Tamil Temples of Toronto

[Vinayaka]

We just returned from a driving pilgrimage across this continent. I can share a bit. For context, I was chatting with a priest in a city on the way home who made the comment ... "too many temples". So I had to reflect on that. I asked him about how many Hindus lived in his city. He said around 5000. So his comment was because he was misinformed. There are 250 000 to 300 000 Sri Lankan Tamils in Toronto. That doesn't include Indian Tamils or other South Indian people. We personally went to 17 temples, and there were 5 more on my list we didn't make it to. One morning we did 6. In major grocery chains the first thing you see in the produce section is a large section of ethnic vegetables. Then later there are two rows of Indian spices. Driving along many streets you see nearly as many store signs in Tamil as in English. We went to one sari shop (South Indian style) that had about 20 employees, and more saris than I've ever seen, including in Indian shops. Shelves and shelves and shelves filled with saris. Jewellery shops all about, specialty flower shops. We bought a rose garland about a day old made in Chennai for our beloved Siva. The shop had at least 50, getting daily shipments of loose flowers, and garlands year round. Dosa shops it seemed on every corner.

So yeah ... questions?

Temple numbers ... do the math ... given about a quarter are Christians, it's still only one temple per 10 000 people. Not much.

 

[Aupmanyav]

That many! From Chennai a day ago! I suppose the roses were fragrant and not like the ones which are used in bouquets. We call them 'Vilayati Gulab" (Foreign Roses), no fragrance. Those offered to deities must be fragrant. No cutting corners when it comes to deities.
The priest was talking about the people who come to his temple.

Attar (Itr)

Kannuaj Rose Fields - Kannauj, about the center of Uttar Pradesh, the capital city of Emperor Harsha, is traditionally the center of fragrance industry in North India.

 

[Vinayaka]

Aup, like these ones ... Jasmine Flower

 

[Aupmanyav]

Yeah.

@Vinayaka , On a second thought, I checked the cost with Amazon. Rs.200 (Canadian dollars 3.60) + Rs.44 for delivery (Make it 4 C.Dollars):
https://www.amazon.in/Jasmine-Garla...MIz_ia5Pq13gIVBgoqCh3wDwU0EAYYASABEgLqa_D_BwE

What is the cost there?

 

[Jainarayan]

That many! From Chennai a day ago! I suppose the roses were fragrant and not like the ones which are used in bouquets. We call them 'Vilayati Gulab" (Foreign Roses), no fragrance. Those offered to deities must be fragrant. No cutting corners when it comes to deities.
The priest was talking about the people who come to his temple.

r (Itr)

Kannuaj Rose Fields - Kannauj, about the center of Uttar Pradesh, the capital city of Emperor Harsha, is traditionally the center of fragrance industry in North India.

I love flowers.

Those flowers look very much zinnias we grow here. They are beautiful flowers, but they don't last. At least not the bunch I got.

I usually buy the large carnations and/or chrysanthemums. They last forever. I buy two bunches each Saturday and put them in water. Then I have fresh flowers to use for daily puja all week. I have no sense of smell, so there's no danger of me sniffing them.

 

[Jainarayan]

We just returned from a driving pilgrimage across this continent. I can share a bit. For context, I was chatting with a priest in a city on the way home who made the comment ... "too many temples". So I had to reflect on that. I asked him about how many Hindus lived in his city. He said around 5000. So his comment was because he was misinformed. There are 250 000 to 300 000 Sri Lankan Tamils in Toronto. That doesn't include Indian Tamils or other South Indian people. We personally went to 17 temples, and there were 5 more on my list we didn't make it to. One morning we did 6. In major grocery chains the first thing you see in the produce section is a large section of ethnic vegetables. Then later there are two rows of Indian spices. Driving along many streets you see nearly as many store signs in Tamil as in English. We went to one sari shop (South Indian style) that had about 20 employees, and more saris than I've ever seen, including in Indian shops. Shelves and shelves and shelves filled with saris. Jewellery shops all about, specialty flower shops. We bought a rose garland about a day old made in Chennai for our beloved Siva. The shop had at least 50, getting daily shipments of loose flowers, and garlands year round. Dosa shops it seemed on every corner.

