The Hamilton Spectator
HAMILTON, ONTARIO, CANADA, November 2, 2004: It has been over three years since the Hamilton Hindu community was devastated when their temple was burned down after the 9/11 terrorist attacks (by attackers thinking the temple was connected to Islam). However the community pulled together and now in January of 2005 they are preparing to officially open their new place of worship in the same location but in a different structure. After consulting astrologers, the Hindu Samaj Temple board of directors decided that the opening ceremonies would take place in January 2005 as the time period from mid-January to mid-July is considered to be the most auspicious time for the temple. Dr. Mahendra Deonarain, religious secretary on the board, explains, “Temple leaders weren’t willing to leave anything to fate after their Hamilton Mountain temple was burned down in the wake of the 9/11 terrorist attacks. So they enlisted the expertise of not one but two astrologers on the question of exactly where to position the new temple building and another two on when best to launch it.” Many in the congregation would have liked to open the temple with Deepavali celebrations but instead they celebrated the Hindu New Year in the basement of the still-unfinished temple. The news release says, “Congregants are impatient to unveil the new building, made fireproof by a steel structure. But drywall dust must be replaced by tile, carpet and paint. They are even more anxious to have a look at brand new marble and granite deities freshly arrived from India.”