6300 Princess Garden Parkway, Lanham, MD 20706. 3015524889, www.muruganTemple.

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FUNDRAISING FOR THE RAJAGOPURAM AND TEMPLE EXPANSION PROJECT A MESSAGE FROM THE CHAIRMAN, MTNA Happy new year 2014

Article by Dr. Sridharan Iyengar, Trustee and Executive Co-Chair of MTNA Fundraising Committee. On November 23rd, 2013 there was a successful fund-raising event at MTNA with the participation of nearly 120 Murugan devotees in the Temple auditorium. The event started around 6:15pm with an invocation song by Mrs. Latha Kannan. The main entertainment was Tamil Osai a light music concert by Murugan devotees including Selvaratnam Sridharma, Chanthiran, Kulathungam, Latha Kannan, Sathya Chandran and Radhika Murali. There were two

Dear fellow Murugan,

Devotees

of

Lord

The Rajagopuram Project phase II is in good progress. Thiru Muthiah Sthapathy, the Temple architect from India, was here recently and Indianisation of the Rajagopuram and interior decorations are on the way now. The permit from the Prince George county government is likely to come shortly and we are working hard on that issue to be cleared, and then the work will go on in full swing. Our target to the end of calendar year 2013 is $ 400,000, which we have not yet achieved. Your contribution at this critical juncture is very important. Please contribute generously and all your donations are fully taxdeductible. With Lord Murugans blessings and all your continuous financial support, we will achieve our dream. Please send in all your donations as early as possible. Thanking you very much, Dr. Gopal Guruswamy, Chairman, Board of Trustees, MTNA. MTNA 2014 calendar now available

Please join us on New Years day for concerts by Ms. Sahana Narayanan (vocal) accompanied by Pavani Srikanth on violin and Vijay Ganesh on Mirudangam from 11AM to 12:30PM; and violin duet by Srikanth Mallajoysula and Pavani Srikanth accompanied by Vijay Ganesh on Mirudangam.

NRITYATRA (from 1978.A journey through dance)

On Saturday, October 19th 2013, Vatsala Srinivas, Artistic Director of Natya Kala Mandir,
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special singers who added great fun to the event: Karthika Shaji and Sabarinath. Karthika traveled from Solomons Island, MD and Sabarinath was from New Jersey area. Audio system was superbly set up by Saji
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(Continued from page 1: Nrityatra)

celebrated her 35 years of teaching Bharatha Natyam in USA. It was a joyous day and a memorable one to see all her dance students performing impeccably the pure Tanjore style of Bharatha Natyam. Vatsala Srinivas, an accomplished Bharatha Natyam dancer and choreographer, has had intensive training under renowned Guru Mahalingam Pillai of the Sri Rajajaeshwari Bahratha Natya Kala Mandir. Kurunji was the main production, where we got to witness the wedding of Valli with Lord Murugan. The dancers were outstanding and the dances were both powerful and moving. A special note of thanks to Vatsala. Vatsala, Thank you for accepting to do the fund-raiser for the Murugan Temple and you came out with "Flying Colors with Murugan Arul". I am impressed with your dedication, perfection and attention to detail. Your school's performance has been exemplary. Thank you for giving me the opportunity to work with you. I will always want to do various fund-raiser events for the needy, for now I know whom to reach. On behalf of the Murugan Temple, I thank you and Wish you everything you dream for yourself and to your family. We would also like to congratulate you for dedicating 35 years of your career to the Lotus Feet of Murugan. You have reached the "Hall of Fame" and paved the way for other professionals in the field. This journey with professionals like you has allowed me to learn Who I Am and What I can do to the society. My wishes and prayers extend to all the Participants, Parents, Sponsors and Volunteers who helped the Fund-Raiser event to be a major success! Thank You, Sivakumar Kareesan Trustee and Cultural Committee Chair. We kindly request the devotees for donations of used jeep or minivan for Temple use. Have an opinion on the newsletter? Please give your invaluable feedback to the Temple manager. Just drop or word or write a note. We want to hear from you.

(Continued from page 1: Fundraising for Rajagopuram and Temple Expansion)

