Sri Ranganatha Temple - Pomona NY

Sri Ranganatha Temple - Pomona NY

The Divine Command:
The idea of having an exclusive place of worship in the USA for Sriman Narayana had taken shape in August, 1985 at the birthday celebrations of the 44th Jeeyar of Sri Ahobila Mutt (His Holiness, Sri Mukkur Azhagiyasingar). Our beloved Founder Acharya commanded Dr. Venkat Kanumalla to build an exclusive temple in the USA for Shri Ranganayaki and Lord Sri Ranganatha to propagate the concept of Saranagati – Absolute Surrender to Lord Sriman Narayana.

A Labor of Love:
Sri Ranganatha Seva Samithi was registered in the state of NY on Oct 8, 1987. Soon after, Utsava Vigrahas of the present Sri Ranganatha, Sri Devi, Bhu Devi, Mahalakshmi and Andal prana pratishtha was performed at the Dasavatharam Sannidhi in Srirangam, India in the presence of the 44th Jeeyar. These Vigrahas were air lifted to New York. For the next 12 years, the Divya Mangala Vigrahas blessed Venkat Kanumalla at his residence by having Daily Aradhana. During these 12 years, Venkat swamin and several dedicated volunteers reached out to the devotees to raise the much needed funds for the construction work to begin. 5 acres of land in Pomona, New York was acquired for building the temple.

Ground breaking ceremony was performed in 1997 and the first phase of construction was started. In May, 1999, 10 skilled Stapathis were flown in from India and they worked for 20 months until January 2001, to complete all the traditional temple art work, including the beautiful Pranavakara Vimanam.

As the construction was proceeding, devotees and Sri Vaishnava organizations from all over the US continued to support this project. The second phase of the construction required a fresh infusion of funds. Many devotees took out second mortgages on their homes or borrowed from their retirement or personal savings to help with the temple construction.

With the untiring efforts of the trustees of the temple and the volunteers, the construction work was completed  the certificate of occupancy was finally obtained on February 14 2001.  The final samprokshana (Kumbabishekam) was held on May 27, 2001. It was preceded by ceremonies 48 days ahead, starting from April 6, 2001 with Dhanyaadivasam. 

This Great Temple could not have been built but for the goodwill, support, donations, and sacrifices of countless devotees from all over the USA. Source : www.ranganatha.org

The Temple main deity is Lord Sri Ranganatha, is in typical reclining posture.
and the other deities includes,
Ranganayaki, 
Lord Srinivasa, 
Venu Gopalan, 
Sri Ramanuja, Swami 
Desikan, 
Sri Rama, Sita, Lakshmana, 
Anjaneyar, 
Chakrathazhvaar and 
Yoga Narasimar.

View Point on the way to Pomona from New York City

You can do the Archana at free of cost, and also temple authenticate prasatham can get in basement of the temple.

Temple Address : 
Sri Ranganatha Temple
8 Ladentown Rd, Pomona, NY 10970

Phone:(845) 364-9790

Temple Timings :
Week Days : 8:00 am – 12:00 pm, 4:00 – 8:00 pm
Week Ends & Public Holidays : 8:00 am – 8:00 pm

Sri Ranganatha Temple, Pomona, NY - Virtual Temple Tour

For more Info :
Check the temple site : http://www.ranganatha.org

Additional Info : 
Date of Visit  : 24-Dec-2013
Camera Used : Sony Cyber-shot DSC-WX150 (18.2 MP)

Macy's - Thanksgiving Day Parade 2013

Thanksgiving or Thanksgiving Day :  It  is celebrated every year last Thursday of Nov month. It is official federal holiday in USA.

Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade : Macys is the one of the chain retail stores in USA. It shares the title for the second-oldest Thanksgiving parade in the United States with the America's Thanksgiving Parade in Detroit.

1st Oldest	6abc Dunkin' Donuts Thanksgiving Day Parade	Philadelphia, Pennsylvania		Starts from the year 1920
2nd Oldest Shares with	Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade & America's Thanksgiving Parade		New York City & Detroit, Michigan	Starts from the year 1924

The Macy's Thanksgiving Day  - 87th Parade (2013)

 I had an opportunity to watch the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade on Nov-28th-2013. It was an excellent parade, well organized and nice co-ordination. Even in the freezing weather they did the best to show their performance.

Parade starts in the Manhattan West 77th street and ends in the 34th street  (Macys Store - Worlds largest store) distance around 3 miles. 

Here I am positing some few snaps which I took in the parade .

I heard that the Parade is watched by more than 3.5 million people on the parade route and another 50 million people watched the event live on television.

Additional Info : 
Date of Visit  : 28-Nov-2013
Camera Used : Sony Cyber-shot DSC-WX150 (18.2 MP)

Cumberland Falls - Kentucky

Cumberland Falls,  also referred to the Little Niagara, or the Niagara of the South,  is a large waterfall on the Cumberland River in southeastern Kentucky.

Location :           Cumberland Falls State Park
Water Source :    Cumberland River
Height :              Around 70 feet tall
Wide :                Around 125 feet 
Special :              Moon-bow occurrence 

What is a Moon-Bow ?

