Fw: USA's only Varadaraja Temple Vandalised

[Guest guest]

Dear All:

 

It is indeed a sad day for all of us .

V.S

-

"mohan_r_sagar" <madhuriandmohan

<>

Monday, April 10, 2006 3:11 PM

USA's only Varadaraja Temple Vandalised

 

 

> Dear Devotees,

>

> Rather sad news for the Hindu community in general, and for

> followers of Bhagavad Sri Ramanuja's philosophical path in particular.

> The Hindu Temple of Minnesota, the first temple in the US that is

> dedicated to the worship of Varadaraja Perumal of Kanchipuram - the

> archa form of Sriman Narayana Who Played a Major Role in Ramanuja's

> life and philosophy - was recently vandalized. The following clipping

> is from the current issue of the Times of India >>----->

>

> CHICAGO: A Hindu temple, that was to be inaugurated in June, was

> vandalised in the city of Maple Grove leaving its idols damaged and

> the 20,000 strong Indian American community in the state of Minnesota

> "outraged".

>

> The vandals, who apparently entered the $9-million temple after 9 pm

> on April 5, punched holes in several walls as they rummaged through

> the property.

>

> Umesh Singh, executive committee member of the temple's board of

> trustees, said that he had been at the temple till about 8 pm,

> overseeing preparations for its June consecration.

>

> That formal inauguration is now likely to postponed since the idols

> were damaged during the attack. Singh said the idols, made from

> granite, were flipped over by the vandals but did not seem to have

> been specifically attacked.

>

> "Police are doing a thorough investigation. Samples from the temple

> have been sent to the crime lab whose report is awaited," Singh said.

> He said there were no graffiti or racially charged messages left on

> the temple walls.

>

> Asked how the Indian American community was viewing the attack, he

> said: "Naturally we are all saddened. Some of us are outraged and feel

> violated by the attack. But the city authorities have been very

> cooperative in their investigation because they too want to bring the

> perpetrators to justice soon."

>

> The 43,000 square feet temple, built with the help of sculptors and

> temple architects from India, was in the final stage of its

> construction and was scheduled to open in June.

>

> The Hindu Society of Minnesota raised the money to build the temple

> from among the community. It was in the making for nearly two years.

>

> "The city of Maple Grove has been enthusiastically involved in the

> planning and construction of the new temple and is extremely

> distressed about the acts of vandalism. The city is actively working

> with authorities on the investigation of the vandalism," an official

> statement from the temple management said.

>

> "We remain positive that our temple will be restored and that this

> case of vandalism will not affect the healthy and established

> relationship between the Hindu Society of Minnesota and the greater

> community," Shashikant Sane, chair of the Board of Trustees of the

> Hindu Society of Minnesota, was quoted as saying by the statement.

>

> Bala Balasubramaniam, a trustee of the temple, said the Indian

> American community had sought the help of state Senator Satveer

> Chaudhary on the matter. "Minnesota is a very tolerant state and it

> has always accepted immigrants with open arms," he said.

>

> He said the authorities were treating this as a serious crime. One of

> the many surmises being circulated was that the attack may have come

> from schools students during a spring break.

>

> Students across the country are known to indulge in drunken revelry

> during the spring break and are known to have indulged in similar

> vandal attacks.

>

> According to Singh and Balasubramaniam, there were no suspects in the

> case yet, a fact independently reported by the local media.

>

> Maple Grove Police Capt. Tracy Stille told the media that hate crimes

> had distinct characteristics that could not be associated with the

> damage done to the temple.

>

> "This was extensive," he said. "We're certainly looking at any

> possibility, bias-motivated or not."

>

> The temple authorities quoted L.K. Advani, senior leader of India's

> main opposition Bharatiya Janata Party, as saying that he was "pained

> and appalled" by the attack and urged the US government to bring the

> culprits to book.

>

>

-----------------

>

>

> srirangarAja charaNAmbhuja rAja hamsam

> srimad parAnkusa padhAmbhuja brungarAjam|

> sri bhattanAtha parakAla mukhAbhja mitram

> srivatsachihnna saranam yathirAjameedE||

>

> I pay homage to Sri Ramanuja, the swan who has chosen the Lotus Feet of

> Sri Ranganatha as his refuge;

> who is collecting the pollen and nectar from the flower-like feet of

> Parankusa (NammAzhwAr);

> who brightens like the sun the faces of Bhattanatha (PeriAzhwAr) and

> Parakala (Thirumangai AzhwAr), and

> who is the refuge of Kuresa!

> Links

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