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Geneva is a home to a sizable number of Hindu Tamils who fled war-torn Sri Lanka. Many Tamil Hindus have found gainful employment in Geneva which is a financial city and a worldwide center for UN Organisations and NGOs. Having settled in the country, the Tamil Hindus were anxious to have a temple in order to practice and observe the Saiva Siddhantha Tenets and religious observances such as special prayers on auspicious days, &ldquo;Viratham&rdquo; (fasting) (&ldquo;Kantha Sasthi&rdquo;, &ldquo;Gowri Viratham&rdquo;, etc.), &ldquo;Thithis&rdquo; (commemoration rituals), &ldquo;Punniyaahavaasam&rdquo; (purification ceremony), and so on.

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They also wished to continue the practice of their religion, culture and arts in their new homes, as well as pass these values and traditions on to the next generation.&nbsp;

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There is an old Tamil maxim which says &ldquo;Kovil illa ooril kudi irukka vendam&rdquo; - Don&rsquo;t live in a place where there is no temple.

In the mid-90s, the idea that a place where Tamil Hindus can observe our religious rites should be built started blooming in the minds of Geneva&rsquo;s Tamil diaspora. At the same time, they were anxious to perpetuate the rich culture of Saivism (the Sri Lankan tradition of Hinduism) for their generation and beyond. There was also a driving spiritual power from inner realms that came from the founding fathers of the Temple who came to Switzerland as refugees.

It all started with a weekly joint prayer which was organized on Fridays,&nbsp;&nbsp;the Hindu holy day. During one of those prayers, discussions arose about creating a place dedicated to worship.

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It was Mr. K. Pushparajah, one of the forerunners of the joint prayers, who proposed that as long as we had a statue of an idol to worship, there wouldn&rsquo;t be any more delay in the establishment of a temple.

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Considering this, Mr. Kumarasamy Yoganathan, along with his friends, acquired statues, made out of black stone from South India, of deities Vinayagar, Ambaal and Murugan. 
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Mr. Yoganathan and Mr. Chandralekar, who was interested in building a temple for Lord Vinayagar, joined forces on Friday, June 30th, 1995 at 14, Avenue de Sainte-Clotilde, where they held a meeting with other people interested by their project to create a temple.

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On that day, those present formed an association &ndash; The Geneva Hindu Temple Association &ndash; and elected a governing body consisting of nine committee members with equal powers and three advisors.

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Gradually, many volunteers including Christian Tamils contributed their time and their technical and artistic knowledge in setting up a temple. Although most of the devotees were from Sri Lanka, a minority also hails from India, Malaysia and Mauritius. This homogenous concentration has provided a unique opportunity in enabling Saivism to flourish in Geneva.

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On June 7th, 1996, on Shashthi&nbsp;Thithi and Vaikasi Sathayam, the Kumbabhishekam rituals were performed by Shri Thuraisamy Mannivanna Kurukal and the Chief priest of the Attpuda Vinayagar Temple, Shri Umashankara Kurukal. This marked the creation of the Attpuda Vinayagar Temple. On July 12th, 1996, Mr. Murugiah Thambirajah took it upon himself to register the Geneva Hindu Temple Association with the Commercial Register in Geneva.

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The Vairavar statue was introduced on Avani Chaturthi 1997. This was followed, on Vaikasi Satyam 2002, by the altar, the Navagraham, procession idols of Vinayagar, Murugan with Valli Theivanai and Ambaal. The community owes a great debt of gratitude to these founding fathers for their vision, foresight and passion to leave behind a lasting legacy in the form of the Attpuda Vinayagar Temple and to bring Saivite Hinduism from Sri Lanka and India to Geneva.

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In December 2012, the Vernier premises had to be handed over to the owners. During this time, thanks to the perseverance of the members of the committee, the help of the Canton of Geneva and God&rsquo;s blessing, the Temple was moved to a rented place, 30, Chemin de la B&eacute;cassi&egrave;re in Versoix.&nbsp;

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Again, the Temple was recreated with the support of the Tamil people of Geneva.

On the auspicious day of Sashti Thithi, presided over by the Chief priest of the Temple, &ldquo;Sathiyojaatha Sivaachaariyaar Sakalaamasangarar&rdquo; Sivasri T Umashankara Kurukal, Kumbabishekam rituals for the new site of the Temple were performed on Friday 28th June 2013, on the day of Sani Sathayam and Sashti Thithi.

Ever since, prayers have been continuing on Tuesdays, Fridays and Saturdays.

The annual festival is held during May to June. The Temple is open on special occasions such as the New year, Pongal and Deepavali.

Along with the rise of our temple has come an increase in the complexity and frequency of pujas. Tamil festivals such as English new year, Thai Pongal, Thai Pusam, Sangadhara Chathurthi, Mahasivarathri, Masi Maham, Tamil New Year, Chitra Pournami, Aadi&nbsp;Amavasai, Aadi Poram, Varaluximi Viratham, Ganesha Chathurti, Skanda Shashthi, Navaratri, Thirukarthigai, Pillayar Perunkathai and Thiruvembai are glorious celebrations. The temple is open all these days. The core focus is to perform them concurrently with the traditional celebrations in India and Sri Lanka. The link to the motherland is ever present and never forgotten. It is the power of the homeland that is believed to sustain such a rich culture.

The Temple has been functioning well for 24 years thanks to the contribution and support of devotees who are interested in its development. This temple has become a conduit for Hindu education and cultural activities.

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