So yeah ... questions?

Temple numbers ... do the math ... given about a quarter are Christians, it's still only one temple per 10 000 people. Not much.

I am jealous.

 

[Aupmanyav]

That is beautiful.

 

[Jainarayan]

That is beautiful.

Isn't it!? I love them.

 

[Viraja]

Vinayaka ji, your OP sounds like visiting Kancheepuram in TamilNadu - it is known as 'Temple City' because there are numerous temples there! Also, here near to us is the NJ, garden state, where I believe Jainarayan ji lives, there are many temples there too. We frequent there in summer and go to Pomona Ranganathar temple, Flushing Ganapathi temple, and various Indian stores and then on our way back through Pennsylvania, visit the Dakshinamoorthy temple too!

 

[Vinayaka]

Vinayaka ji, your OP sounds like visiting Kancheepuram in TamilNadu - it is known as 'Temple City' because there are numerous temples there! Also, here near to us is the NJ, garden state, where I believe Jainarayan ji lives, there are many temples there too. We frequent there in summer and go to Pomona Ranganathar temple, Flushing Ganapathi temple, and various Indian stores and then on our way back through Pennsylvania, visit the Dakshinamoorthy temple too!

Is that the Dakshinamoorthy at Arsha Vidya Gurukulam? If so, I've been there, a few years back when we pilgrimaged to the Murugan temple in DC. On our way home we came by US with temple stops at Rochester, Cleveland, Novi, Flint, Grand Rapids, Kalamazoo, and Chicago.

 

[Vinayaka]

I love flowers.

I chatted with a few people in various temples on the way home, and it seems mums are the main choice for those who have committee work groups who string their own. At the Hindu temple of Greater Cleveland, for example, every single deity (and there are a lot) including the 9 planets all had a garland. It was a Sunday night though. They order bulk from Columbia. The two larger and newer Venkateswara temples had main deities loaded with beautiful flowers.

 

[Jainarayan]

Also, here near to us is the NJ, garden state, where I believe Jainarayan ji lives, there are many temples there too.

Yes, I'm in NJ. The temples are concentrated in the northern part of the state, which admittedly is not a very great distance, though the traffic is horrendous. Not as bad as Delhi, but close. We have the BAPS Shri Swaminarayan Mandir in Robbinsville and Sri Venkateshwara in Bridgewater. My temple is Sri Guruvayurappan in Morganville. Jersey City has a temple on just about every corner, so I hear.

 

[Jainarayan]

it seems mums are the main choice for those who have committee work groups who string their own

That is exactly what they do here. The ladies sit in the multi-center room at big tables, have a gab-fest and string garlands all day. I can only imagine the gossip. The garlands are all chrysanthemums in yellow, white, maroon, orange. The ladies have rulers and measure to the millimeter each color on the garland. Quite beautiful, long and very professional looking.

 

[Vinayaka]

That is exactly what they do here. The ladies sit in the multi-center room at big tables, have a gab-fest and string garlands all day. I can only imagine the gossip. The garlands are all chrysanthemums in yellow, white, maroon, orange. The ladies have rulers and measure to the millimeter each color on the garland. Quite beautiful, long and very professional looking.

Most likely many learned from visiting others ... it's a great idea that works. Here we order from Toronto for festivals, and rely on individuals the rest of the time. In summer the garlands can get thick. Marigolds are abundant and easy for garlands. Where you are, with a longer growing season, I'm surprised they don't do that for a few months, to alleviate on costs. Perhaps the weather is too dry, as marigolds like it fairly dry, and can succumb to over-watering. Flower of choice in North India.

