:30pm (for youth), except on major holiday weekends. Registration is mandatory for attending BalVihar.
The curriculum for the younger children is festival driven. Children hear stories, learn shlokas, are involved in art activities and games for each upcoming festival. This has proven to be a fun way for children to learn about the richness of our religion and its timeless teachings.
The youth group is currently studying the Bhagavatam Purana.
The younger group learned that in the Hindu tradition, Mother's Day is celebrated every day! They heard the story of Pundarik. Vishnu was so pleased with Pundarik's service to his parents, he himself came to bless Pundarik and stayed in Pandharpur for ever!
The class has learned Sun Salutations (Surya Namaskara). They are now learning fun yoga poses such as the airplane pose, tree pose, butterfly pose and snake pose.
Bhajans are selected based on what they will be presenting in upcoming events. They are almost done learning a Rama bhajan, Aatma Nivaasi Raam. They love accompanying their song with cymbals and bells! They will present this bhajan during the SETU program on June 28. Later they will start preparing a Ganesha song, Tu Sukha Karta, in order to present it during Ganesha Chaturthi on August 23. Before that, however, they will learn a few verses from the Guru Stotram, Akhanda Mandalaakaaram.
Every Sunday after yoga and bhajan, they hear stories related to an upcoming holiday. For example, they will hear stories about famous teachers and they will share their own stories about their teachers. The next holiday after Guru Purnima is Raksha Bandhan. They will do activities pertaining to Rakshaa Bandhan. We will make Raakhees in class and will follow with a celebration of Raksha Bandhan with their siblings.
The younger group meets from
10:30am to 11:30am
The youth group meets from
11:30am to 12:30pm.
Youth Curriculum
For February 2009 The kids have been assigned a brief task of
1.
Researching, and bringing to class next
Sunday, the definitions of the words "atheist" and
"agnostic".
2.
Write (and bring with them) their own
thoughts on how they would answer the following question Nayana raised
yesterday: How can you prove to people that god is everywhere?
We discussed the 4 yugas. Next week's
assignment for the children is to research and list all the sources in the
Hindu scriptures that explain the duration of each yuga.
For April 2009 Religons that believe in reincarnation: - Hinduism
- Jainism
- Buddhism
- Sikhism
- Islam*
- Judasim
- Parsis
- Zoroastrianism
*We are not sure about this one.
For May 3, 2009 Yesterday we discussed the karma cycle. The synopsis of
our discussion is as follows. According to the Upanishads, the true nature of
the Self or soul (or Atman) is happiness and peace itself. Due to
misunderstanding the true nature of Oneself, people look outwards for
happiness. This gives rise to desires which can manifest in many ways. Some
desires might be in the form of accumulating wealth, acquiring material wealth
such as better games, cars, jewelry, clothes, a swimming pool, etc. However, while
in the process of fulfilling one desire, another emerges. This occurs because
the joy of having fulfilled one is only temporary. We start looking for that
pleasure once more, thus giving rise to new desires. As a result we weave an
endless web of causes and effects and get ensnared in them. In the process of
spiritual evolution, a person reaches a stage of realization that every time we
work toward fulfilling a desire and to enjoy the fruits, we also endure
suffering. When one reaches this realization, the person wishes to break out of
that web. We liked the suggestion of using the analogy or metaphor of a Ferris
wheel that does not ever stop. A person, having realized the endless cycle of
“ups” and “downs”, wishes to get off the Ferris wheel and be at peace for
eternity. At this point, the soul (jiva-atma) is still bound by desires and
reincarnates in different forms. By detaching oneself from the fruits of one’s
actions, the soul detaches itself from the Ferris wheel and is free forever
(which is called moksha). At this point I emphasize the fact that one cannot
abandon their duties and their roles in search of liberation. One has to evolve
into an environment that supports such a quest. Until then, they must perform
their roles as students/sons/daughters and whatever duties those entail. They
must also give it their best effort. Those that continue being part of the
Ferris wheel are stuck in the endless cycle of birth and death through the 4
Yugas. At the end of the 4th Yuga, the whole universe merges into Narayana , or
pure consciousness, which is also called Brahman. With the exception of those
souls that have liberated themselves, all others get back on the metaphorical
Ferris wheel and cycle through the next Yuga. It is believed that the same patterns
of birth, people, and beings, are repeated during each SET of Yugas. Each set
of Yuga is called a Kalpa. For example in a previous Kalpa, there was a
BalVihar with the same kids and same teacher. However, those that have
liberated themselves are replaced by other souls that are journeying through
their process of evolution. The reading of the Bhagavata purana has provided
the children many opportunities to raise such profound topics of discussion.
Next week’s assignment is to devise a way to graphically depict the karma
cycle. Assignment: Pick any of the concepts above and try to design a graphical
way to depict it.