Moon-bows are incredibly rare and they are appear only a few places in the world.

Under a full moon on clear nights, an elusive lunar rainbow (moonbow) is sometimes formed by the mist emanating from the falls. Victoria Falls in Zimbabwe, Africa is the another place where we can see the Moonbow.

Cumberland Falls is the only place in North America where we can see a moonbow.  But I missed to see it bcoz my trip was not planned on Full moon day , and all my pictures on this page were taken in the daytime .

Cumberland Falls - Rainbow

Cumberland Falls - Rainbow

Cumberland Falls, From over look view point

Scenic Cumberland River View

With My Friends in Cumberland Falls

How to Reach :
Cumberland Falls State Resort Park
7351 Hwy. 90
Corbin, KY 40701
Phone: (606) 528-4121

Near by city : Corbin, KY (Birth Place of KFC).

One more world famous for Kentucky state is KFC (an acronym for Kentucky Fried Chicken). KFC was founded by Harland Sanders, an entrepreneur who began selling fried chicken from his roadside restaurant in Corbin, Kentucky . 

More Info : http://parks.ky.gov/parks/resortparks/Cumberland-Falls/default.aspx

Additional Info : 
Date of Visit  : 25-Aug-2013
Camera Used : Sony Cyber-shot DSC-WX150 (18.2 MP) & 
                      Sony Cyber-shot DSC-TX66   (18.2 MP)

Statue of Liberty - Las Vegas

USA Iconic spot is Statue of Liberty which is located in Liberty Island, It lies in the middle of New York Harbor, in Manhattan, New York City.

But replica of the Statue of Liberty forms part of the exterior decor at the New York-New York Hotel & Casino on the Las Vegas Strip.

Addr : 3790 S Las Vegas Blvd, Las Vegas, NV

Statue of Liberty - New York

USA Iconic spot is Statue of Liberty which is located in Liberty Island, It lies in the middle of New York Harbor, in Manhattan, New York City.

The Statue of Liberty Enlightening the World was a gift of friendship from the people of France to the United States and is a universal symbol of freedom and democracy. The Statue of Liberty was dedicated on October 28, 1886, designated as a National Monument in 1924 and restored for her centennial on July 4, 1986.

The beautiful Lady liberty is wearing flowing robes and a majestic crown. She holds a torch, high in her right hand, and a book inscribed "July 4, 1776" in the left. At her feet lie broken chains symbolizing the overthrow of tyranny in the new nation.

Designer :   Frederic Auguste Bartholdi
Statue : 151 feet 1 inch (46 meters)
Ground to torch: 305 feet 1 inch (93 meters)  (upto tip of the flame)

The Statue of Liberty is made of copper 3/32in. (about 2.5mm) thick, the same as two American pennies placed together. The internal structure is comprised of cast iron and stainless steel.

Panoramic View of Manhattan from Statue of Liberty

Liberty Island, Can be accessed from Manhattan - Battery Park & Jersy City  through the Ferry Services.

Address: Liberty Island, New York, NY 10004
Phone:(212) 363-3200

Snap took while waiting for a Ferry from Jersey city

Visiting the Crown : Visitors to the statue of liberty climb 354 total steps to get to the crown, where they will find 25 windows, symbolizing the 25 gemstones of the earth. A visitor can look up through one of the windows and see the seven pointed crown, representing the seven continents and seven seas of the world.

A Replica of the Statue of Liberty, is present in (New York-New York ) NY-NY Hotel and Casino, Las Vegas .

Check my Post : http://www.marvelmurugan.com/2013/10/statue-of-liberty-las-vegas.html

Vibha Dream Mile Marathon - Atlanta 2013

Whats Special in Vibha Dream Mile Marathon  ???

Vibha Vision :  Its vision is to ensure that every underprivileged child attains his or her right to education, health and opportunity.

Vibha Mission is to educate, empower and enable every individual who wishes to make a positive difference in the life of the underprivileged child.

Founded in 1991, today Vibha has a volunteer network of over 800 volunteers spread across 15 Action Centers (Atlanta, Austin, Bay Area, Boston, Chicago, Dallas, Houston, Jacksonville, Los Angeles, Milwaukee, Twin Cities - Minnesota, New York, Philadelphia, Sacramento, Washington DC) and several other cities across the US and India. Till date, it has supported over190 projects in India and the US.  

Vibha Dream Mile Marathon - Atlanta 2013 [Sep-21st-2013]

I have heard around 2000 folks has been registered for this dream mile under various categories , 5K Walk , 5K Run , 10K Run. I have participated under 10K Run.
And the event is successfully conducted in Shakerag Park, Johns Creek City, GA.

oops, I have missed the one small loop in the 10K run , So unable complete the exact 10 kms .... 

Venue : Shakerag Park, Johns Creek City, GA

My Previous Vibha Dream Mile Marathon 

Vibha Dream Mile Marathon - Sanjose June - 2013
http://www.marvelmurugan.com/2013/06/dream-mile-marathon.html