CHICAGO, U.S.A., August 9, 2004: HPI note: The following two summaries are from the Chicago Sun Times and the Chicago Tribune, the city’s leading papers, on the same event, the dedication of the new Hindu temple:
Hindus in Chicago have a good reason to rejoice. A US$15 million dollar temple now graces the area, and Readers Digest has called the ediface a world-class wonder. Affiliated with the Swaminaryan BAPS sect, 82 year-old Sadhu Vishwamurtidas says, “The temple is even more beautiful than I could have imagined. That which we have not achieved in past thousands of [spiritual] births we have achieved in this very birth.” The article elaborates, ” Situated on 38 acres amid animal topiary and splashing fountains, the ornately carved two-story temple is Bulgarian limestone on the outside and Italian marble on the inside. It is topped by 16 domes and has 151 pillars, five pinnacles and four balconies. The 12,000-ton structure was assembled from 40,000 pieces of stone, carved in India and shipped here in 400 containers.” Local politicians attending the opening of the temple expressed their appreciation to the Indian community for their contributions professionally and economically.
A daily summary of world news for Hindus and non-Hindus alike