 

[Jainarayan]

Most likely many learned from visiting others ... it's a great idea that works. Here we order from Toronto for festivals, and rely on individuals the rest of the time. In summer the garlands can get thick. Marigolds are abundant and easy for garlands. Where you are, with a longer growing season, I'm surprised they don't do that for a few months, to alleviate on costs. Perhaps the weather is too dry, as marigolds like it fairly dry, and can succumb to over-watering. Flower of choice in North India.

I love marigolds. I don’t see the big ones very often anymore. My mother used to grow them and zinnias from seeds every year. Some day I’d like to try making my own small garland. My murti of Krishna is about 9”, so a 12” garland might be good.

This summer was particularly wet. I see the flowers come in in huge boxes and buckets. I shudder to think of the cost. There are precious few flower growers around here. Well, the farms are all being sold off to put up distribution centers. So much for the Garden State.

Tomorrow is my trip to the supermarket, so I’ll get my usual 2 bunches of flowers. The carnations I mentioned come 10 to a bunch for $6, the mums are $6 also but the bunches are huge. I rarely get roses because in 2 days they’re drooping. I’m not paying $10-12 for a bunch that’s going to die before I offer them.

 

[Viraja]

Is that the Dakshinamoorthy at Arsha Vidya Gurukulam? If so, I've been there, a few years back when we pilgrimaged to the Murugan temple in DC. On our way home we came by US with temple stops at Rochester, Cleveland, Novi, Flint, Grand Rapids, Kalamazoo, and Chicago.

Yes, the same, ji.

I'm visiting Chennai / TamilNadu next month for 1 1/2 months stay there... and intend to go on mini-pilgrimages of sorts... that is, planning to visit temples all around Chennai... listed 18 of them already. Intend to take my mother and my sister around to all the temples. I also wrote to one member that I know of from the other forum so that I can meet him at one temple and have company climbing up the hill. Anticipate a very spiritual trip which is also my favorite kind of vacation.

 

[Viraja]

If you or Jainarayan ji want something from me from the India trip, please feel free to let me know. I will be happy to present them to you.

 

[Vinayaka]

Yes, the same, ji.

I'm visiting Chennai / TamilNadu next month for 1 1/2 months stay there... and intend to go on mini-pilgrimages of sorts... that is, planning to visit temples all around Chennai... listed 18 of them already. Intend to take my mother and my sister around to all the temples. I also wrote to one member that I know of from the other forum so that I can meet him at one temple and have company climbing up the hill. Anticipate a very spiritual trip which is also my favorite kind of vacation.

Oddly enough, although I've toured TN twice, I've never been to Chennai city. Drove through Kanchipuram on the way to Tiruttani so we were close. Is this Arunaleswara with the mountain? I'm getting envious ... in the nice way.

 

[Vinayaka]

This summer was particularly wet. I see the flowers come in in huge boxes and buckets. I shudder to think of the cost.

Cost is relative. The Telegu people are often double professional families, both doctors. At the plaques in the foyer of the Venkateswara temple in Cleveland, I read 17 donors at + 100 000, and many many more on the 50 000 to 100 000 So for you and me, sure it's costly. But for someone like that with a big heart, it's like going to the store for bread. 100 000 a year wouldn't be unreasonable.

 

[Viraja]

Oddly enough, although I've toured TN twice, I've never been to Chennai city. Drove through Kanchipuram on the way to Tiruttani so we were close. Is this Arunaleswara with the mountain? I'm getting envious ... in the nice way.

Yes, ji, there is a typo in your message - it is Arunachaleswara temple at the holy Thiruvannaamalai hills, famous for Ramana Maharishi. It is very close to Chennai. Interesting you mention about it, please find the following tidbit -

"The Karthigai Deepam festival is celebrated during the day of the full moon between November and December, and a huge beacon is lit atop the Annamalai hill. The event is witnessed by three million pilgrims. On the day preceding each full moon, pilgrims circumnavigate the temple base and the Annamalai hills in a worship called Girivalam, a practice carried out by one million pilgrims yearly." (wiki)

This year's Karthigai deepam is on 23rd November.