Written by London Swaminathan

Post No. 15,372

Date uploaded in Sydney, Australia –  29 January 2026

Contact – swami_48@yahoo.com

Pictures are taken from various sources for spreading knowledge.

this is a non- commercial blog. Thanks for your great pictures.

tamilandvedas.com, swamiindology.blogspot.com

xxxx  

We went to Sri Karphaga Vinayakar Temple in Sydney, Australia on 29-1-2026. It is a temple in one large hall with a small tower. When we went there the temple was celebrating its Annual Mango Festival. We could see about 25 devotees enjoying the Puja to the Dwaja Sthamba. About five priests were doing the decorations and the Puja.

The temple has the main shrine with Karpaka Vinayakar in the centre of the hall .On either side of the main shrine are other deities including Lord Siva, Goddess Meenakshi, Nataraja, Lord Skanda Muruga, Nava Graha etc.

Because of the festival, musicians were playing the Nayanam and Melam (Pipes and drums) that echoed in the hall. We could see a small chariot. The temple has announced that chariots and other idols will be taken along the streets.

Since the temple was located in a Sri Lankan Tamil area we saw several devotees walking towards the temple. Temple distributes free food and Prasad all through the festival days. Other days there is a canteen which sell food in the evening.

It has a good atmosphere and sanctity, and one must visit to get the blessings of Lord Ganesh.

Temple Address

123, The Crescent, Homebush West, New South Wales 2140

Phone 02 9746 9590

www.vinayakar.org.au

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What is Mango Festival?

Mango Festival is celebrated by all the Sri Lankan temples. The story behind the festival is a popular story. Inter Galactical Space Traveller Narada is famous or notorious for creating quarrels among the celestials which always end with good results. He came with a mango fruit and gave it to Lord Siva in the Kailash with a condition that it can’t be cut when it was to given to any one. Siva’s two sons Lord Ganesh and Lord Skanda Muruga were demanding it. And Siva was in a great dilemma. Siva told them that whoever goes around the world and come back first would get it. Lord Skanda immediately flew on his peacock space rocket and circled the earth in a few minutes. But before that the big tummy boy, Lord Ganesh went round his father and mother Siva and Parvati and said they were the world. Both the parents were happy to hear it. And Siva gave the mango to him. Late comer Lord Skanda Muruga was disappointed. This is the background of the Mango festival which illustrated that father and mother are greater than the earth.

During the festival which runs up to ten days or so, the temple idols are taken around the town. The finale will be the chariot festival, and the chariot is pulled by all the people without any discrimination of rich and poor, of high and low status or man and woman or young and old. This festival celebrated by all the Hindu temples around the world inculcate social unity. Moreover God comes to everyone who could not go to a temple.

–Subham—

Tags- Sydney, Karphaga Vinayakar temple, My visit, Chariot festival, Australia