Write to us at:
Berlin Hindu Mahasabhai e.V. c/o Sri Mayurapathy Murugan Tempel
Riesestraße 20-22 / Ecke Blaschkoallee 48
12347 Berlin
PressContact: Thiagarajah
Mobile: 0171 - 526 73 07
Donations are welcome at:
Konto: Berlin Hindu Mahasabhai e.V. Berliner Volksbank
Konto Nr.: 2056130007
BLZ: 100 900 00
BIC - BEVODEBB
IBAN: D
E 69 1009 0000 2056130007
The History of the Sri Mayurapathy Temple Berlin
The „Sri Mayurapathy Murugan Temple Berlin“, based in the capital of Germany, belongs to the few Hindu temples in the western hemisphere. The temple was constructed by nine Sri Lankan Tamils in the year 1991 – as a place to offer safety to the needy, listen to the prayers of the believers, to cleanse them of their sins and bless them. The inauguration of the temple was celebrated in a religious ceremony, the Kumbabishekam, under the guidance of Hindu high priest Siva Sri Parameswara Gurukkal. At the same time, an assembly consisting of 200 members was founded, known to this day under the name “Berlin Hindu Mahasabai e.V.”. 11 members from this group are regularly voted to be part of the managing committee as dictated by German law. The particularity of this committee lies in its election of the God Sri Mayurapathy Murugan as the chairman of the board. Hence they consider this God to be the leader of their temple and themselves only to be his 11 assistants. This makes sure that no one individual can claim a privileged position in the temple. In order to monitor the actions of the committee, an additional supervisory board consisting of five members was installed. The supervisory board is elected every four years, while the term of office for the board only lasts two years. Over time, thanks to the efforts of the board and the financial support of the Berlin population, the (small) facilities of the temple were bought and turned into a joint property. Another particularity of this temple stems from its commitment as the only and first temple in the whole of Europe to stage – without exception – six poojas every day. Moreover, every Tuesday, meditations are performed for the well-being of the homeland Sri Lanka and the spreading of peace and happiness on earth, while every Friday, meditations for one’s own well-being and that of one’s family are performed. The most important time of year for the temple takes place in the month of August, in concordance with the relevant days of the native Nallur Tempel in Sri Lanka. On the 24th of these holy days, the God Sri Mayurapathy Murugan and his wives Valli and Deevaanai are led out of the temple on a theer (float) constructed especially for these means. The procession which follows goes around the block, while sung prayers and dances accompany the special rituals. In the early years, for all these rituals and daily poojas, a high priest and a priest were flown in from Sri Lanka. As of now, these procedures are performed by priests from the neighboring country of our homeland, from India. Over time, the yearning of the members of the assembly, of the Berlin populace and other believers to build a temple for the god Sri Mayurapathy Murugan based on the holy prescriptions grew large. To achieve this, the members bought a property in Berlin Neukölln, Riesestr. 20-22/at the corner of Blaschkoallee on the 30th of May, 2008. The bhoomi pooja, the celebratory initiation of the building ground took place on the 22nd of June 2008 in attendance of all believers. On the 4th of April 2009, the laying of the first stone was finally done in the presence of the mayor of Neukölln and several believers. The new temple for our God has by now been erected thanks to his blessing and in spite of some hindrances. The building is equipped with a Gopuram that reaches into the sky and it boasts divine beings made of stones, which can also be found on the various altars (little ashrams). All constructional work was done under the supervision of the Berlin building board by German building companies. Carpenters and stone masons who stand in the tradition of chisel-work from Mahapalipuram were flown in from India for the construction of the altars, the Gopuram and all the doors and gates. The temple, which is still in its final stage of completion, is visited daily by many people. There are still many tasks for us to be done in the upcoming time, though. It is gratifying for us to note that the loyal believers and other contributors transfer at least the amount of 10 EURO every month onto the bank account mentioned below. This financial support is not only a big help, but also guarantees some inner stability for the temple and helps its continuous development. The “Berlin Hindu Mahasabai e.V.” is looking forward to the speedy completion of the temple construction and asks of God Sri Mayurapahi Murugan the performance of the Kumbabishekam this year. We inform you at this point in time, that the history of our temple will continue very soon and meanwhile remain, yours faithfully. Berlin Hindu Mahasabai e.
