Hundreds of devotees mark rare Hindu ceremony at Medway temple
ITV Meridian Journalist Megan Samrai went to the Murti Sthapana ceremony in Gillingham
Hundreds of devotees flocked to a temple in Kent to see a rare Hindu ceremony take place.
The Medway Hindu Mandir revealed a number of its new deities to its congregation for the first time in a Murti Sthapana ceremony, otherwise known as the placing of the statues.
The Mandir was already home to a deity that arrived 30 years ago, but more were unveiled to guests from behind a curtain - including Ram Darbar, Radha Krishna and Lord Shiva.
They were introduced to people in a Prana Pratishtha ceremony, which means the bringing of life to the deities.
The room was filled with excitement when the Murtis were unveiled, with people singing and dancing in celebration.
The temple has been serving Medway since 1978, and organisers say it was the biggest event in the Mandir's history.
General Secretary of the Medway Hindu Mandir, Ajay Attra said: "The beauty about the Murti Sthapana ceremony is that it involves everybody.
"People have donated the food for today and people have donated the clothes.
"Murti worship is a form of worship which allows people to create a physical connection with God. It's a visual connection.
"The deities that you see in front are you are not just statues, we believe they are God manifested within those statues.
"People even say that the deities installed within the temples, they will listen and answer your prayers."
The three-day ceremony took three years of planning and it is believed around 500 people attended the Mandir for the ritual in a day filled with prayers, hymns, and offerings.
Many wore yellow to the occasion which is an auspicious colour in Hinduism.
Attendee Akhil Bhargava said his family were involved in the "cleansing" of the Murtis (statues).
"When they've been welcomed into the Mandir, you have a lot of different things which you have to do to the Murtis, whether it's bathing them or clothing them," he said.
The statues were adorned in regal attire, including crowns, jewellery and clothing. It is believed the different deities each offer Hindus different lessons.
Akhil added that practising the religion is something that has been passed down from his grandparents.
He said: "In this day and age, I personally feel that practising religion is not something that's as big as it was once before.
"To see a community like ourselves come together to celebrate this occasion, it's warming."
Shalini Vilas has been attending the temple for the last 37 years, she said: "For me it's quite meaningful and to see so many people around here today has been really good."
"The people who actually come here, they are part of me, we are part of this family and it's like a sense of belonging."
As well as the ceremonial placement of the deities in the temple, a fire ceremony or 'Havan' also took place.
The temple said it symbolised purification, not just of the air, but of the mind and soul.
The Mayor of Medway spoke to ITV News Meridian at the ceremony
The consecration ceremony was also attended by the Mayor of Medway, Cllr Nina Gurung, who is the first female Mayor of Nepalese and British Gurkha heritage in the country - and Medway's first Buddhist Mayor.
She said: "Medway is a very very rich tapestry, consisting of more than 45 different community groups.
"I take my hat off to all the visionary elders who came here in Medway all those years ago and felt it was important for them to establish this Hindu temple.
"I could see that there were lots of non-Hindu people as well who were welcomed with open arms today. You know we all come together to celebrate each other's diversity."
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