BRAMPTON: More than 200 people attended a meeting at the Guruvayurappan Temple (Lord Krishna) temple in Brampton on Sunday to hear details of the installation of the main idol to be held next year.
The auspicious time and date have been fixed for Monday, July 8, 2019. The installations of the main idol and two others will be completed in nine days of religious ceremonies and rituals along with a celebration of the ancient temple arts of Kerala.
The rituals include Kriyas and Kalasham, Kodiyettam, Aaraattu, Ulsavam which will add up to approximately 16 to 20 days, during which ancient Sanskrit verses and incantations will be done.
Additional priests – who are qualified and experienced in the Tantrik system of Kerala temple installations – will arrive to help the head priest of the Brampton temple.
The prayers are to invoke the divine force to enter the idols and the temple space. There will also be a troupe of percussionists with their unique Kerala drums.
Most of the items carved in stone, bronze pooja items, pooja vessels etc. have already been received.
Unni Oppath, who is a Kathakali artiste and volunteer at the temple, gave details about the cultural festival that will be part of the installation ceremonies.
Currently, sculptors from Kerala are putting the finishing touches and engravings to the stone structures of the three sanctorums.
President of the temple board, Dr. P. Karunakaran Kutty, said: “The Temple needs all of your whole-hearted support in person, time, money, and whatever is in your capacity. We will need teams of devotees to start working, without any delay, for this grand occasion with full commitment.”
The head priest Divakaran Namboothiri officially presented a list of items and the program for the July 2019 event to the temple’s board of directors.
The temple, located at 2580 Countryside Dr, Brampton, relies on donations made by devotees. The outer structure, based on Kerala architetcure, is complete.