Community members in Christchurch celebrated the formal launch of the Christchurch Vinayagar Temple & Hindu Culture Centre with a Hindu Culture Night and fundraising event at La Vida Center on March 18, 2023.
The temple project was initiated by Sandheep Ananth Kumar and his wife Pavithra Ravi, who pledged to set up the Ganesha temple in their home after complications during the birth of their second son.
Sandheep Ananth Kumar on stage
In 2020, Kumar, who works in the property sector, and Ravi, a Bharatanatyam dancer and Carnatic music teacher, got in touch with Mahabalipuram-based statue makers to create a Ganesh statue. The stone deity, which is five feet tall and weighs about 3,500kg, was completed in 2021 and sent with all traditional protocols to New Zealand.
Kumar then took a second mortgage to set up a charity, ‘Pilliayar Koil Trust’, to start work on the private temple project. They decided to call their deity ‘Anbu Vinayagar’, meaning ‘Love Ganesha’.
Kumar got the statue installed at his house after an extensive ‘Noothana Prathishta’ and ‘Kumbhabhishekam’ performed by Chandru Gurukkal, the Chief Priest at the Lord Ganesha Temple of Papakura, South Auckland, who flew to Christchurch for the five-day long ceremony. More than 300 people were present to witness the Prathishta and receive the blessings of lord Ganesha.
Kumar set up the Pillayar Koil Trust by taking out a second mortgage to set up the private temple project. As word spread, more and more people expressed interest in having a public temple as home to the Ganesha statue.
Last week’s event kicked off a fund-raising process and formally launched the temple project in the presence of about 500 people who came to show support for this noble cause.
The event commenced with Harsha Prakash's Ganesha ‘stuti’, followed by performances from Zealandia Academy of Indian Arts students, a Hindustani classical performance by Joshua, Nelson, Liam and Maithri, and Happy Feet's lively closing performance.
The event featured a video showing the journey of the Ganesha statue from India to New Zealand and its consecration in the traditional Indian way. The team also unveiled the temple’s design at the event.
Present on the occasion were Labour MP and Minister of Housing of New Zealand Megan Woods, Christchurch Multicultural Council President Surinder Tandon, National Party candidates Hamish Campbell, Tracey Summerfield and Dale Aotea Stephens, Councillor for Riccarton Ward Tyla Harrison-Hunt, and Local Board members Dr Sunita Gautam and Shirish Paranjape.
Surinder Tandon, the Chair of Canterbury Chapter of Hindu Council of NZ, shared a message from the council and HOTA, “Let us all pledge to support this project as part of our service to the almighty and humanity. The proposed temple will not only be a place for worship, but also a centre of learning Hinduism and its rich culture. We know Hinduism is more than a religion. It is a culture, a way of life.”
The fundraising efforts have already raised $50,000 and the trust hopes to raise the remaining amount through online pledges from individuals and organisations. According to plans, the trust wants to raise $4 million to buy land, construct the temple and a cultural centre in phases.
Kumar thanked his sponsors, Wolfbrook Property Group, Nextstep Accounting, Salt On The Pier and Monty Parti - Mike Pero for making the event possible and also expressed his gratitude to Reshma Shetty and Hemant Chauhan’s team for offering a delicious community dinner for everyone.
Kumar said, “The launch of this temple project is a significant milestone for the Hindu community in Christchurch and New Zealand, as it will provide an opportunity for people of all ethnicities to learn about Hinduism and its rich cultural traditions. It will not belong to any one person but to everyone and dharma.”
The current trust management committee includes 15 people from various subcultures, including Tamil, Telugu, Kannada, Gujarati and Malayali, and also from different countries like Malaysia, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh.
Kumar and his team want community members to contribute and help create a new home for the largest Ganesha statue in the southern hemisphere. More details and information about how to contribute can be found on their website https://www.ganeshatemple.org.nz.