Author:
Publication: hpi.list@hindu.org
Date: April 7, 2006
The following press release was received from
Umesh Singh, of the board of trustees of the Hindu Society of Minnesota.
On the night of April 5, 2006, the new temple
being constructed in Maple Grove by the Hindu Society of Minnesota was vandalized.
Vandals broke in to the 43,000 square feet facility and damaged the religious
deities and several other areas of the temple, including the auditorium, dining
hall and classrooms. The temple, in its final stage of construction, was scheduled
to open to the public in June 2006. In light of the recent vandalism, however,
this date is being reevaluated by the leadership team of the Hindu Society
of Minnesota. Numerous architects have been working for over two years on
the traditional Hindu design of the temple. Many pieces of the temple have
been handcrafted in India and shipped to Minnesota for use. The Deities in
the religious altar, located on the sec ond floor of the facility, were constructed
in India and were destroyed as a result of the vandalism. These uniquely crafted
pieces will be difficult to replace. The City of Maple Grove has been enthusiastically
involved in the planning and construction of the new temple and is extremely
distressed about the acts of vandalism. The City is actively working with
authorities on the investigation of the vandalism. While the Hindu community
of Minnesota is deeply saddened at the destruction of their place of worship
and the center of their community, they are confident that they will be able
to repair the damage done to the building. "We remain positive that our
temple will be restored and that this case of vandalism will not affect the
healthy and established relationship between the Hindu Society of Minnesota
and the greater community," states Dr. Shashikant Sane, Chair of the
Board of Trustees of the Hindu Society of Minnesota.
