The
consecration of the Oneness
Temple, a magnificent
structure designed to
contribute to the activation
and flowering of higher
consciousness, took place on
the morning of April 22,
2008. Sri Amma and Sri
Bhagavan appeared in the
main hall of the temple at
around 8.15 am and bestowed
blessings for mental and
emotional growth, physical
health and higher levels of
awareness upon thousands of
grateful followers in
attendance from all over the
world.
Months of
planning and considerable
human and fiscal resources
were invested in the
consecration.
India's premier
event management firm was
retained to organize the
event. The entire staff of
the University was engaged,
along with 3,000 trained
volunteers and 700 public
and private security
officers. The University
cleared 200 acres adjacent
to the Temple as a
hospitality lot with water
and food for 250,000 each
day, including a buffet
serving 35,000 in each
sitting.
As millions
of people follow the
teachings and have
experienced the grace of our
beloved Sri Amma-Bhagavan,
we expected large numbers at
the Consecration. To
effectively manage the
crowds, the country was
divided by regions, with
each region assigned one of
the six days to attend. On
the 42 acres occupied by the
Temple, an orderly cue
system was created which
included three miles of
carpeted and shaded walkways
and 1.5 million square feet
of covered space. Seven
thousand fans kept people
refreshed as they waited to
enter the Temple .
By our
projections, 150,000 people
would participate in the
opening each day, with one
million total by the end of
the week. Actual
attendance, however,
exceeded all possible
estimates. During the first
24 hours alone nearly one
million traveled to the
Temple site. According to
the organizers, who have
produced dozens of
large-scale events, concerts
and temple openings
involving thousands of
people, the response of the
public to the opening of the
Oneness Temple was unlike
anything they have ever seen
in the history of their
organization.
Sri
Amma-Bhagavan, the senior guides and the
guides of the
Oneness University were
deeply moved by the
extraordinary response of
the public to the opening of
the Temple. However, with
new figures projected at
least three million by the
end of the six days, it
became evident that the
crowds would be far larger
than our facilities could
possibly accommodate. In
the interest of public
safety, the decision was
made to postpone and
reschedule the opening for
smaller groups broken up
over several months.
The size of
the crowd became
unmanageable even for the
police and local
authorities. As is to be
expected from the swell of a
crowd that hovered past
500,000 at any given time,
our medical team had to
provide assistance to some
who were affected by
exhaustion and heat.
There were no
casualties in the Temple
grounds. However, we were
informed by the police later
that day that four
casualties had been reported
in the vicinity, primarily
due to exhaustion and other
natural causes. Our love
and prayers go out to the
families affected by this
loss. Sri Amma- Bhagavan,
and the senior guides and
the Guides at the University
have offered their
condolences and arrangements
were made to provide
material and financial
assistance to those
affected.
In the
continued interest of
safety, all opening events
have been postponed and the
Temple has been closed to
the public until further
notice. At this time, only
the Oneness Beings are being
granted access to the Temple, where they remain
meditating and praying for
all of us and for the
advancement of consciousness
in our world. All other
events and courses at the
Oneness University's
India and
Fiji campuses will
continue as scheduled.
We wish to
express our deep gratitude
to everyone who joined us
for the consecration, and
most especially to all the
Blessing Givers, friends,
workers and supporters who
invested their time, efforts
and resources to make the
Oneness Temple a reality.
The vision and mission of
Sri Amma-Bhagavan is
strengthened thanks to your
continued cooperation, and
we are honored to join with
you as co-creators of a
better future.
Humanity
continues to face complex
challenges and struggles
requiring solutions on a
global scale. The Oneness
community is engaged in the
search for those solutions,
striving to alleviate
suffering, and joining at
the heart, where all
differences dissolve. Let
us march together, with
renewed energy and hope,
towards an era of freedom,
peace and Oneness for all.
To read more about the Oneness Temple
Click Here
What is the Golden Ball of Grace? To
see more photos and to learn more
Click Here
To see
photos of countless Golden Balls of
Grace descending upon the Golden City
&
VIDEOS of Amma and Bhagavan at the
Temple Opening
click here