Repair of Shri Goura-Nityai Temple, Krishnapur
Please help me, Guru Moirangthem Naba Singha, preserve my faith and place of worship!
Fundraising purpose: To repair and conserve Shri Shri Goura-Nityai Temple in Dhamalia, Krishnapur, (Silchar) Assam, India.
Fundraising target: $5700 (INR 4 lakhs)
The temple requires the following work, as is evident in the pictures below:
• repairing the foundation of the temple,
• fixing damaged pillars,
• restoring the water-damaged walls and roof of the temple,
• repainting and redecorating (angaraj) of the idols,
• fixing the cracked floor of the temple,
• replacing the seat (aason) of the Gods.
How the project will be undertaken: As I currently reside in the United States, the project will be directly overseen by my family in India. I will be supervising and monitoring its progress virtually via video calls and phone calls. I will regularly share with you all, updates of its progress with reports and photos.
I am reaching out to you all because this temple means a lot to me and my family, and most importantly, my community (leikai) members. I request you to help me save this valuable piece of my life.
Below is a brief introduction to the history of the temple and its significance to my people back home in Dhamalia, Assam, India.
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Dear friends and well-wishers,
I am Moirangthem Nabaghana Shyam Singha -- “Guruji” to my beloved students and their families, and “UncleNaba”/“Pupu-Uncle” to my young fellow Manipuris. As some of you may know, I have completed more than fifty years of performing and teaching classical Manipuri dance and music, specializing in dance-drama, playing the sitar, tabla, and Meitei-Pung (more info at www.nrityarangam.org). Throughout my life and career, I believe that I have been guided and blessed by Shri-Shri Goura-Nityai, the Gods that my family and community (leikai-kollup) worship back home in Dhamalia, Krishnapur village in Silchar (Cachar district), Assam. Today, I am here to seek your help in conserving this place of worship so my family and community can continue to be blessed by His Divine Being long after my earthly duties are done.
Since 1870, Shri-Shri Goura-Nityai has been a revered shrine located on the banks of the Barak river in Dhamalia, Krishnapur village in Silchar, Assam. But erosion due to seasonal floods often destroyed the temple, and its location continued to shift; until our family, the Moirangthems, assumed responsibility for its maintenance in 1952. The current location of the temple is about 100 yards from my ancestral home and has been under the care of my late father Shri Moirangthem Gouramohon Singha and then my brother, Shri Moirangthem Kunjamohon Singha. With the demise of my brother two years ago, the temple’s physical structure and the idols’ condition have fallen into utter disrepair and need immediate restoration. The leikai residents, unfortunately, do not have the financial means nor the resources to undertake such a project.
Please help me fulfil my duty of tending to the temple’s upkeep and preservation.
The shrine holds a lot of sentimental value for not just the Moirangthem sagei (clan) but for the entire locality as well. We only have this temple and its mandop to celebrate important festivals like Yaosang (Holi), Kang (Rath-Yatra), Jhulon and life-rituals like shradh-kirtans. It pains me immensely to see such a symbolic part of our lives and its associated memories slowly slipping away into a state of dilapidation. I hereby humbly request your help in raising the requisite funds for this project. I have set aside some personal savings which, unfortunately, is falling short of the required expenses. I will really appreciate any amount of financial contribution you can extend towards this cause.
Thank you for your valuable support! May Shri Shri Goura-Nityai bless you and your loved ones abundantly!
Sincerely,
Guru Moirangthem Naba Singha