The Gateway Tower of North Carolina's largest Hindu temple has been unveiled

A new 87-foot tower at the Sri Venkateswara Temple in Cary was inaugurated by North Carolina Governor Roy Cooper in the presence of hundreds of devotees,

The Gateway Tower of North Carolina's largest Hindu temple has been unveiled

A new 87-foot tower at the Sri Venkateswara Temple in Cary was inaugurated by North Carolina Governor Roy Cooper in the presence of hundreds of devotees, adding to the Diwali joy among Hindu-Americans. According to temple leaders, the completion of the tower, dubbed the "Tower of Unity and Prosperity," comes 13 years after the temple's construction began in 2009. It is currently the tallest of its kind in North America.

"What a great day, especially in times of struggle... entering this shrine with reverence and putting your cares outside for a while... That is something we must all do, but we can always leave the temple with even more motivation than before to address our concerns and ensure we are taking action "CBS17 reported that Governor Cooper addressed the community.

The tower was approved in 2019, and construction began in April 2020, "just at the onset of the coronavirus pandemic," according to Lakshminarayanan Srinivasan, general secretary of the temple's board of trustees. According to Srinivasan, the "give a brick" effort, which asked Indian-Americans from throughout the country to donate whatever they could to help complete the skyscraper, raised over $2.5 million from over 5,000 individuals.

Srinivasan stated that there are other plans for enlargement, including the construction of an assembly hall next to the temple. He further stated that fountains and a "manicured environment" will be built to surround the temple. The temple, which is the largest Hindu temple in North America, is modelled after the famed Sri Venkateswara Temple in Tirupati, Andhra Pradesh. Sri Venkateswara Temple was founded in 1988 in response to a growing demand from Indians residing in the Triangle area of North Carolina for the grandeur and minutely crafted artwork of South Indian temples to be replicated here.

Fourteen artists from India were brought in to hand create the temple's ornamental Hindu idols out of cement. The temple's expansion comes at a time when the Indian population in the Triangle, often known as Raleigh-Durham-Chapel Hill, is increasing. According to Indian American Impact, North Carolina has 425,000 Asian Americans, with Indian-Americans being the largest ethnic group. According to census estimates for 2021, there were over 51,000 Indian-Americans in Wake County, North Carolina, and 57,000 in Wake, Durham, and Orange counties combined.

(source : IANS)

What's Your Reaction?

like

dislike

love

funny

angry

sad

wow