Sri Aishwarya Srinivasa Perumal
North America Sri Aishwarya Srinivasa Perumal Temple at Namadwaar Houston has been established by Global Organization for Divinity USA, under the guidance of HH Maharanyam Sri Sri Muralidhara Swamiji of Chennai, India.
Located in the state of Texas in USA, in the city of Manvel, a suburb of Houston, here the tall, magnificent, and compassionate Sri Aishwarya Srinivasa Perumal showers His grace with a smile on all who come seeking His darshan.
As we open the doors and enter the main hall, we are immediately attracted by the wonderful, towering, divine presence of Sri Aishwarya Srinivasa Perumal. His magnificent yet compassionate presence instantly pulls the devotee to Him. He stands benevolently like Tirupati Sri Venkateshwara Perumal, with the shankha and chakra, the Thayars on His vakshasthala, the varada hasta pointing to His lotus feet, ready to bless the devotee with all earnest prayers, and the kati hasta signifying that to those who surrender to Him, the samsAra sagara is but knee high and can be easily crossed over. A unique feature of Sri Aishwarya Srinivasa Perumal is that He also sports His sword, Nandaki, apart from the shankha and chakra. Beautiful paintings of Jaya and Vijaya adorn both sides of the Sannidhi entrance, and an exquisite painting of Thayar can be seen to the right of Perumal, in the path of pradakshina around the Sannidhi.
Also in the sannidhi, as the utsava murthy, is Madhuri Sakhi sameta Sri Premika Varadan who is none other than the yugala murthy of Sri Krishna and Sri Radha Devi.
Story of Perumal’s arrival in Houston
The story of Sri Aishwarya Srinivasa Perumal’s arrival here in Houston, in 2022, is an interesting one and a testimony to divine grace and the greatness of the Divine Name of Bhagavan.
Under the guidance of HH Maharanyam Sri Sri Muralidhara Swamiji, several “Namadwaars” have been established around Tamil Nadu, in other states in India, and in many countries around the world. These are prayer houses where the Mahamantra is chanted continuously for extended periods of time by local devotees; since our shastras clearly say that chanting the Divine Name is the simplest path to attain Bhagavan in this Kali Yuga, and that where the Divine Name is chanted, Bhagavan’s presence (saanidhyam) is multifold. Azhwars, Nayanmars and numerous saints down the ages and from all around India have emphasized the greatness of the Divine Name and exhorted people to chant Bhagavan’s Name.
The Namadwaar Houston Prayer House, at the present location of Sri Aishwarya Srinivasa Perumal Temple, was the first Namadwaar to be established outside India, back in February 2010 on the jayanthi day of Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu, the great 15th century saint who first began the Mahamantra Nama sankirtanam movement. Since 2010, the Mahamantra has been chanted daily at Namadwaar Houston by local devotees. As a fruit of that chanting, by the grace of Sri Swamiji, Sri Premika Varadan and Madhuri Sakhi (deities of Sri Krishna and Sri Radha Devi) arrived in Namadwaar in the year 2014. With their arrival, celebrations and Mahamantra chanting increased and was performed with greater joy by devotees.
It is this constant Nama kirtanam, which truly manifests divinity, that has now brought the majestic Sri Aishwarya Srinivasa Perumal to the same place. This is indeed again testimony to the fact that Bhagavan’s presence materializes where the Mahamantra is chanted. As ordained by Sri Swamiji, Perumal was to arrive in Houston in April 2020, but due to Covid, He instead spent a whole year in Sri Swamiji’s Madhurapuri Ashram where He was worshipped by Sri Swamiji himself and participated in all the celebrations at his ashram.
A deity worshipped by a Mahatma is full of saanidhya (divinity) because when they actually see Him as Bhagavan Himself, they pour their prema and their bhaava into Him. This is same reason why the deities in Divyadesams and Paadal Petra Sthalams are all special because they have been sung and worshipped by the great Azhwars and Nayanmars.
In 2022, Sri Aishwarya Srinivasa Perumal finally arrived at Namadwaar Houston in January, by divine providence on the day of Vaikunta Ekadasi. The temple which was a little “Namadwaar” Prayer House has now grown to become the “Sri Aishwarya Srinivasa Perumal Temple”. With the presence of Perumal, more Nama sankirtanam, bhajan, katha shravanam and celebrations are taking place in the presence of this splendid and benevolent divine deity.
