OUR STAY AT FREMONT, CALIFORNIA US

OUR STAY AT  FREMONT, CALIFORNIA, US.

Finishing our visit to London, New Castle and the Lake Districts, we arrived at San Francisco on August 30, 2016. We were received at the airport by our son and driven to his residence at  Fremont. We had a momentous period during our stay there. We were visiting his new house for the first time and it gave us immense pleasure. This time we had a wonderful spiritual ambience at Fremont as the Hindu temple was at a walking distance from the house. On the occasion of my son’s Birthday a few events were arranged which were purely spiritual! Rudrabhishekam was grand creating divine vibrations among all of us. A lecture on Nadopasana by Sri Saravana Priyan led us into the intricacies Omkara and a few compositions of Saint Thyagaraja and some other composers. September concluded with an inspiring Sai Bhajan by the Prasanthi Bhajan group that was elevating and soul stirring! The proximity of the temple gave us an impetus to take part in many events organized there!

Fremont Hindu Temple is one of the many important temples in California. Spread out in a vast area, and managed by a private Trust, it has a big hall for all the important deities worshipped by the Hindu community. Shirdi Sai, Vinayaka, Radha, Krishna, Rama, Lakshmana, Sita, Hanuman, and Devi occupy the main hall in their bedecked glory and glittering apparel! In the adjacent annexe stand the majestic Someswara, Venkateswara, Padmavati, Kodandarama,and Jagannath idols beautifully decorated! There are separate sannidhis for Ayappa, Subramanya, Vinayaka and the Navagrahas. In between, Lord Siva sits in meditation on an elevation with the crescent Moon and the Ganga pouring out in a stream down! It is really gratifying to note that the Indian diaspora have maintained their religious and cultural identity by establishing temples all over America! All Hindu festivals and other important days are observed without fail mostly during the weekends and evenings of weekdays to suit the convenience of local people. Most of the people visit the temple in traditional Indian dress-saris. A few come with shorts and all with socks on. Devotees bring fruits, flowers and sweets and offer to the deities. Oil for lamps, pulses, sugar are also offered to the deities and distributed as prasadam

October ushered in Navarathri and homes and temples were decorated with lamps and colorful festoons. Kolus were arranged in homes like in India. Ladies and young girls in their exquisite pattu saris  visited the  Kolus in their friend's homes. Devi alankaram as Durga, Lakshmi, and Saraswathi and Mahishasuramardini excelled in all temples. Chandi homam was performed in a few temples in Fremont! In short, festive mood dominated throughout the puja days along with hectic activity. We did not feel like staying in America at all. It was like a mini India. Dipavali was the next festival. In America no festival is celebrated during the weekdays! All are performed

during the weekends! You are not allowed to fire crackers on streets and public places. There is no comparison between Indian Dipavali and that in America. It is on a very low key. Following Dipavali came the sacred month of Karthik corresponding to  November and sacred to Lord Siva!

The archaka in the Hindu temple, from the famous Siva shrine Kalahasthi in India, is a dynamic and passionate person! He is deeply religious and scholarly. He is well versed in sastras and rituals. I have not seen any other person so devout, and sincere in conducting worship! His chanting of Mahnyasam and Sri Rudram with a metallic voice is a treat to watch and hear! Daily abhishekam to Lord Siva was the speciality of the month. We attended them and relished the divine vibrations. Sahasra Deepa alankaram on the full moon day was amazing and drew large number of devotees! Then came the Sahasra Spatika Linga puja and abhishekam that was equally outstanding! It was a symbolic journey of crossing the 16 avaranas, worshipping the respective deities and reaching Kailash, the abode of  Lord Siva! Most astounding of all was the Laksha Rudraksha alankaram in which the Siva Linga is wrapped in one lakh Rudraksha beads! On the last day, the New Moon day, after abhishekam, the Rudrakshas were removed and a new sparkling alankaram was done. Lord Someswara rode on His Nandi in procession!

My son organized a series of cultural events like spiritual discourse and music concerts during the interval between abhishekam and alankaram. Local musicians rose to the occasion and rendered a feast for the ear. This maiden attempt was a grand success. Devotees appreciated the arrangement. Thus our stay till the end of November was spent with devotional and spiritual fervor! It was rare opportunity for us to be here at this time of the year. Closely following is the Koti Kumkumarchana  for Devi for which a special MahaMeru is being brought from India! Many ladies have enlisted themselves already! We are sure this too will be a grand success! We are looking forward to the graduation ceremony of our grandson from Berkeley University in December and shall be leaving for India by early January,2017. It is a memorable trip this time though it was pretty chill and rainy in Fremont!