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SEBERANG JAYA – With the soothing blue lights radiating over the recently opened Sri Sri Radha Krishna Temple of Devotion and Understanding in Penang, it felt like being in a land where the dreams comes true. And it was indeed a dream come true for Srila Prabhupada’s desire to see a temple like that in Vrindavan built in Malaysia.  “I want a temple like this” he remarked when he was in Malaysia from 3rd to 7th May in 1971. And in Malaysia, we now have two new temples opened within just a difference of a couple of days. One in Penang and another in Ipoh. Absolutely gorgeous deities were installed in both temples. In Penang, the presiding deities have been named by HH Jayapataka Swami with a very apt and lovable name that is used by most devotees here to call their children – Kana, a pet name of Krishna, hence the name Krishna Kanaiya. Sri Sri Radha Krishna Kanaiya together with the older Sri Sri Gauranga Rai deities looked absolutely magnificent and just their presence in the spectacular and artistic temple made it look like being in Vrindavan. Deena Bandhu Prabhu a Vrindavan Dham resident described this temple as the “Pearl in ISKCON” taking after Penang which is know as the “Pearl of the Orient”.

In Ipoh, a smaller temple was inaugurated and Sri Sri Parama Karuna Nitai Gauranga deities were installed. We have been very lucky to have the marble Gauranga and Nitai deities in places that Srila Prabhupada visited in Malaysia i.e. Kuala Lumpur, Ipoh, Teluk Intan and Penang. Indeed the seeds planted by Srila Prabhupada has sprouted and with our travelling deities Sri Sri Jagannnatha, Baladev and Subhadra Devi going on ratha yatra to the nooks and corners in Malaysia over 20 times in a year, it is just a matter of time before we inundate Malaysia with love of Godhead. 

Interestingly, the opening of these temples coincides with  ISKCON’S 50th anniversary. These offerings of love from the Malaysian yatra to mark the significance of His Divine Grace Srila Prabhupada’s maiden visit to USA in 1965,  is made even sweeter with the launch of the philately stamps during the opening of the TODU temple. 

The kumbhabhisekham ceremony for the Temple of Devotion and Understanding attracted over 10,000 people. Kumbhabhishekham is a Hindu temple ritual that is believed to homogenize, synergize and unite the mystic powers of the deities. Kumbha means the Head and denotes the Shikhara or Crown of the Temple (usually in the Gopuram) and Abhisekham is ritual bathing.

On the appointed day and at an auspicious time, the kumbha is bathed with the charged and sanctified holy waters in the sacrificial pot and, by a mystic process, these pranic powers trickle down a silver wire and enter the deity installed inside the sanctum sanctorum of the temple. The deities, which was until then only a granite sculptured stone image, is believed to transform into a vibrant and vivid living representation of Their Lordships with innate beatitude, grace and grandeur, conferring divine blessings on all devotees.

Some devotees claimed to have seen Garuda hovering over the temple during this auspicious moment. But even more significant than this was seeing HH Jayapataka Swami being hoisted over 100 feet in a cherry picker crane to bless the kumbhabhisekham ritual. 

Just prior to the kumbhabhishekam ritual the ashtabandanam is performed to the deities inside the sanctum sanctorum of the temple. Ashta means 8 in Sanskrit and Bandhanam means tying or fixing.Ashtabandhanam is the process of affixing an idol to its pedestal (peetham) with a clay-like paste made of 8 specific herbs mixed with wood lac, limestone powder, resin, red ochre, beeswax and butter. The paste is formed into long rolls about 2 cm thick and applied directly around the base of the idol, so that the cemented joints become watertight. This process is believed to keep the idol rejuvenated for a period of 12 years. When the Bandhanam is performed with gold (Swarnabandhanam), the rejuvenating power of the deity is believed to last for a period of 100 years.

The ‘Ashtabandhanam‘ paste is pliable like rubber. Through repeated interactions with abhishekha dravyams – materials used to bathe the idol during daily worship like water, milk, buttermilk, sandal paste and oils – and atmospheric oxidants, the paste loses its flexibility, becomes rigid and gets riddled with a lot of fissures. Through these fissures, the abhisheka dravyams percolate and attack the Yantraembedded under the peetham, obliterating the Bijaksharamantras — mantras of sacred syllables (bija) — that are inscribed on the Yantra, and this is believed to contribute to the lowering of the pranicspiritual power of the deity with the passage of time.

This amazing RM7 million temple, which took six years to build, features 16 chatris (ornate pavilions) (similar to that in the ISKCON Krishna Balaram temple in Vrindavan as desired by Srila Prabhupada) with three main Puri style shikara domes and two octagon glass skylight pyramidal domes.

The inside of the temple is also fitted with acoustic wall panels and wall systems to provide acoustical treatment and beautiful aesthetics to its surroundings. Not forgetting the most beautiful and intricately carved Balinese teak altars not just for Srila Prabhupada and the presiding deities but also for all fourteen the smaller altars in the temple which houses the various incarnations of Krishna. The words he spoke in Malaysia to Bhakta Neo in 1971 just before he took his flight echoes in our minds, “Whatever you do, do it nicely”. Yes, we have done it with all we have got and we hope he is pleased with our humble efforts.