Source: Carolina Newswire
http://carolinanewswire.com/news/News.cgi?database=0001news.db&command=viewone&id=2505&op=t
The Sri Venkateswara Temple of North Carolina is continuing to meet the needs of the Hindu community by completing the construction of a traditionally designed, majestic temple building on its nine-acre Cary campus. The community is planning to celebrate this with a major five-day grand opening and consecration festivities from May 24-28. The event is expected to attract over 10,000 devotees and religious leaders from across the country and overseas.
Modeled after the world-famous temple on Tirumala Hills near Tirupathi, India, the elaborately designed, ornate Sri Venkateswara Temple in Cary is a major regional architectural addition and one of the only such temples in the United States adhering to the ancient science of temple building called Agama Shastras - Hindu practices prevalent in Southern India.
"The construction of this temple is in response to a Hindu population boom here in the Triangle area that is sowing the seeds of a spiritual awakening," said Bhaskar Venepalli, chairman of the Sri Venkateswara Temple Board of Trustees, adding, "Our vibrant Temple community is attracting more and more Hindu families to relocate to Cary and the Triangle, bringing with them significant economic development and social diversity."
In addition to the expected influx of people moving closer to the Temple in the future, the Temple's construction is having a local economic impact now with an average of 50-60 people working on the project which has a price tag over $3.5 million.
Planning and fundraising for the construction began back in 1998 when the Sri Venkateswara Temple community bought two acres with little money and lots of support from the local community. Without a centralized Hindu resource to provide support, volunteers have strived to raise funds for the construction of the new Sri Venkateswara Temple via a dedicated grassroots effort.