During Ganesh Chathurthi, the Sree Ganapathy Temple on the Ambalamukku-Oolampara Road in Thiruvananthapuram sees long queues as devotees turn up for its three-day celebrations.
This year was no different. Annadhanam is served throughout the festival, with breakfast and lunch for devotees, followed by evening prasadam comprising 12 items.
For many in Oolampara, the small shrine is where they turn when a wish needs a prayer. But over the years, the temple has come to mean something more to the neighbourhood, extending a helping hand to people who need a little support.
For the past one-and-a-half years, the temple trust has been providing `1,000 pension every month to 10 to 15 financially struggling people living around the temple.
The assistance is handed out by the temple priest after the deeparadhana on the fifth of every month. During Onam, the beneficiaries also receive grocery kits.
The trust has also been supporting students in the neighbourhood. For the past four years, around 60 students have received study materials and books. Two cancer patients have also been given financial assistance of `10,000 each.
“It is not that we have a lot of money or that the temple has a huge income. It is about humanitarian work. We are giving to those in need what God has given us,” says Sreekumar D, executive member of the Oolanpara Sree Ganapathy Temple Trust.
“We collect the money from devotees and members of the committee. Nobody is forced to contribute. People give because they want to. Doing something good for others is what matters.”
The temple has a history of more than six decades. Sreekumar says the original sanctum santorum was only around 6sq.ft in area. So small that the priest could not stand upright inside.
It was recently renovated and expanded with traditional stone carving work. Now, the temple houses idols of Ganapathy, Hanuman and serpent deities.
The renovation and other activities have largely been supported by local devotees. Since there is no sponsorship from anyone, the temple committee formed a trust with 101 members to manage its activities and community initiatives.
The temple’s roof was also constructed in a style similar to that of the Pazhavangadi Maha Ganapathy Temple, with the same team of artisans involved in the work.
“We want to widen charity work in the years ahead,” says Sreekumar.
“Whatever comes to the temple through the faith of devotees, we want a part of it to go back to the community. If we can make someone’s life a little easier, that itself is a blessing.”