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'We wanted to create a little India': Rediff.com news
- now, in the middle of a cornfield on the outskirts of Maple Grove and close to the twin cities of St Paul and Minneapolis, a huge Hindu temple stands majestically. It has become a spiritual magnet for more than 30,000 Hindus in the state and the neighbouring five states, including North and South Dakota and a part of Wisconsin. Its unique features include 21 deities housed under one roof, and the main deity of Lord Vishnu in an unusual posture -- at least for North America.
- But just two months before the temple became functional, vandals broke into the building, dismembered stone statues and made deep holes in walls and windows in the first quarter of 2006.
Two 19-year-olds pleaded guilty to damage worth about $250,000. The temple authorities requested the court to give them suspended sentence; the young men were ordered to do volunteer work at the temple. They said their act stemmed from 'foolishness.' They were forgiven in a ceremony at the temple.
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Friday, July 24, 2009
'We wanted to create a little India': Rediff.com news
