EMMENBRUeCKE, SWITZERLAND, June 9, 2017 (Obwaldner Zeitung, translated from German): It was a rare religious ceremony for Switzerland: The third Hindu temple of central Switzerland was opened with elaborate rituals. The building is dedicated to the Goddess Sri Rajarajeswary. On Thursday at 5 pm, on Emmenweid Street in the middle of the industrial area of Emmenbruecke, several Tamil women arrived at the scene. But even for the local people, it is difficult to know where to go, as the temple is not recognizable as such from the outside. The temple hall is located on the upper floor of a commercial building. On entering the interior, however, it soon becomes clear that this is a sacred space of a special kind. The first visual impression is overwhelming: in an area of 1,100 square feet there are eleven opulently decorated shrines, which in a few days will serve as a new “home” for numerous murtis.
Countless offerings, coconuts, flower garlands, and vessels with sacred water, which has been brought from the Ganges to Emmenbruecke for the ceremony, are ready for the initiation. “During the temple consecration, it is very important for us to pour the water of the sacred rivers over all the altars, thus providing our temple with cosmic energy,” explains Saseetharen Ramakrishna Sarma, the Lucerne-based Hindu priest, who previously inaugurated the first Hindu temple of Central Switzerland in Gisikon-Root. According to Ramakrishna, it will be a definite advantage for the nearly 3,000 Tamil Hindus in the region to have another nearby temple at their disposal, especially since many of them live in Emmenbruecke and the surrounding area.