Europe's largest Hindu temple opens
Pastor Dale Morgan
Europe's largest Hindu temple opens*
From correspondents in London
August 24, 2006 04:37am
Article from: Agence France-Presse
THE biggest Hindu temple in Europe opened in Britain today with a
five-day festival in which priests will perform a number of rituals to
sanctify the place of worship, the BBC reported.
The idea to build the £6.5 million ($16.15 million) Shri Venkateswara
(Balaji) Temple, in the west central English town of Tividale, near
Birmingham, was conceived in the mid-1970s.
But it was not until 1987 that worshippers acquired a site, a former
refuse tip, and gained planning permission.
Work on the temple involved scores of craftsman from India to carve
intricate statues of Hindu deities and the interior decor.
The building is based on the famous Tirupati-Tirumala temple in
southeast India, which is visited by millions of pilgrims each year.
Fifteen Indian priests will perform ancient rituals in Sanskrit to call
on the gods to enter the temple, which is dedicated to Lord Balaji, an
incarnation of the god Vishnu.
The festival will end with the installation of a 3.6m statue of Krishna.