Source: International Herald Tribune

Wire Service: AP

http://www.iht.com/articles/ap/2007/08/22/america/NA-GEN-US-Georgia-Hindu.php

LILBURN, Georgia: When members of Atlanta's Hindu community unveil a new religious and cultural center on Sunday, it will be the largest temple of its kind in the United States.

The BAPS Shri Swaminarayan Mandir, a $19 million (€14 million) structure that will serve Hindus throughout the U.S. Southeast, is one of only three in the nation built using guidelines from scriptures that date back 5,000 years.

Adherents say the temple will offer a rare opportunity to worship in an environment almost identical to the ones experienced by their forefathers thousands of years ago. Until now, the congregation has been meeting in a converted roller rink.