DES MOINES, IOWA, USA, May 25, 2006: Iowa’s first Hindu temple, nestled at a bend in the Des Moines River near Madrid, was consecrated in a five-day ceremony in early March. The Hindu Temple and Cultural Center of Iowa is the realization of a four-decade-old dream of about 1,000 Indian families who have settled here, according to Sri Krishna Kumar Pandey, priest of the temple. Built in a Hindu tradition, the shrines and towers make the place of worship authentic, said Shashi Tenneti, spokeswoman for the congregation. Skilled craftsmen from India completed the “Indianization” of the temple, dedicating 30 months to carving intricate designs into the 12 shrines and sculpting depictions of the deities out of cast concrete. During the consecration ceremonies, Hindu priests anointed each shrine, and mantras were chanted several times a day. The shrines were decked with flowers and bathed with river water. Prayers and other ceremonies took place for an additional 43 days after the initial consecration was completed.
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