Sri Sivasubramaniar Temple
Encyclopedia
The Sri Sivasubramaniar Temple is a Hindu temple
located in Adliswil
in the Sihl Valley
in the canton of Zürich
, Switzerland
.
in Switzerland, as well as to preserve and maintain the Tamil culture
of the approximatively 30-35,000 (around 20,000 in the canton of Zürich) Tamil people of Sri Lanka
n origin living in Switzerland. So, the Sri Sivasubraminar Temple in Adliswil was founded in 1994 as a non-profit foundation. As of today, the Sri Sivasubramniar Temple is the most famous and largest Hindu temple
in Switzerland.
river in the industrial area of the municipality of Adliswil
. The today's building is situated at Sihlweg 3, 8134 Adliswil.
made of metal of Lord Shiva
, Lord Murugan
, Lord Maha Ganapathy
and Goddesses
Durka, Rajarajeswary Ambal and others were installed. Thereafter the temple's Pooja ceremonies were performed daily in the evening at 7:30 pm. If there were any special requests made by anyone who is anxious to carry out a pooja for any God they like, the request would be processed on the day suggested. The cost of the pooja ceremony has to be paid to the temple before the ceremony is carried out. Now the Poojas are performed daily in the evening at 7:30 pm. On Tuesdays and on Fridays three Poojas are performed: In the morning, at 12:00 am and as mentioned at 7:30 pm. Most of the devotees attend the temple during the noon and in the evenings.
Yearly on January 1, the devotees
attend the temple to worship in order to invoke the blessings of God on the 1st day of the new year. Thai Pongal is an important day for farmers; it is conducted on January 14. In the house of every Hindu
family Thai Pongal is celebrated by cooking sweet milk rice which is called "pongal
". The Thai Pongal ceremony is also conducted in the temple. For this purposes the temple will be opened from 8:00 am to 9:00 pm. In August, approximately 3,000 to 4,000 people take part in public procession of Lord Murugan.
Additional temple festivals are celebrated, too: Maha Shivaratri
, Deepavali, Vinayaka Chathurthi, Navratri/Vijayadashami
and Iyappa Swamy
.
Hindu temple
A Mandir, Devalayam, Devasthanam, or a Hindu temple is a place of worship for followers of Hinduism...
located in Adliswil
Adliswil
Adliswil is a municipality in the district of Horgen in the canton of Zürich in Switzerland.-History:Adliswil is first mentioned in 1050 as Adelenswile. In the second half of the 12th Century it was mentioned as Adololdiswile and in 1248 as Adeloswile.Under the Helvetic Republic, the hamlet of...
in the Sihl Valley
Sihl Valley
Sihl Valley is a river valley and belongs to the Zimmerberg-Sihltal region located in the district of Horgen in the canton of Zurich, Switzerland. Commonly Sihltal is used as the name of the lower Sihl valley, i.e...
in the canton of Zürich
Canton of Zürich
The Canton of Zurich has a population of . The canton is located in the northeast of Switzerland and the city of Zurich is its capital. The official language is German, but people speak the local Swiss German dialect called Züritüütsch...
, Switzerland
Switzerland
Switzerland name of one of the Swiss cantons. ; ; ; or ), in its full name the Swiss Confederation , is a federal republic consisting of 26 cantons, with Bern as the seat of the federal authorities. The country is situated in Western Europe,Or Central Europe depending on the definition....
.
History
In the 1990s, a interreligious society was established in the canton of Zürich to support the foundation of a centre for spiritual and cultural care of Tamil peopleTamil people
Tamil people , also called Tamils or Tamilians, are an ethnic group native to Tamil Nadu, India and the north-eastern region of Sri Lanka. Historic and post 15th century emigrant communities are also found across the world, notably Malaysia, Singapore, Mauritius, South Africa, Australia, Canada,...
in Switzerland, as well as to preserve and maintain the Tamil culture
Tamil culture
Tamil culture is the culture of the Tamil people. Tamil culture is rooted in the arts and ways of life of Tamils in India, Sri Lanka, and across the globe...
of the approximatively 30-35,000 (around 20,000 in the canton of Zürich) Tamil people of Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka, officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka is a country off the southern coast of the Indian subcontinent. Known until 1972 as Ceylon , Sri Lanka is an island surrounded by the Indian Ocean, the Gulf of Mannar and the Palk Strait, and lies in the vicinity of India and the...
n origin living in Switzerland. So, the Sri Sivasubraminar Temple in Adliswil was founded in 1994 as a non-profit foundation. As of today, the Sri Sivasubramniar Temple is the most famous and largest Hindu temple
Hindu temple
A Mandir, Devalayam, Devasthanam, or a Hindu temple is a place of worship for followers of Hinduism...
in Switzerland.
