San Bernardino Sun
SAN BERNARDINO, CALIFORNIA, March 3, 2005: Apple Valley Hindus rejoiced Wednesday night as plans were approved for the only Hindu temple between Riverside, California, and Las Vegas, Nevada. The Planning commission unanimously voted to reverse its January rejection of the Krishna Valley Temple at 13356 Apple Valley Road. The approval was a victory for a growing Hindu population forced to move meetings from home to home or drive hours to the closest temple. “This time they made the decision on facts,” said Manmohan Nayyar, who introduced the project. Unless someone appeals the temple decision to the town council, construction on the 2.35-acre-lot can begin later this year. A 7,950-square-foot temple and 7,415-square-foot cultural center will be built in a residential area containing several hundred homes. The building will be 18 feet tall, with its highest spire 36 feet.
The commission originally rejected the temple January 19 because of traffic concerns. After an impassioned appeal from many High Desert residents and Hindus at the panel’s February 2 meeting, the commission agreed to rehear the proposal. A few dozen Hindus attended Wednesday night to see their temple plans reborn. Nayyar’s daughter, Megha, 15, was the spiritual architect for the project. A year ago, she told her father a temple is needed for the Hindu youths of the High Desert. She raised money to show her father there was a demand for the temple. For years, local Hindus have held weekly worship in people’s homes, bouncing about from week to week. A few times per month, many would travel to Riverside to enter the Hindu temple there. But the 120-mile-roundtrip drive was a deterrent for many. Nayyar estimates there are 200 to 300 Hindu families in the area.