The word Ganesha (Gana + Isha) means ‘the ruler of the Devas (Gods)’. A saying, “Thanakku mel illaatha thani Nayaagan Vinaayagan”, in Tamil language – that means “the one who has no superior” - captures the essence of Lord Ganesha. The supreme God blesses and protects all Atmas (Souls). Lord Ganesha is the eldest son of Lord Shiva and the creator of the material universe. He is regarded as the founder of Hindusim which is also known as Sanatana Dharma or the Eternal path. It is the righteous way of living, and for those who walk that path,

Lord Ganesha is the remover of all obstacles. This is why most Hindus pay their obedience to Lord Ganesha first, before starting on any new endeavours in their life. Lord Ganesha is worshipped in different names and murthis (forms) in different parts of the world. There are 32 murthis and the one in Adelaide Temple is Siddhi Ganesha. In this form, Lord Ganesha is the giver of success and is associated with bountiful harvests and general abundance in life.

The Adelaide Ganesha Temple was established in 1986. The consecration of Shri Ganesha deity was held in the month of July, 1986. At that time, this was the second established in Australia. For the last 21 years, the temple has continued to serve the needs of the devotees. The temple offers a conducive environment to practice religious rites, to perform archanas and bhajans, to pass on the cultural tradition to younger generations. Daily poojas and and all significant festivals were conducted for the last 21 years. The whole Hindu community and many other interested people attend day-to-day activities of the temple. The children have the opportunity to learn and practise Indian culture. People from all religions are invited to attend the temple.

Sivasri M Sri Sriskandarajah Kurukkal is the currently serving as the priest of the Adelaide Ganesha Temple. He had worked for 10 years as Chief Priest for the Kuil Sri Subramanian Temple in Johor, Malaysia. Sriskandarajah Kurukkal was appointed in June 1990 as the temple priest after the previous Adchayamoorthy Kurukkal departed from Australia. The present priest has been with us for the last 17 years and is serving the community to their great satisfaction. He lives near the temple at and he can be reached by phone 8298 1278. Apart from temple duties, he serves for other special poojas and marriages at his discretion and availability.

EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE 2006-2007 President: Mr. Siva Selvakulalingam JP 8332 4516 Vice President:Dr. Carl Vadivella 8370 0111 Secretary:Mrs. Usha Rajagopalan 8379 1896 A/Secretary: Mrs. Rani Ratnasabapathy 8352 2591 Treasurer:Mr Kewal Suri 8365 1070 Librarian:Dr. Carl Vadivella 8370 0111 Members: Mr. Swamy Pillay 8377 0703 Mrs. N. Jadhav 8331 8016 Mr. Bikhramjit Sen 8344 7029 Dr. Mallika Kanagasabai 8364 3021 Dr. Raman Sharma 8431 9775 Chief Priest: Sriskandarajah Kurukkal 8298 1278