LOUISVILLE, KENTUCKY, June 12, 2011 (Courier Journal): Several hundred worshippers, many in colorful saris and other traditional clothing of India, attended the biggest ceremony held at the Hindu Temple of Kentucky since its opening in 1999 in northeast Jefferson County on about 20 acres of donated land.
Amid a cacophonous sounding of bells and conchs, the burning of incense and the shouts of praise, priests stood on the temple rooftop and poured holy water through skylights onto the shrines of Hindu Deities. They chanted blessings and surrounded the shrines with offerings of carnations, milk, honey, and saffron and other spices.
The ceremony is known as Maha Kumbhabhishekam — a Hindu tradition held only once every 12 years to infuse new sacred energies into the temple Deities.
Shriya Ganti, 14, of Louisville, said she had seen many ceremonies at individual shrines, or mandhirs, within the temple, but never something like this — with priests from throughout North America literally showering blessings on all of them the same day. “It shows how important Hinduism is and how big a role the temple plays in our lives,” she said.