PENN HILLS, PENNSYLVANIA, July 3, 2021 (The Columbian): When throngs gathered to rededicate the oldest major Hindu temple in the United States, there were poignant prayers for continued recovery from the pandemic that struck many loved ones in India the elation of coming together after more than a year of restrictions. Shouts of the divine name “Govinda!” rose Sunday from the crowd of worshippers at the Sri Venkateswara Temple, atop a steep hill just east of Pittsburgh. Dressed in festive saris and other traditional clothing, they gazed up toward a gopuram — an ornamented temple tower whose white, newly restored facade gleamed brilliantly in the mid-day sun.
High above, priests stood on scaffolding and lifted ceremonial urns, pouring holy waters onto golden spires atop the gopuram. They repeated the ritual on three smaller towers at the center of the temple. There were drumbeats and the horn-like fanfares of a nadhaswaram, a traditional Indian reed instrument, and floral petals soon came wafting down on the devotees from a helicopter overhead. Known as Maha Kumbhabhishekam, a reference to the sprinkling of holy water from ceremonial urns, the festival is traditionally held at Hindu temples once every 12 years to reharmonize and boost the spiritual energies of the temple and its Deities. Several hundred devotees from surrounding states arrived throughout Sunday, culminating five days of prayers, chants and other rituals at outdoor fire altars. More than 20 priests took part, wearing yellow or saffron vestments around their waists; most were visiting from other North American temples.
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