REUNION, FRANCE, September 28, 2007: The kumbhabhishekam (dedication) of the Chinmaya Mission temple occurred on Sunday, September 9, at the Vedanta Studies Center (Centre D’Etudes Vedantiques) of Quartier Francais, in Sainte-Suzanne. The ceremony to “infuse the vital breath into the temple’s new Deities began on the 7th. Construction of the temple dedicated to Ganesha and Siva started on May 29, 2002. Five years later, it is finally complete, thanks to community funding and donations of materials and voluntary labor.
The Chinmaya Mission center of Reunion Island was born on December 11, 1982, under the impulse of Swami Pranavananda who manages the nearby Chinmaya Mission of Mauritius. In December of 1996, land was acquired in Quartier Francais, where the Centre Vedantiques ashram exists today. The ashram provides various learning opportunities: yajna (daily scriptural studies), Bala Vihar (children’s group study of culture and ethics), satsanghs (group of study and dialogue), yuva kendra ( teenage activities and karma yoga, voluntary work).
Teaching is overseen by Brahmachari Akhilesh (previously known as Alix Sevagamy). He has been affiliated with Chinmaya Mission since his youth and was inspired by the Holy Scriptures as taught by Swami Pranavananda. Former secretary of Chinmaya Mission France, Brahmachari Akhilesh has been administrator of the Reunion center since March 2003. The Center of Vedantiques is also home to the Jaya Saraswati religious organization which has been teaching yoga, painting (religious icons), devotional songs and the Tamil and Sanskrit languages since the beginning of this year.
Swami Pranavananda and Brahmachari Akhilesh warmly invited the public to attend the opening ceremonies, saying that “to take part in a Kumbabhishekam is an act of great merit for those who respect and practice Hinduism.” Now that the ashram has a temple, it will be able “to do the essential rites of Hinduism.” They also pointed out that “the traditional temple is symbolically equivalent to the body of man. One must approach it with respect and humility. This is one reason why people must remove their shoes before entering.
Address: Centres D’Etudes Vedantiques, 10, Rue Sainte Vivienne – Quartier Francais, 97441 – Sainte Suzanne – La Reunion