Sree Narayana Guru Mandiram Samiti will be celebrating the 13th Gurudevagiri Theerthadanam and Pratishtha anniversary at the temple. The celebration has been organised from February 9 to 11. It will be grand get-together of thousands of devotees and members of 28 units of the samiti from Navi Mumbai and Mumbai will be present.
Narayana Guru was a social reformer and saint in Kerala known for his efforts to eradicate untouchability and promote equality. "He is a highly revered personality in Kerala and his contributions are the main reason Kerala has such a high literacy rate," said Sashi Damodaran, zonal secretary of the Sree Narayana Guru Mandiram Samiti, Navi Mumbai.
He added, "The Mahaguru Puja will be held on all days around 5am. The highlight is that there will be a 'diyadanta darshan' i.e. tooth of Sree Narayana Guru that has been preserved over the years, will be kept for the people's viewing. Also, 108 kalasams (kalash) will be placed and worshipped in the puja."
He fought for the rights of lower castes and raised voice against untouchability. He also erected a Shiva temple for lower caste people, thereby defying Brahmins' rule that such people cannot enter temple premises. Thus, the day when Shiva idol was installed is celebrated with great gusto.
The procession will be flagged off by guardian minister Ganesh Naik and will start around 10am from Shivaji Chowk in sector 1 to Gurudevagiri Temple Complex in sector 20, Nerul.
All the devotees and volunteers will be clad in yellow and move ahead chanting mantras and holding placards about Sree Narayana Guru's teachings.
This will be followed by a public meeting where two priests from Kerala, Saigal Swamigal and Sachidananda Swamigal, will address the gathering about the guru's contribution to society, his ideals and teachings.
Kodukunnil Suresh, minister of state for labour, will be the chief guest who will inaugurate the public meeting at Gurudevagiri. The guest of honour will be MP Sanjeev Naik and other personalities like Jaya C Suvarna, president of Billawar Association, will be present.
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