Board of
Trustees
The
nine-member Board of Trustees of the Temple for 2012 consists of:
- Ashok Gupta, Chairperson, (517) 332-6285, drashokgupta@gmail.com
- Vani Avula, Vice-Chairperson(Priest committee chairperson), dr_avula@yahoo.com
- Padu Karna, Secretary, (517) 339-7992, karna@msu.edu
- Madan Lalwani, Treasurer, (517) 337-2086, madanlalwani@hotmail.com
- Ramesh Dedhia, Trustee, (517) 349-8213, ramesh.dedhia@qdsautomation.com
- Bidhan Redey, Trustee, (517) 381-9391, bidhan@sbcglobal.net
- Meena Sharma, Trustee, (517) 347-0567, sharmamt@aol.com
- Mathi Ramachandran, (517) 402-7493, mathi_22201@yahoo.com
- Sarala Masti, drmasti@yahoo.com
Temple Timings:
Mon-Fri: 9:30 AM to 12:30 PM; 5:30 PM to
8:30 PM;
Sat-Sun: 9:30 AM to 1:30 PM; 4:30 PM to
8:30 PM.
Community Services
1. Feed the Hungry Program
Since February 1997,
individual families associated with the Bharatiya Temple have been serving
nutritional vegetarian meals once a month at a local soup kitchen for homeless
people. Advent House Ministries, 743 North Martin Luther King Blvd., Lansing,
is letting us use their facilities for cooking and serving. Every second
Saturday of the month, we serve dinner to approximately 100 people (25
children). The cost to sponsor a meal is $ 150 to $ 200. This has been a
family-sponsored activity and not an additional burden on Temple funds. This
gratifying community service can continue only with your support. Please
consider sponsoring a meal. To sponsor a meal or for more information on this
activity, please call Ms. Susmita Patra, 517-381-9168,
e-mail: patras87@gmail.com.
2. Donations to Greater Lansing Food Bank
Jointly with the
India Cultural Society of Greater Lansing, the Temple has raised substantial
sums of money each year over the past decade for the Greater Lansing Food Bank.
The Temple has also organized several community blood drives over the years. In
2007, Mr. Jai Jaglan, a prominent volunteer and devotee of our temple, was
nominated by the Greater Lansing Food Bank for the 2007 Governor's Service
Award in the Senior Volunteer Award of Excellence category; selected as a
finalist in May 2007; and presented with the award in June 2007. These awards
recognize and celebrate the extraordinary efforts of Michigan's volunteers. The
Temple is proud to have such a volunteer among our devotees.
DONATE YOUR TIME
Please donate your time by volunteering to help with
temple programs and temple administration.
Some of the volunteer activities that sustain and
enhance the Temple activities include:
- Ensuring that kitchen and puja supplies remain stocked and available
- Organizing special events and programs for the Temple
- Staying around for cleaning after Temple events
- Helping with landscape and maintenance
- Organizing and teaching various classes at the Temple
- Managing the monthly Soup Kitchen.
To donate your time for any of these or other
activities, please contact any member of the Board.
Contact us:
Bharatiya Temple of Lansing,
955 Haslett Rd, Haslett, MI
48840.
517-339 - 6337
Directions
The Bharatiya Temple of Lansing is
located at 955 Haslett Road, Haslett, MI 48840. The phone number is
517-339-6337; Email: btldevotees@lansingtemple.org.
a. From Detroit and Ann Arbor:
I-96 West to Okemos Road (exit 110).
Turn right (north) at STOP sign, go 5 miles. Turn right (east) at Haslett Road,
go 2.5 miles (about 1 mile past the railroad track) till Haslett Road forks.
Stay in the right lane. First building on the right just after the curve is the
Temple.
b. From Flint:
I-69 West to East Lansing (exit 94). At
the second stop light, turn left (south) onto Marsh Road and go 2 miles. Turn
left (east) at Haslett Road. Go 1.3 miles till Haslett Road forks. Stay in the
right lane. First building on the right just after the curve is the Temple.
c. From Grand Rapids:
I-96 East to I-69 East (going to Flint).
Take exit 94. Follow directions as in b.
d. From Jackson:
127 North to Saginaw exit (do not take
496 Downtown exit), turn right (east) onto Saginaw. Go past Harrison, Abbott.
Stay in right lane, take Haslett Toad fork to the right. Go past Okemos Road
and Marsh Road. Cross railroad tracks. Go about 1 mile past the railroad track
till Haslett Road forks. Stay in the right lane. First building on the right
just after the curve is the Temple.
e. From Mt. Pleasant, Alma, and Midland:
27 South to exit 87, I-69 East (to
Flint). Take exit 94. Follow directions as in b.
f. From Kalamazoo and Battle Creek:
I-94 East to I-69 North to I-96 East.
Take exit 110 to Okemos Road. Turn left (north) at STOP sign, go 5 miles. Turn
right (east) at Haslett Road, go 2.5 miles (about 1 mile past the railroad
track) till Haslett Road forks. Stay in the right lane. First building on the
right just after the curve is the Temple
Om Tat Sat
(Continued...)
(My
humble salutations to the great devotees
, wikisources and Pilgrimage tourist guide for the
collection )
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