Source: The Fairfax County Times

http://www.timescommunity.com/site/tab5.cfm?newsid=16916866&BRD=2553&PAG=461&dept_id=511686&rfi=6

On July 13, 2006 the Times Community reported, "While thousands of Fairfax County residents made their way to watch fireworks on the Fourth of July, hundreds of local Hindus gathered in their temples to pray for peace in the United States and around the world. 'We are doing the prayer for the welfare of the country and the whole world,' said Amar Nath, chief priest at Rajdhani Mandir, Chantilly's Hindu temple. While Hindus celebrate traditional festivals throughout the year, including the Gudi Padava, which marks the start of the Hindu calender, and the Diwali, their festival of lights, many Hindus in America also celebrate the founding of the United States by praying in their temples and homes for worldwide peace. They pray 'for the prosperity of the whole world' in accordance with the Hindu religion's inclusiveness of all cultures and beliefs, Nath said. There are several Hindu temples in the area where much of the growing Indian population practices the Hindu faith, according to Nath. There were 88,000 Asian Indians in the greater Washington area, according to the 2000 Census. During their Fourth of July prayers, Hindus also thank their idols for the freedom they have in America, according to Ram Sneh Tripati, a resident priest at Rajdhani Mandir. "