chicago kali bari grand opening puja
November 7th, 2018 marks the grand opening of the new Chicago Kālī Bari. A House of Spirituality & Worship, the Hindu Temple spent the past year searching for ideal facilities for its congregation and finally will officially open its doors at 2S511 IL Route 53, Glen Ellyn IL 60137 on November 7th, 2018. We invite you all, and welcome you to join us in this wonderful beginning. Please feel welcome to join and follow the Chicago Kālī Bari online at www.chicagokalibari.com, or on Facebook at www.facebook.com/chicagokalibari.
‘The Chicago Kālī House of Spirituality & Worship’, or simply Chicago Kālī Bari (“CKB”), was dreamed of and founded in 2018 by Ram Chakroborty, to share and encourage spiritual enlightenment with our fellow ‘sisters and brothers of America’, in efforts to further advance toward peace and unity. “I was initially inspired by my late Mother, Srimati Nihar Kana Chakroborty, many years ago” Ram reminisces, “Mā Kālī was taught to us in our childhood as a cultural simulacra of our own mother, a shield against the malevolence, corruption, and deceit that we face during our time here on this world. In building my mother’s inspiration into a reality, I sincerely hope to help our community improve their day-to-day lives through meditation and spiritual guidance” Chicago Kālī Bari has quickly established a presence within the Hindu diaspora in the Chicagoland area and the US Midwest. To service our predominantly Bengali Hindu congregation, we are working to build a holistic House of Spirituality and Worship, where all are welcome to extenuate their spiritual lives, worship, and celebrate our cultural and religious traditions. We hope that in doing so, we can promote the wisdom of Hindu philosophies to those that seek it. We strive to be a place where our youth can gather, to listen, to question, and to continue and incorporate cultural ideals and heritage in their daily life. We plan to have the temple open every day, so that all who wish will have access to God and to their Priest for spiritual guidance and support. Chicago Kālī Bari will celebrate all major Hindu cultural festivals, and will work with our congregation, our neighbors, local community, and our municipality to ensure that all feel comfortable and welcome in these proceedings. In addition, we plan to organize social and cultural festivities to celebrate our Hindu cultural way of life. Chicago Kālī Bari is a fast-growing congregation that strives to grow peacefully, with joy and happiness, and in congruence with other religious institutions in the greater Chicagoland area, it will complement them with its unique attributes and offerings. We strive to be a full-service religious Temple for the Bengali Hindu diaspora, as an institution to promote our Hindu cultural ideals. We also plan to provide our members with social & cultural support and guidance, a charitable environment, and a safe space where members can freely meditate, worship, and crucially, a dedicated space for all who believe in God, and wish to explore and further develop their spiritual selves. During the 1893 World Columbian Exposition, hosted by our beloved Chicago, as its first Parliament of Religions convened, Indian spiritual leader Swami Vivekanda opened the doors of Bengali Hindu spirituality to the Western World. Following his great footsteps, Chicago Kālī Bari strives to move forward in this endeavor, embracing all peoples and creeds, and providing & supplementing both religious & spiritual needs through a Hinduism-centric ethic. |
Kalpataru Utsav
On January 1, 1886 Ramakrishna Paramahansa was taking a walk in the garden area of Cossipore Udyan Bari. There, he asked one of his followers, Girish, a question he had often asked before, "Who do you say that I am?" Girish responded that he believed that Ramakrishna was "God incarnate, come to Earth out of mercy for humankind". Ramakrishna replied, "What more shall I say? May you be awakened." Ramakrishna then entered an "ecstatic state" and began touching all of his followers. Those he touched reported experiencing a variety of new states of consciousness, including vivid visions. One disciple, Ramachandra Dutta, explained that Ramakrishna had, in effect become Kalpataru, also called Kalpavriksha, the "wish-fulfilling tree" of Sanskrit literature and Hindu mythology. As a result, Dutta named the commemoration of this mystical event "Kalpataru Day".
Let us celebrate Kalpataru Utsav by praying Ramakrishna on this very auspicious day with the believe that all our 'wishes will be fulfilled'. Puja • Pushpanjali • Prasad • Cultural Program |