Temple's building
The Temple is located in a former factory building on the shores of the SihlSihl
The Sihl is a river of Switzerland. It rises at Drusberg in the Canton of Schwyz. It passes through the Sihlsee near Einsiedeln, and then enters the Canton of Zurich, flowing through the Sihl valley at the foot of the Albis, passing the Sihlwald, the largest remaining deciduous forest of the Swiss...
river in the industrial area of the municipality of Adliswil
Adliswil
Adliswil is a municipality in the district of Horgen in the canton of Zürich in Switzerland.-History:Adliswil is first mentioned in 1050 as Adelenswile. In the second half of the 12th Century it was mentioned as Adololdiswile and in 1248 as Adeloswile.Under the Helvetic Republic, the hamlet of...
. The today's building is situated at Sihlweg 3, 8134 Adliswil.
Cultural and religious life
In 1994, the Poojas of the temple were conducted only on Fridays in the evenings. In 2000, deitiesDeity
A deity is a recognized preternatural or supernatural immortal being, who may be thought of as holy, divine, or sacred, held in high regard, and respected by believers....
made of metal of Lord Shiva
Shiva
Shiva is a major Hindu deity, and is the destroyer god or transformer among the Trimurti, the Hindu Trinity of the primary aspects of the divine. God Shiva is a yogi who has notice of everything that happens in the world and is the main aspect of life. Yet one with great power lives a life of a...
, Lord Murugan
Murugan
Murugan also called Kartikeya, Skanda and Subrahmanya, is a popular Hindu deity especially among Tamil Hindus, worshipped primarily in areas with Tamil influences, especially South India, Singapore, Sri Lanka, Malaysia, Mauritius and Reunion Island. His six most important shrines in India are the...
, Lord Maha Ganapathy
Ganesha
Ganesha , also spelled Ganesa or Ganesh, also known as Ganapati , Vinayaka , and Pillaiyar , is one of the deities best-known and most widely worshipped in the Hindu pantheon. His image is found throughout India and Nepal. Hindu sects worship him regardless of affiliations...
and Goddesses
Hindu deities
Within Hinduism a large number of personal gods are worshipped as murtis. These beings are either aspects of the supreme Brahman, Avatars of the supreme being, or significantly powerful entities known as devas. The exact nature of belief in regards to each deity varies between differing Hindu...
Durka, Rajarajeswary Ambal and others were installed. Thereafter the temple's Pooja ceremonies were performed daily in the evening at 7:30 pm. If there were any special requests made by anyone who is anxious to carry out a pooja for any God they like, the request would be processed on the day suggested. The cost of the pooja ceremony has to be paid to the temple before the ceremony is carried out. Now the Poojas are performed daily in the evening at 7:30 pm. On Tuesdays and on Fridays three Poojas are performed: In the morning, at 12:00 am and as mentioned at 7:30 pm. Most of the devotees attend the temple during the noon and in the evenings.
Yearly on January 1, the devotees
Worship
Worship is an act of religious devotion usually directed towards a deity. The word is derived from the Old English worthscipe, meaning worthiness or worth-ship — to give, at its simplest, worth to something, for example, Christian worship.Evelyn Underhill defines worship thus: "The absolute...
attend the temple to worship in order to invoke the blessings of God on the 1st day of the new year. Thai Pongal is an important day for farmers; it is conducted on January 14. In the house of every Hindu
Hinduism
Hinduism is the predominant and indigenous religious tradition of the Indian Subcontinent. Hinduism is known to its followers as , amongst many other expressions...
family Thai Pongal is celebrated by cooking sweet milk rice which is called "pongal
Pongal (dish)
Pongal is a popular rice porridge dish based in South India. Pongal is unique to Tamil cuisine, but many other widely consumed Indian dish Khichdi....
". The Thai Pongal ceremony is also conducted in the temple. For this purposes the temple will be opened from 8:00 am to 9:00 pm. In August, approximately 3,000 to 4,000 people take part in public procession of Lord Murugan.
Additional temple festivals are celebrated, too: Maha Shivaratri
Maha Shivaratri
Maha Shivratri or Maha Sivaratri or Shivaratri or Sivarathri is a Hindu festival celebrated every year on the 13th night/14th day in the Krishna Paksha of the month of Maagha or Phalguna...
, Deepavali, Vinayaka Chathurthi, Navratri/Vijayadashami
Vijayadashami
Vijayadashami also known as Dasara, is one of the most important festivals celebrated in various forms, across India, Nepal and Bangladesh...
and Iyappa Swamy
Ayyappan
Ayyappan is a Hindu deity worshiped in a number of shrines across India. Ayyappan is believed to be an incarnation of Dharma Sastha, who is the son of Shiva and Vishnu . The name "Ayyappan" is used as a respectful form of address in the Malayalam language, spoken in the Indian state of Kerala...
.