Maya turned one a couple of weeks back. About 250 people showed up to celebrate. People came from out of town, people took leave from work to attend the function. Some came early and stayed through the puja and had lunch before leaving. Many I had not seen in a long time. Just about everyone said how long so many had awaited Maya, how happy they were that we could celebrate this day, and how happy she looked.

We picked Manjunatheswara Devalaya in Banashankari to perform the Gana homa and Ayusha homa poojas that Shanthala wanted performed to mark the day. Situated on a hilltop in a sprawling campus, the temple was everything an agnostic like me wanted in a temple. The rather large campus meant that there was space to escape, to reflect and pray rather than feel the spirits hemmed in by the crowds. It was extremely clean, situated in a clean residential neighborhood with wide streets and ample parking. Surrounded by gardens, it was cool in the afternoon sun. Cozy walkways and well situated benches allowed people to group and catch up or just rest after lunch. Once the temple closed at noon to public, the whole place became even our own little private hangout.

More pictures are at this link.

No related posts.