New Temple Building Will Draw Visitors From Inside, Outside Faith

June 1, 2010

Author: Justin Fritscher

Source: The Rankin Ledger

http://www.rankinledger.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20100601/LIFE/6010316/New+temple+Building+will+draw+visitors+from+inside++outside+faith

Baldev Patel wants his children, and his children's children - to have an opportunity to practice Hinduism, the religious tradition he carried with him when he immigrated to the U.S. in 1986.

A new temple, called the New Indian Temple at Brandon, will ensure the tradition survives, he said. Construction crews put the finished touches on the 3,500-square-foot, $3 million building last week, concluding a four-year project.

"We want to make sure it lasts," said Patel, who chairs the Hindu Temple Society of Mississippi.

The temple is the epicenter of Indian culture in the area.