Source: The Kansas City Star
http://www.kansascity.com/2010/05/16/1950093/ritual-at-hindu-temple-in-shawnee.html
Worshippers fed offerings of grain, fruit and milk into 108 fire pits while praying for world peace Sunday during a rare event at the Hindu temple in Shawnee.
Hindu temples in India regularly stage Maha Yagna rituals for peace, but Sunday’s marked the first for the Hindu Temple and Cultural Center of Kansas City at 6330 Lackman Road.
Temple leaders said the event was only the 10th one of its size in the United States.
The ritual, under a large yellow and white tent set up in the parking lot, drew several local political leaders, including U.S. Sen. Sam Brownback and Mayor Jeff Meyers of Shawnee, who brought a proclamation declaring Sunday to be World Peace Maha Yagna Day.