“This is a very rare occasion for the Kumbhabhishekam,” said Priest Ramesh Rajamani, Hindu Temple of Dayton. “This is a holy place and everyone is coming to participate in this temple function.”
The celebration has been underway since May 7, and will conclude on Sunday, May 12. Over the course of the six days, priests and pastors from other temples have been chanting holy prayers in addition to other festivities.
On Sunday, the once-in-a-lifetime ceremony will begin at 7 a.m. At 10:20 a.m., a helicopter will spray flowers.
Other highlights of the festive occasion include entertainment with Indian folklore dances and singing as well as delicious food, which will be served during lunch on Sunday from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m.
For more details and a complete schedule, go to www.daytontemple.com. Hindu Temple of Dayton priests Rajamani and Ashwani Kumar encourage the public to attend.
According to chairperson Vadak Ranganathan, it took two years of hard work to complete the building, which had water leaks and was in need of repair. He along with the priests and several other individuals including Sathish Kathula, Suseela Ramanathan and Srinivas Ragavapuram were instrumental in bringing the project to fruition.
“It is for the welfare of the communities around the temple and all the living entities in this universe,” Ranganathan said. “This successful completion of the temple hopefully going to be visited by thousands and thousands of devotees in the many years to come.”
The temple has existed for 28 years and is open seven days a week. Several hundred people usually gather at the temple throughout the week. People come from Beavercreek, Fairborn, Centerville, Dayton, Cincinnati, Lexington, Kentucky, Indiana, Columbus and Cleveland. For this sacred ceremony, visitors are expected to travel from Cincinnati, St. Mary’s, Lima and Columbus, to name a few.
“This is a grand celebration, so many people from neighboring cities are expected to come,” said Suseela Ramanathan, executive committee president.
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