DALLAS, TEXAS, August 9, 2013 (Dallas News): Frisco’s Asian Indian population is booming. Census numbers show that from 2000 to 2010, the Asian Indian population in Collin County more than tripled, growing from 9,673 to 33,502.
The growth will soon be reflected in a new construction project on Independence Parkway in Frisco. After years of fundraising, the Karya Siddhi Hanuman temple recently broke ground on a $7.5 million temple. The Hindu temple is being built next to the existing Hanuman Cultural Center, which houses the Datta Yoga Center and serves as the main worship space.
For years, the main worship option for Hindus in the area was the DFW Hindu Temple in Irving, said Sunitha Cheruvu, a temple volunteer. “Now, just like we’ve got churches on every corner, or every intersection, different temples have come up to serve the needs of the community,” she said.
In 2008, volunteers chose a 10-acre location as the site of the new temple. Once completed, the multimillion-dollar center will hold about 1,000 people. Construction begins later this month, and the temple is expected to open in late 2014, Laxmi Tummala, a temple trustee said. After the structure is completed, a team of artisans from India will complete detailing on the temple’s ornate exterior.
A portrait of Hanuman, the Hindu monkey God, decorates the cultural center’s front facade. “Hanuman embodies how to be a better person,” Cheruvu said. “He’s very beloved.” The deity is symbolic of the qualities that support the teachings of the guru Sri Ganapati Sachchidananda Swamiji, the Hindu spiritual leader whom many of the temple-goers follow.
The new temple will be the first outside of India to house a jade stone Hanuman statue. There are few temples specifically devoted to Hanuman, Tummala said, and that’s expected to be a big draw.