Photography Exhibition by Neelesh Kale Scheduled from April 28 to May 3

PUNE: Art enthusiasts will have a unique opportunity to view photographs that shed light on various facets of the Kailasa Temple—a UNESCO World Heritage Site and a globally renowned marvel of architecture—as well as the Jain and Buddhist caves located at Ellora (Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar). This occasion marks the hosting of a photography exhibition featuring panoramic images captured by the Lalit Kala Akademi Award winner Neelesh Kale. Titled ‘Ellorama,’ this exhibition is scheduled to take place from Tuesday, April 28, to  Sunday, May 3, at the Raja Ravi Varma Art Gallery on Ghole Road. Connoisseurs will be able to experience this exhibition daily between 11:00 AM and 7:00 PM. Please note that this exhibition is free and open to all.

The inauguration of the ‘Ellorama’ photography exhibition will be held on Tuesday, April 28, at 5:00 PM, at the hands of Dr. G.B. Deglurkar, a world-renowned iconologist and a leading expert on the Kailasa Temple, Prof. Medha Kulkarni, Member of Parliament, and Jayant B. Joshi, renowned artist. During the event, Dr. G.B. Deglurkar will interact with the audience. Additionally, as part of the exhibition’s accompanying programs, Indologist Dr. Rahul Deshpande will engage with the audience on Thursday, April 30, at 5:00 PM, delivering a talk titled ‘Exploring Ellora.’ Please note that both of these events are open and free on a ‘first-come, first-served’ basis.

Providing further details regarding the photography exhibition, Neelesh Kale stated, “The Kailash Temple, carved by the Rashtrakutas, dates back to the period between 756 AD and 773 AD. These 34 caves are carved within an area spanning approximately two kilometers. Among them, Cave No. 16—the Kailasa Temple—is renowned globally as the largest monolithic temple (a temple carved from a single rock) in existence. The ‘Ellorama’ exhibition features photographs that shed light on the Ellora Caves—and specifically the Kailasa Temple—from a multitude of perspectives. This exhibition comprises a curated selection of photographs chosen from a vast collection captured using the techniques of ‘photogrammetry’. Furthermore, another highlight of this exhibition will be the inclusion of a precise 3D (three-dimensional) model created from these photographs using this advanced technology.”

Kale also expressed with confidence that, with the aid of 3D Vista and Cloud Compare technologies, visitors to the exhibition would gain comprehensive information—including where to begin their exploration of the caves, exactly what to observe at each stage, the specific features and unique attributes of the structures they view, and their precise dimensions (length, width, and height). Moreover, attendees will be treated to a ‘guided journey’—or a ‘virtual tour’—of this UNESCO World Heritage site during the event.

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The Tanvika collection was officially launched at a special event held at the brand’s showroom in Sarsan Plaza, Laxmi Road, Pune, marking a grand celebration of tradition and design. The launch was graced by leading Marathi cinema actors Ms. Smita Shewale, Ms. Neha Naik, Mr. Samir Dharmadhikari, Mr. Avdhut Gandhi, and Mr. Tejas Barve, who recently starred in the acclaimed Marathi film Shri Sant Dnyaneshwaranchi Muktai.

Tanvika draws inspiration from sacred artistry, embodying the rich legacy of temple jewellery. Each meticulously crafted piece in the collection is not just a symbol of beauty, but also a cherished heirloom. This launch marks a significant milestone for Malabar Gold & Diamonds as it continues to offer jewellery that blends tradition with prosperity, resonating with the cultural heritage of India.

Commenting on the launch of the new collection, MP Ahammed, Chairman, Malabar Group, said, “We are excited to introduce the latest temple jewellery collection ‘Tanvika’ which blends heritage with exquisite craftsmanship. The exquisite collection will add grace and magnificence to the wearer. With intricately designed collection pieces including necklaces, bangles, and earrings, the collection is a celebration of tradition and modern sensibilities. I welcome all to visit our showroom on Laxmi Road, Pune, to experience the collection and enjoy the benefits of our rate protection plan and other special schemes.”

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ABU DHABI: The Shapoorji Pallonji Group, one of India’s leading business houses, announces the successful completion of the first Hindu temple in the Middle East. The BAPS Hindu Mandir in Abu Dhabi was inaugurated in person on 14^th February 2024 by the Hon’ble Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi, in a grand ceremony. This significant accomplishment marks a historic milestone in fostering cultural and religious unity, and in strengthening bilateral relations between India and the UAE.

An architectural marvel, the Mandir towers over the sandy landscape of the UAE. It is nestled in 27 acres of desert land, in the outskirts of Abu Dhabi – thanks to the generous donation of land by His Highness Sheikh Mohammed Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, the then Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi.

The Mandir is open to all faiths and is an initiative of the BAPS Swaminarayan Sanstha (the institution behind several Swaminarayan temples across India and the world). It is a testament to India’s culture and its ancient skills in architecture and sculpture. It has been built in strict accordance with age-old Indian texts and derives its inspiration from a lotus motif. It has 7 spires, which represent the 7 Emirates of the UAE.

