Information Center for COVID-19 (March 16, 2020)

Increased Cleaning Services & Hours Devotee Guidelines Temple Contacts

We offer our humble prayers to Lord Maha Ganapati to keep our community, country and the world safe.

Increased Cleaning:

Based on the guidelines provided by the CDC (Center for Disease Control) and in numerous exchanges with temples and other organizations around the country, Maha Ganapati Temple has put in place enhanced cleaning and disinfecting procedures at the Temple. These include more frequent cleaning of restrooms, periodic disinfecting of door handles and frequently touched areas and wearing of protective gloves/masks as needed by priests. The temple will also undergo a deep cleaning of all areas.

Services & Hours:

The temple shall remain open regular hours unless advised otherwise by local public health organizations. 

  • Regular Pujas to deities such as archanas & abhishekams shall continue on schedule.

  • Major celebrations for religious events (this includes Ugadi, Ramanavami, Panguni Uthiram) will be postponed to a later date. 

  • All cultural programs hosted by the temple will be postponed to a later date as well (this includes Bhakthi - A Sublime experience).

2.  For the safety of our devotees and priests, all at-home religious services are temporarily suspended. If you have signed up for a service, our Temple board officer will be contacting you and assisting you in finding a later date for your service.

3. Temple Annalakshmi (prasadam) hall will be closed until further notice. This means that there will be no prasadam available to partake when you visit the temple. Please make sure you make any necessary arrangements for food when you visit the temple.

4. Daily Archana & Homa to Lord Dhanvantari will be performed for Loka Kshema (Public welfare) and Shanti as well as Aarogya Abhivrudhi  (good health) please click here for details.

Devotee Guidelines:

  1. The priests have been requested to NOT give Theertha prasadam, Sadari or any other edible prasadam. Priests will offer Vibhooti and Kumkum only as prasadam. Please do not bring fruits, flowers, naivedyam (cooked food, sweets) or abhishekam materials (including milk/curd/juice or honey) to the temple. Instead please consider making an offering to the e-hundi  which will help the Temple in this extraordinary situation.

  2. If you would like archana performed from time to time and would not be able to visit the temple, you may sponsor a puja online and provide your Nakshatra, gotra details and the priests will be able to perform the relevant puja in your name. You may also perform pujas on Pradosham or Sankatahara Chaturthi by signing up online to have the priests perform the puja on your behalf.

  3. The temple will ensure a supply of hand soap at the washing stations at the entrance to the temple, in the restrooms as well as Annalakshmi Hall. Please wash your hands per the guidelines provided by the CDC prior to entering the temple.

  4. Devotees are asked to refrain from distributing any food, fruits or flowers to other devotees at the temple.

  5. The Ardha Mantapam and inner sanctum is off limits to everyone except the priests.

  6. Please refrain from touching the vigrahas, or touching others via handshakes or hugs.  Please maintain a distance of at least three feet from other devotees, priests and Shilpis.

  7. If you are ill (running a temperature, suffering from flu-like symptoms), coughing etc, we ask that you please follow the CDC recommendation and stay home till you recover.

  8. If you have recently returned from international travel or from states(Washington, New york, California) that have had many affected people, we ask that you please consider the CDC recommendation of staying at home for 14 Days to prevent the outside chance of spreading illness though you may not be exhibiting the symptoms yourself.

Temple Contacts:

If you have any concerns or would like to get in touch with us regarding this, email us at info@ganapati.org or please call the Maha Ganapati Temple of Arizona COVID-19 Response team of SriBhaskar Mahadevan (Secretary) 602-400-3432, Dr. Sujatha Gunala (Executive Advisory Council) 602-708-4112 , Dr Hari Kaleeckal (Member Director) 480-381-5786.