MAHA GANPATHY SOCIETY OF ALBERTA
128, Running Creek Road, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada, T6J 7B1
Phone & Fax: (780) 988 5161, email: mgsa@mahaganapathytemple.com

Revenue Canada Charity Business Number: 10765 4394 RR0001

Temple Map  

Deities in the Maha Ganapathy Temple
Compiled on behalf of the Board of Trustees by Mrs. L. Somasundarampillai

Hinduism is one of the most ancient religions of the world and it has stood the test of time and is still followed by millions of people all over the world. From very ancient times it has become the tradition of the Hindus to build temples for the Gods they worship and the large beautiful temples found in India and Sri Lanka bear witness to this tradition.
Temples are not built merely by the efforts of the people alone. It is the "will of God" to come and dwell in the midst of his devotees, which ends in the completion of a temple. By residing in a temple, God imparts divine feelings and ideas in the hearts of his devotes and the poojas and prayers lead them to the goal of life - self realization. In this context, Lord Ganesha has "willed" to be among us and bless us and the outcome of this "will" is the completion of the temple.

Lord Ganesha
He is the elephant faced God, also called Vinayaga. The Vedas consider Lord Ganesha as the most powerful and loving god. He is depicted as the oldest son of Lord Siva and Parvathi. Ganesha is the Lord of Siddi and Buddi - confers success and highest wisdom to his devotees. He is the remover of all obstacles and the healer of all Karmas. Just the breaking of a coconut or even the knock on our head by our palm and the though of him are enough to get his blessings.
The Puranas quote many instances where Lord Ganesha had shown his intense love to his devotees. He broke on of his tusks to help Sage Vyasa to write the Mahabaratha. His tusks was used as a pen to write the great epic. In another instance, he made the river Kaveri to flow out of Sage Agathyer's drinking vessel to make a part of the Indian subcontinent  fertile. In every village of India and Sri Lanka, we can find a Ganesha temple and this illustrates the respect and love the people have for this almighty god.

Lord Siva and Parvathi
According to the Vedas, Lord Siva and Parvathi are considered the father and mother of the Universe. The are depicted as the parents of Lord Ganesha and Lord Muruga. By his cosmic dance, Lord Siva controls all the activities of the Universe. Without this, all the activities will be at a standstill. He is also the destroyer of all evils. He gets all his energy from his consort Parvathi, who is also called Parasakthi.

Lord Muruga, Valli, and Theivanai
Lord Muruga is the youngest son of Lord Siva and Parvathi and the youngest brother of Lord Ganesha. The Purunas describe him as a very daring and adventurous person. He killed the most valiant King Pathmasuran save the Devas and as a reward, the Deva King Indra gave his daughter Theivanai as a bride to Muruga. He has come down to the Earth many times to bless his devotees. He appeared in front of the great Tamil pet Ouvaiyar and lased her. When his ardent devotee Valli yearned for his love and waited to marry him, he accepted her love and made her his wife.

Bairavar
Bairavar is considered as the super guard for the deities. he is very fearful and energetic and destroys the evil forces which come near the deities.

Sandeswarar
In all the Hindu Temples, we can find a shrine of Sandeswarer. In the Maha Ganapati Temple there is also a shrine. After praying to all the deities it is a tradition to pray to Sandeswarer and in the end to clap the hands. Sandeswarer is depicted as a very strong devotee of Lord Siva, who spent all his life in prayers. So it was Lord Siva's wish that in every temple, Sandeswarer has to be worshipped and respected. Our prayer will be fulfilled only after we pay homage to Sandeswarer. Also, it is tradition to clap the hands, because he is always in Dyana and never opens his eyes, only if we clap our hands he will open this eyes and know that we are praying to him.

Vasantha Mandapam
It is a belief that our Hindu religion that our Gods enjoy festivals and ceremonies. Usually on certain auspicious days the main deity of the temple is taken in procession. The deity of the Moolasthanam is never taken out of its position. On festival days, a replica of the main deity is decorated well with silk dresses, ornaments and flowers and taken out on chariots or palanquins and special poojas are conducted in a place called Vasantha Mandampam before they are taken out on procession inside or outside the temple. The deities in the Vasantha Mandapam include Lord Ganesha, Lord Natarajar and Parvathi, Lord Muruga, Valli and Theivanai, Goddess Rajarajeswary Amman, Pallaniyandavar, Asthirathevar and Sandeswarar.