The ceremonial dedication of the renovated Moorthitta Maha Ganapati Temple at Aranmula will be held on Sunday.
According to Temple Advisory Committee president P.G. Gopikkuttan Nair, Aswathi Tirunal Gowri Lakshmibai, belonging to the royal family of erstwhile Travancore, will light the ceremonial lamp at 10 a.m. at a ceremony to be held on the temple premises.
Chief priest (Tantri) N. Neelakantan Namboodiripad will dedicate the temple to the nation. Akeeramon Kalidasa Bhattathiripad, Parameswaran Vasudevan Bhattathiripad and Agnisarman Vasudevan Bhattathiripad, all Tantris, will deliver benedictory speeches.
A ceremonial feeding of elephants, ‘Aanayoottu', will be held on the temple premises at 11.30 a.m.
Mural art
Tantri Kuzhikkattu Agnisarman Namboodiripad dedicated the mural art work at a special function on Thursday afternoon. S.H. Panchapakesan, Sabarimala Special Commissioner appointed by the Kerala High Court, was the chief guest at the function.
The project to decorate the walls of the temple with murals was undertaken by the State-run Vasthu Vidya Gurukulam attached to the Cultural Affairs Department at Aranmula. A team of five artists headed by Gurukulam mural artist Suresh Muthukulam completed the art work on the outer walls of the temple, making it the first of its kind in the State.
Mr. Muthukulam said the themes for the paintings were selected from the Puranas. The main themes of the art work are 'Ganapati puja', 'Ganapati praathal' (dinner), 'Ganapati chamayom', Ganapati kalyanom (marriage), 'Siva-kudumbom' with Baala Ganapati and Baala Murugan, Ganapati on a swing and a majestic posture of Maha Ganapati. The west-facing temple has a mural painting of a dancing Ganapati on its southern wall. The Tantri performed the purification rituals at the temple, later.
Maha Kumbhabhishekom
A Maha Kumbabhishekom will be performed at the temple on Friday. Swami Vijayabhaskarananda, president of Kidangannur Vijayananda Ashram, will inaugurate the seven-day Vinayaka Chaturthi festival at a function to be held at the temple.
Vinayaka Chaturthi
Vinayaka Chaturthi will be celebrated at the temple on September 1. Akeeramon Kalidasa Bhatathirpad will perform the Ashtadravya Maha Ganapati homom in the morning.
The ceremonial feeding of elephants, 'Aanayoottu', Ganesotsavom and 'Nadeevandanom' — salutation to the Pampa — would also be held as part of Vinayaka Chaturthi celebrations.
