Source: The Seattle Times
On February 15, 2003 The Seattle Times reported that "the ceremony, called an invocation of deities, will sanctify the new... Hindu Temple and Cultural Center... and call forth the Hindu deities, using honey, clarified butter, holy water and other cleansing materials to bless the statues. The center, with a mailing list of 1,500, expects 1,800 visitors over three days... It's one of the most visible signs of the influx of people from India arriving in the state since 1990, nearly tripling their numbers to about 24,000, according to 2000 U.S. Census figures, as Microsoft and other technology companies have called upon their engineering and programming skills. The rise was even more dramatic on the Eastside: Bellevue's Indian community increased fourfold, from 601 to 2,881; Kirkland's eightfold, from 62 to 506; and Redmond's almost tenfold, from 141 to 1,377."