The Mahavallabh Ganapathi Sthanam of The Hindu Temple Society of North America, or Ganesh Temple as it is popularly known, located in Flushing, New York, never fails to bring peace to visitors with its pujas and aaratis, performed with accuracy according to ‘shastrokta vidhi’, the procedure prescribed in the scriptures, or in the accompaniment of chanting of slokas and prayers in correct Sanskrit.
Known for its annual Ganesh festival in New York, the temple also offers opportunity to the devotees to pay respects to other important gods and also the ‘nav grahas’ or nine planets.
Ram Navami celebration or puja at the Ganesh Temple this year, lasted for the nine days during Chaitra Navratri or Vasantha Navratri from March 29, 2025, through April 6, 2025. The festival included special pujas, homas, parayans or readings, abhishekam and Sri Ram Pattabhishekam.
According to Shiv Acharya, the Temple’s spokesperson, people kept coming through the day for the celebration. “The Pattabhishekam was on Sunday, and we had about a thousand people coming in through the day,” Acharya told News India Times.
The first day of Ram Navami was celebrated as the birthday of Ram, and not as the marriage day of Ram and Sita as is customary in the South Indian states of Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh and Telangana, where the wedding ceremony, Kalyanotsavam or Kalyanam, is celebrated along with the birth anniversary of Lord Ram.
Acharya said the temple did not celebrate the wedding as it should be performed alongside the birth celebration. “Kalyanam has to be celebrated on the first day, along with the birth celebration. We could not have it as the first day merged with Ugadi, the beginning of Vikram Samvatsara, and Gudi Padwa for which we also had some pujas,” he said.
The Mahotsavam began daily at 8:30 am with reading of the Valmiki Ramayana. Lord Ram’s birthday was celebrated on March 29th with Ram Abhishekam, Ram Sahastranaam Puja, followed by Ramayana reading once again at 4:30 pm. Sri Ram Sloka chanting took place daily at 6:30 pm, and at 7:00 pm, the Shodasa Upachara Puja took place every day.
“We had parayan of chapters of Valmiki Ramamyan every day. We began on March 29th with Bal kand and ended on April 6th with Uttar kand,” said Acharya. He said Ram Sahastranaam Parayan was part of the day’s puja. “Every evening, the devotees joined in mass chanting,” Acharya said.
Sri Ram’s birth was celebrated on the last day of the festival, April 6th, in a full day grand ceremony. “We also had Ram Janmotsav in the morning, with Lord Ram placed in the cradle,” Acharya said. The festival ended with Ram’s Pattabhishekam done according to scriptural rituals, he said.
That day’s puja began early at 7:45 am with Sri Ram Tarak Mantra Homa, followed by Abhishekam. The actual birth rituals were performed, with Jatakarma-Namkaranotsav, Dolotsav, and Aarati which were followed by devotional Ram Bhajans by Divyameena Guhan. In the evening, Sri Ram’s Pattabhishek was celebrated. The nine day Ram Navami festival at the Ganesh Temple ended with Shodasha Upachar Puja and Aarati.
The entire festival of nine days could also be watched live on facebook.com/nyganeshtemple or youtube.com/nyganeshtemple.
The Ganesh Temple offers formal instructions in religious texts, Hindu philosophy and culture and classical arts including music and dance. Chanting of prayers and mantras, and aaratis can be live streamed daily when the temple priests chant powerful slokas ending with an aarati.
Built with traditional granite stones from India, the Ganesh Temple has been the first Hindu temple in Flushing, and stands as a beautiful example of Indian temple architecture. A commemorative book on the temple’s history is available to be purchased at the temple.
