Navi Mumbai: Malayalees unite to build Ayyappa temple at Kharghar

For thousands of Malayalees from Kharghar Friday was a special day as the dream they had worked for the past few years and contributed to an Ayyappa temple became a reality The Kharghar Ayyappa Seva Sangham KASS organised a Prathista Mahotsavam from April 14 to April 22 and the prathista was done at the temple on Friday at sector 15 KhargharSpeaking to midday Nandkumar Nair secretary KASS said The temple Thantri Brahmashri Azhakath Prakashan Namboothirippad assisted by 10 other Namboothiries took care of various poojas and ritualsLord Ayyappan being the main deity is placed in the Shree Kovil whereas Ganapathy and Annapurna Devi are the Upa devathas in the Upa temples inside the temple complexNair added The temples have been designed by Kanippayyur Krishnan Namboothirippad based on the Kerala temple architecture and the temple walls have been made out of Krishnashila The wood used is covered by copper sheets and the deities have been sculpted in single stones by Sunil Krishna and his men from Kshethropasana ThrissurWork began in 2018According to Nair the work on the temples started with an application sent to CIDCO in June 2009 followed by allotment of land 70263 sq metres for a 60 year lease against payment of R70 lakh which was sanctioned in November 2015In May 2016 Ashtamangala Devaprashnam was conducted followed by appointment of a temple thantri and architect and then work on the boundary fencing was done in October 2016 A bhoomi pooja was done in May 2017 by the temple thantri Also necessary Commencement Certificate from CIDCO was obtained and the work started in July 2018 he saidNair said apart from the pujas and rituals every evening there are cultural and spiritual programmes in the temple premises which started on April 14 with an orchestra by Baburaj and team There is also annadaanam On April 20 at 8 pm Pancha Thayambak will be performed by Mattannur Udayan Namboothri and his 20 team members who are coming from Kerala Nair added The temple construction cost over a crore and in the second phase we intend to construct a temple Gopuram gate tower and a multipurpose hall with a seating capacity for 200 people The estimated expenses will be in crores and we are hopeful that our members will wholeheartedly support this tooNair added After consecration of the deities on Friday the temple will remain shut for public darshan for two days though the rituals will continue and finally on April 22 at 530 am the temple will be opened again for the public thereafter for daily darshan 530 am to 1000 am and 530 pm to 1000 pmSculptor speaksSunil Krishna 49 worked in a private cargo company in Vile Parle and stayed in Kalamboli when he shifted base to Thrissur and learnt vastu from Vastu Gurukulam in Pathanamthitta Kerala almost 13 years agoToday Sunil runs a temple construction company called Kshethropasana Thrissur which employs nearly 300 artisans 60 per cent of who are from Kerala and 40 per cent from Tamil Nadu He is credited with constructing nearly 200 temples across India and one in Malaysia He is constructing a similar temple in Mira RoadSunil said It took nearly five months to complete the Ayyappa temple in Kharghar with the help of 60 men Nearly 50 tons of special Krishnashila stones were selected from Tirpur in Tamil Nadu and 1400 kg of pure copper from Haryana was used to cover the roof of the shrineWe transported the stones to Kharghar and did the entire carving work on the stones and even made the deities at the temple site as special care and rituals are followed as the construction work progresses he saidAll stone carving for KASS Ayyappa temple is carefully joined the deity idol is made in single stone and to protect the stone and to extend its life we have used traditional methods to make special paste to give the black shade which will be redone after three years These stones as per vedic temple records have a life of over 2000 years with no repairs or maintenance required he saidSunil has constructed the triplicate Ayyappa Devasdhanam in Johor Malaysia Asked the meaning of triplicate Sunil said The original Ayyappa temple is in Sabrimala Kerala followed by a replica in Tamil Nadu The third replica in Johor Malaysia I made in the year 2016Catch up on all the latest Mumbai news crime news current affairs and also a complete guide on Mumbai from food to things to do and events across the city here Also download the new midday Android and iOS apps to get latest updates