Religious Gem Taking Shape In Spanish Fork

[Guest guest]

These three stories appeared in three different papers on Thursday, May 22, 2003

 

Daily Herald

Temple nears completion

CALEB WARNOCK The Daily Herald on Thursday, May 22

 

Gene Eskelson places a bouquet of flowers on the teakwood altar at the Krishna Temple on Wednesday, and bows down to pray.

 

Performing a Hindu ritual for offering material objects to the Lord Krishna, he cleanses himself with sacred water contained in a small bronze spoon, lights incense and a candle, and fans the smoke with bright peacock feathers -- all while continuously ringing a small bell in his left hand.

 

The bouquet was not the only thing given to Krishna on Wednesday. That morning temple founders Caru Das and Vai Devi celebrated the arrival of the first of eight fiberglass domes. When the final dome is installed this fall, the temple will be architecturally complete after five years of work.

 

Instead of planning to relax and enjoy the building, however, Das said he will begin the engineering work this summer on a new 5,000-seat amphitheater.

 

"We never rest," he said simply. "We are running on spiritual energy."

 

The dome placed Wednesday is distinguished by five spires -- four shorter ones with a taller one in the center -- that "mark the style of the temple as northern Indian," Das said. "Our temple is designed after a Rajastani devotional palace, which was built 500 years ago in India."

 

The short spires are in the shape of a lotus bud, "which represents the soul in the material world," Das said. "In other words, we are in a material world, but we are not material."

 

The larger spire adds a pot called a kalash to the lotus motif.

 

"It is traditionally envisioned as holding the nectar of immortality," he said. "What you don't want to neglect is nourishing the soul itself. One has to be practical about the things we need to do to keep body and soul together, about earning money and keeping shelter, but at the same time we need to understand that things of this world are just temporary."

 

Eskelson, who said he comes at least once a week to worship in the temple, became a Hindu devotee five years ago, just as the foundation of the temple was being laid.

 

"It's quite an amazing thing to witness happen," he said. "To see this come all the way from a concept of love to what you see today brings one to ecstasy, to a blissful position."

 

The temple, located at 8628 S. Main St. in Spanish Fork, is open to visitors seven days a week, from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. The second annual Himalayan Fest will be held June 7 starting at 6 p.m., and will feature performing artists from India. Admission is $3 for adults and $1 for children.

 

This story appeared in The Daily Herald on page A1.

 

Salt Lake Tribune

Photo: Lotus Position

 

With the moon setting behind him, Dan Jackson of Jackson Welding in Springville positions a 900-pound lotus dome into place at the Krishna Temple in Spanish Fork on Wednesday. The temple will have 18 lotus domes when it is finished later this year. Contour Composites in Bountiful is making the domes and has donated half the cost of the $250,000 project.

 

Deseret News

Religious gem taking shape in Spanish Fork

 

Stuart Johnson, Deseret NewsA decorative cucumber dome is lifted into place atop the Hare Krishna Temple being constructed in Spanish Fork. The dome was fabricated by Contour Composites out of Woods Cross. Of the total of 17 domes to be built by the company for the religious structure, this is the ninth that has been completed. The company has donated half the $250,000 price tag for the 17 domes.