AURORA, ILLINOIS, October 22, 2006: It is one thing to tend to the temple worship. It is quite another to deal with some 7,000 hungry souls from throughout the Midwest who drop in once a year, expecting to be fed on blessed Indian food. Yet such is the calling of Aurora’s Sri Venkateswara Swami Temple, outside Chicago, as Diwali arrived Saturday amid sacred rites and a fireworks show. A Hindu New Year follows on Sunday. The Hindu temple is expecting to see record numbers Saturday, more than last year’s estimated 7,000 worshipers and perhaps 10,000 over the weekend. And with that comes the responsibility to feed the pilgrims. Between 2000 and 2005, Illinois’ Asian Indian population grew by 32,000 to 157,126, the U.S. Census Bureau reports. Many were drawn by opportunities in education or employment, often involving computer technology, local Indians say. And greater numbers means a deeper pool of Indian culture to enrich festivals like Diwali. Traditionally, temples in India serve rice dishes to visitors throughout the year, and on an ordinary weekend, the Aurora temple’s staff chef and volunteers cook up food for 1,500 worshipers, who pay a donation of $2 to $3 for the fare. On Diwali, however, the crowds multiply as people come from as far a field as Ohio and Minnesota, following a custom of visiting a circuit of temples on the holiday.
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