On the evening of the 30th, members of the community met in a temporary temple inside a house on the property to conduct the first portion of the weekend's rituals that involved consecrating kalasa (water pots) by invoking the presence of twenty-seven stars and worshipping them as they were present in the kalasa.  On the morning of the 31st, sponsoring couples were given the kalasa by the priest and carried them outside to the location of the groundbreaking.
 
 

Outside, the rituals included making offerings of precious metals and stones and nine grains to Bhumi into an open concrete cube that becomes part of the temple foundation.  Then, the sponsoring couples poured the contents of some of the kalasa over the foundation stone after the offerings had been placed in the foundation stone.
 
 

The foundation stone, filled with the grains, metals, and stones and consecrated with the water was sealed with concrete.  The various sponsors and anyone willing to commit to supporting the temple were invited to place the cement over the foundation stone.
 
 

Following the Bhumi Puja and the "groundbreaking" the two priests conducted the fire sacrifice, homa.  An aluminum roasting pan served as the Vedi, or fire altar.  While they chanted Vedic mantras, the priests made offerings to the fire of ghee (clarified butter) and various foods.  Towards the end of the fire sacrifice, a temple leader collected offerings of money and precious metal that were then placed in the fire.  The fire carries the offerings directly to Lord Venkateswara.
 
 
 

Visit their official website
 

Return to:
List of Temples

North Carolina section of the List of Temples

SE Temples Home

Please send me your comments and additions to this site at sramey@email.unc.edu.
All images are copyrighted and can be used only with permission.
     Last updated by Steven Ramey
     21 February 1999