The History of Richmond Sri Murugan Temple

Mr. Ramalingam Goundar is the founder of the  Murugan Temple.He and his Extended family provided the land and financed the constructon of the Temple. Throughout the years,he has spent untless hours,materials and money in various upgrades to the Temple and the premises.Because of his dedication and foresight,the Temple serves as a place of Hindu worship for people from all parts of British Columbia,Alberta, Washington and Oregon.We thank him for his efforts and wish him all the best  and  good health.

With the dedication and financial resources from Mr. Ramalingam and his extended family and the spiritual advice of the late professor Dr. Krishnan the construction of the Sri Murugan Temple was completed in 1994. The statues of the deities Vinayakar (Ganesha) and Murugan were carved in Kanchipuram, Tamil Nadu, India of granite rock under the guidaence and supervision of Dr. Krishnan. The two statues were kept in the current temple premises and devotees performed poojas on their own.

The first Installation ceremony - Pradhista Kumbha - Abhishekam was held on December 05,1994, Preceded by two days of initiation poojas on December 3 and 4,1994.The statues of Vinayakar(Ganesha) and Murugan were installed during this ceremony. Devotees from British Columbia and far-away places worshipped and observed Pradhista Kumbha-Abhishekam. The Prasdhista Kumbha-Abhishekam was followed by Manadala-Abjshekam for 48days,sponsored by numerous devotees.

Navagrahas, meaning nine Planets were installed in 1995. The Navagrahas consist of the Sun (Suriyan or Ravi),the Moon(Chandran or Soma), Mars, Mercury, Jupiter (Guru) , Venus (Shukran), Saturn (Saneeswaran), and the ascending and descending lunar nodes, respectively known as Rahu and Kethu. The statues were carved of granitic rock in India. The initial installation was without a cover or enclosure. A roof, tiled ground floor and heated enclosure were added in later years as many devotees started to attend the temple and when financial resources were available.

The temple building was extended to the south, to add space for an entrance hall and a location to distribute food to the devotees.

Mr. Shiu Sami Goundar is the founder of the  Murugan Temple Society.  Murugan Temple Society was formed and was registered with the Province of British Columbia as religious society.

The Installation ceremony of the statues of Sivalingam and Nantheeswarar was held from June 19 to 22, 1997. The statues were carved of granitic rock in India. The Kumbha -Abhishekam was held on June 22, 1997 by the presiding high priest Brahmasri V.Eswara Kurukkal, assisted by Dr. Krishnan and the temple priest A. Prabhakaran.

The Parking lot was Paved in November 1997, providing easy access to the devotees.

The Richmond Sri Murugan Temple Society was registered as a charitable organisation with Revenue Canada in January 1998.

The upgrade works in 1999 included installation of a glass exterior and cover for the Navagrahams.

Installation of the statues of Ambhal, the Mooshiha Vahanam (vehicle of Vinayakar or Ganesha) and the Mayoora Vahanam (vehicle of Murugan) was held on August 21 and 22, 1999. The statue of Ambhal was made of five metals (panchalokam), consisting of gold, silver ,copper,brass and lead. The statue of the vahanams were made of granitic rock,carved in India. The installation ceremony and the Kumba - Abhishekam were conducted by the presiding high priest Sivasri Subramaniya Kurukkal,chief priest of the Edmonton Maha Ganapathy Temple and the Sri Murugan Temple priest Sivasri S. Harihara Sharma

A kitchen was constructed in 2006,using a trailer for preparing and cooking food for the temple devotees.