who traveled from Rochester, NY. Tasty appetizers and sumptuous dinner were served; most food items were donated by nearby restaurants including Nirala, Woodlands, Madras Palace and a few items were prepared by Murugan devotees, including a freelance caterer. A number of volunteers including almost all Trustees of MTNA were present to help with the event. Devotees donated enthusiastically and generously to raise about $73,000 during fundraising. Earlier in the month of November, Dr. K. Ramaswamy, Co-Chair of the Board of Trustees of MTNA and his wife had organized a fund-raising event in Harrisburg (PA) area. Dr. Guruswamy, the Chair of the Board of Trustees, Dr. Sridharan Iyengar, Trustee and Executive Co-Chair of the MTNA Fundraising Committee and Dr. Lakshmi Iyengar traveled to Harrisburg to participate and help with the event. They shared information about the current status of Rajagopuram construction, including the budget estimate and the timeline for completion of the project. There were about 50 people at that event, but the level of enthusiasm was impressively high. With their support we raised about $30,000. Interestingly, some devotees expressed their intention to visit MTNA to volunteer their service on special occasions. The total collection of about $103,000 in the two fundraising events does not include the pledges made by devotees. This money goes in the MTNA Rajagopuram account. The Indian artisans (silpis) under the supervision of Mr. M. Srinivasan, the son of Padmasri Sri Muthaiah Sthapathy, are hard at work adding architectural segments to the outer structure. When the weather gets more wintry, they will begin Indianization of the Temple interior. In the meantime, we are awaiting the building permit to start Phase II work which will involve the construction of a kitchen, a dining hall and expansion of other facilities. Your continued financial support is critical at this stage to meet the estimated budget of nearly $3.5 million. Please donate generously to Lord Murugan Rajagopuram and Temple Expansion Project. May Lord Murugan shower His bountiful blessings on you, your family and friends.

OUR GRATITUDE

The MTNA management wishes to extend its warmest and most sincere gratitude to all devotees and contributors. We would like to thank all the dance teachers and students for the various programs (see articles by Dr. Sridharan Iyengar and Sivakumar Kareesan in this issue) and Santhanalakshmi of Business India Pages for help with design and printing of flyers for various Temple events. We would also like to thank Cycus technologies for its continued support of our temple MTNA database. Thank you !

THAI POOSAM (JAN 16TH) AND PAZHANI PERIVIZHA (JAN 18TH) Please join us for the grand Thai Poosam and Palani Peruvizha celebrations on Jan 16th and Jan 18th. Please see the Temple calendar for more details.

MAHA SIVARATHRIFEB 27TH

ARUPADAIVEEDU THIRUVIZHA

Celebrate Palani Peruvizha and Thaippoosam on Saturday, January 18, 2014. Please consult the MTNA 2014 Calendar or call the manager for more details. Sponsors welcome !

Tax information
Dear devotees, your year-end contributions letter can be obtained from Temple website www.murugantemple.us. This is a secure website. Please Register if not already done so. Retain this newsletter for help during registration. Click 'Register' and Click 'Help' adjacent to the DevoteeID field to obtain DevoteeID.

Maha Sivarathri is the most auspicious occasion for Lord Siva. Fasting all day and keeping vigil all night while meditating on Lord Siva can rid us of all the sins. The Murugan Temple will celebrate Maha Sivarathri on Feb 27th28th with 4 Jama Pujas starting with Ganapathi and Kalasa Puja at 07:30PM and first Jama Puja at 08:00PM. Each Jama Puja will include special Abhishekams, Alankarams and singing of various hymns to Lord Siva. Please join us for the grand celebrations.

PANGUNI UTTIRAM AND THIRUPPARANKUNDRAM MANAVIZHA - MARCH 16TH

The Temple will celebrate Panguni Uttiram on a grand scale with special Abhishekams and Alankarams to Lord Murugan. Please see the MTNA calendar for more details.

Murugan Temple of North America 6300 Princess Garden Parkway Lanham, MD 20706, USA

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CHANGE SERVICE REQUESTED

TEMPLE SERVICES: Please call the Temple Manager at 301 552-4889 to make prior arrangements for ceremonies at the Temple or in your home. Also, ask for information about local hotels. TEMPLE HOURS: Monday Friday 9 am 12 noon & 5 pm - 9 pm; Saturday, Sunday, & Holidays 9 am 9 pm. AUDITORIUM: The Temples auditorium capable of seating about 200 people in the basement is available for rent by Devotees. The Temple has also ample parking space. Call the Temple Manager at 301 552-4889 for reservations. DIRECTIONS TO MURUGAN TEMPLE: From I-95 (also 495, Capital Beltway), take exit 20-A, Lanham (Rte 450 East), then follow the signs to Princess Garden Parkway. Turn right on Princess Garden Parkway. Murugan Temple is on your left within half a mile (6300 Princess Garden Parkway). From Baltimore-Washington Parkway take Exit to Rt. 193 East Greenbelt Road. Turn left on Greenbelt Road. Turn right on Hanover Parkway, which becomes Princess Garden Parkway. Drive about 2.5 miles. The temple will be on your right.

The Murugan Temple of North America is a traditional Hindu Temple. It has a floor area of 7000 sq. ft with main sannidhi for Murugan (Karthikeya) and 5 sannidhis for Vinayaka (Ganesha), Durgai Amman, Siva, Meenakshi Amman and Palani Andavar. We also have an auditorium that is available for community use.