“Our dream of building a Hindu Mandir in Abu Dhabi has now become a reality. Shapoorji Pallonji has played a pivotal role in partnering with us to create this lotus in the desert. We extend our gratitude to Shapoorji Pallonji for bringing to life our vision of this spiritual oasis for global harmony,” said Pranav Desai, Director of BAPS.

“We, at Shapoorji Pallonji, are deeply honored to have had the opportunity to work with BAPS and create this incredible monument that brings together art, harmony, and faith. Apart from being a celebration of cultural diversity, this is a testament to our engineering expertise” said Shapoorji P Mistry, Chairman, Shapoorji Pallonji Group.

In this project, Shapoorji Pallonji successfully integrated modern technology such as security, lighting systems, and air-conditioning with the traditional requirements of ancient Indian architecture.

The temple complex has 7 ancillary buildings, to cater to 15,000+ visitors daily. It has distinctive water features, which represent three major rivers – Ganga, Yamuna, and Saraswati. The main temple is constructed on a raft foundation using UAE’s largest single pour of unreinforced fly ash concrete. Instead of iron and steel reinforcements, bamboo sticks and glass fiber were used.

The temple façade is built on this foundation, using 40,000 cubic meters of marble from Italy and 1,80,000 cubic meters of pink sandstone from Rajasthan. Thousands of artisans and volunteers intricately carved the stones in Rajasthan, for BAPS. These were then put together in Abu Dhabi like a giant jigsaw puzzle. The Shapoorji Pallonji Group, which is 159 years old, has built several landmarks across the world. It has been present in the Middle East for close to 50 years, beginning with the Sultan’s Palace in Muscat, in 1975. Some of its recent marquee projects in India are Bharat Mandapam and Kartavya Path in New Delhi, Port Blair Airport, and Atal Tunnel in Himachal 

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Ranka Jewellers has created silver frames and replicas of Shri Ram’s Temple in Ayodhya in silver, antique metal, and wood. They have also created beautiful sets of the royal court of Lord Ram, Goddess Sita, Lakshman, and Lord Hanuman. These sets are also available in marble powder. All these are available for devotees at affordable prices across all Ranka Jewellers outlets.

Speaking about the initiative, Directors of Ranka Jewellers Group Fatechand Ranka and Omprakash Ranka said, “The Ayodhya Ram Temple is not just a magnanimous monument, but a place of deep worship for all Hindus across the globe. We wanted to create a way for people to experience the enshrining in their own homes as traveling to Ayodhya is not a feasible option for many at this juncture. This is what led to the creation of the ‘Ram in Every Home, Ram Temple in Every Home!” initiative.”

Speaking about the replicas Shailesh Ranka, said, “The idea behind creating the perfect replica of Shri Ram Temple was to create similar energy in every household as would be created in Ayodhya on 22nd January. The replicas also have light fittings to illuminate the models at night giving it the grand effect.”

Vastupal Ranka has extensively researched the finer aspects of the temple to create a perfect replica. He has helped create the temples with attention to the minutest details with the assistance of the handwork by 25 artisans. Silver carries vital energy and was the first choice as the base metal.

Assuring the quality, Dr. Ramesh Ranka and Anil Ranka said that the replicas have been made in various sizes using 400 grams, 600 grams, 1,100 grams, and 2 kg of silver with 92.5% purity while the Lord Ram’s Royal Court sets have been made in pure silver ranging from 100 grams to 2 kg with the same silver purity.

Tejpal Ranka informed that Ranka Jewellers has also created silver coins with images of Shri Ram’s Court and Sri Ram’s Temple to honor the golden moment.

The ‘limited edition’ replicas are in high demand and Punekar could book their replica by visiting any of the Ranka Jewellers outlets.

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• The convention will see participation from devotional institutions of Hinduism, Sikhism, Buddhism, and Jainism from across 25 countries
• Dignitaries from over 450 renowned temples to attend the three-day marquee event
• Elevating devotee experience and convenience lies at the heart of this convention

PUNE: The International Temples Convention and Expo (ITCX) will be held at the Rudraksh Convention Centre in Varanasi, the oldest city in the world, from July 22 to 24, 2023. Developed by Temple Connect (India), it is the world’s first event solely dedicated to the management of temples across the globe and will focus on nurturing and empowering the administration, management and operations of temple ecosystems.

Conceptualised by Giresh Kulkarni, Founder of Temple Connect (a leading platform dedicated to the documentation, digitalisation and distribution of information related to temples of Indian origin), along with Prasad Lad (Chairman, International Temples Convention & Expo 2023 and Member Of Maharashtra Legislative Council), and Show Director & Co-Curator Meghaa Ghosh – this three-day event carves a space for free-flowing exchange of ideas, learning and invaluable insight among like-minded dignitaries who are at the helm of temple management, in order to establish, enable and promote best practices for temple management teams worldwide.

