El Dorado Shiv Mandir installs murtis

THE El Dorado Shiv Mandir at Caura Royal Road installed seven four-foot-tall marble murtis, including a Narmada lingam and Nandi as a staphna (monument) to Hindu deities Lord Ganesh, Lord Shiva, Mother Parvati, Mother Durga and Mother Saraswati.

Nandi was the name of the gate-guardian deity of Kailasa, the abode of Lord Shiva. He was usually depicted as a bull, which also served as the mount of the Lord Shiva. The lingam was symbolic of the divine creative manifestation.

On Saturday, there was also an instalment of staphnas to Lord Rama and Mother Sita, Sri Hanuman, Lord Vishnu and Mother Lakshmi and Lord Krishna. The mandir, a member of the Sanatan Dharma Maha Sabha (SDMS), is considered one of the oldest in the western hemisphere and will observe its 106th anniversary later this year.

President of the mandir Nirmala Harrylal said the consecration of a murti was a very detailed process. It began months in advance with fasting by different groups who performed very detailed pujas that were recited before the murtis were actually taken to the temple.

When the murtis arrived at the temple on Friday, devotees lined the pathway inside the mandir and sang bhajans (religious songs) as the murtis were wheeled in on trolleys. Because of their weight, the murtis had to be placed on pedestals using a winch. One noticeable feature was that their eyes were covered with a yellow blindfold.

Asked about this, Harrylal said the murtis were not ready yet in terms of their revelation and preparation of devotees.

“When the other murtis are brought in, the pundits will say their prayers over all the murtis to invoke the life into them, and then they would remove the blindfolds,” she explained.

Sunday saw a day of worship, devotion and offerings to the murtis for the entire community. Secretary General of the SDMS Satnarayan Maharaj also made a special presentation. Harrylal said this was an emotional time for her as they had been preparing since last August for the installation.

“There were different families who came together to bring the murtis to us. This temple has been renovated as part of an almost $1 million project to prepare us to receive the murtis. This is our gift to the future generation with the presence of the deities. The executive of the SDMS, manager of the temple, the devotees, all supported the effort for the rebuilding of the temple.”

She said the temple was not only available for religious services, but for classes and meetings, with projection screens for educational purposes.