That the convention adds value to Temple Tourism and Pilgrimage Ecosystem – it is aptly supported by the Ministry of Tourism, Government of India, under the “Incredible India” initiative.

ITCX aims to birth and nurture an ecosystem for networking, knowledge sharing and peer learning that will pan out through expert seminars, workshops and master classes on various topics. These include temple safety, security and surveillance, fund management, disaster management, sanitization, and hygiene as well as optimal use of new-age technology like artificial intelligence (AI) for protection against cyber-attacks and social media management to foster a strong and connected temple community. The event will also touch upon subjects like crowd and queue management, solid waste management, and infrastructure enhancement under the umbrella of pilgrim experience.

The event is by invitation only and designed for temples and temple trusts of Hinduism, Jainism, Buddhism, and Sikhism in its first season. Representatives from Jain Dharamshalas, leading Devotional Charities, Associations in the Hindu Temples of the United Kingdom, ISKCON Temples, Anna Kshetra Managements, Purohit Mahasangha of various pilgrim locations, and Pilgrimage Promotion Boards will participate in this meet.

Additionally, the convention serves as a platform to learn about diverse cultures, traditions, and arts and crafts of temples from around the world while also celebrating India’s rich temple heritage.

Highlights of the 3-day sessions:

Dr Mohan Bhagwat (Sarsanghchalak of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh) will inaugurate the convention. Prominent attendees at the event will include temple trustees, members of temple boards and trusts, along with visionaries, such as the Prince of Travancore (Padmanabhaswamy Temple), Rohan A Khaunte (Minister for Tourism, Information Technology, Electronics & Communication, and Printing & Stationery, Goa), Dharma Reddy (Executive Officer – Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams), amongst many others.

To create a holistic impact, the sessions are tailored to include tried-and-tested as well as new-age practices to streamline sustainable temple management and development. Key conversations around green energy, archaeological architecture, langar (community kitchen) management, illuminations of lights for temples, etc will also be addressed. The line-up includes Tirupathi Balaji Temple experts who will share knowledge on their flawless queue management system and charity/social organisations that clean and maintain ghats in Varanasi. The founder of the convention, Giresh Kulkarni, will also lead a session on temple economics and its expanded role in tourism that can boost the local economy and promote a destination by providing pilgrims with a memorable experience.

Other talks and sessions on relevant topics will be held by delegates of Kashi Vishwanath Mandir, Mahakaal Jyotirling, Ayodhya Ram Mandir, Patna Saheb Gurudwara, Chidambaram Temple and Virupaksha Temple Hampi.

The event is also supported by the Antodaya Pratishthan that largely works in the space of CSR in the space of sustainability, hygiene, health and community service in a large way in Mumbai and the rest of Maharashtra.

Service and Product Booths

ITCX has curated a list of handpicked innovative products and services that offer solutions involving the improvement of systems and SOPs for better temple management and invited them to display their offerings for attendees to explore. These include fintech and transaction management/monetisation tools, screening virtual interactive maps, health ATMs at temple premises, social media and web technologies to help temples maintain their online engagement and chemical and cleaning products for temple housekeeping.

Some names include VAMA, HDFC Bank, Meta Social, Diversey Chemicals, Yono Meta, Unity IE World, Vedic Bhawan Rigvedalaya, The Indian Puja Company, Krystal Integrated Services and Volksara Techno Solutions amongst others.

Giresh Kulkarni, the founder of Temple Connect and ITCX mentioned, “On the forefront of the duty of devotion, Temple Connect is committed to uplifting the experience of a devotee in a place of worship. For a holy ground that attracts people through faith, it is imperative that it functions smoothly. Benches at every interval for resting in a queue, access to drinking water and an organised flow that takes care of the devotees’ experience from the moment they enter the premise is critical. At the International Temples Convention & Expo, we aim to gather on-ground temple soldiers on one stage to open knowledge portals to get inspired and organically elevate and set the standard operating system in a temple.”

Prasad Lad, Chairman of International Temples Convention & Expo 2023, Member of the Legislative Council, & The Chairman of the Legislative Council Rights Violation Committee, Government of Maharashtra, added, “The ITCX is a profound effort towards strengthening and empowering the temple ecosystem, which is one of the oldest ecosystems. The convention, in its very first edition, is indeed a first-of-its-kind to be held on such a scale and gravity. It will provide a much-needed space for information percolation, where various temple management can come together under one roof, learn from one another, network with experts and create synergies which will positively impact sustainable temple development.”

Meghaa Ghosh, Show Director & Co-Curator, says, “We have found ourselves in a time where taking initiative matters. No one has attempted to create a forum for temple management, but there is always a first. The convention brings to the fore a sense of national pride in our rich Temple heritage. And it is time to safeguard and support it with new-age technology. We are beginning with four faiths with similar roots. We would love to see more faiths join the movement in the coming years.” 

The convention will also be streamed online through the Temple Connect website and Facebook Live for registered viewers.

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