Swami Vivekananda's "Temple Universal" to Be Built in Chicago

November 1, 2002

Source: India Abroad

On November 1, 2002 India Abroad reported that "the Vivekananda Vedanta Society of Chicago... has drawn up a $6.5 million plan... to build a Temple Universal to promote harmony among religions in America. When [Swami Vivekananda] introduced Hinduism to America at the Parliament of Religions in Chicago in 1893... he expressed a desire to build a Temple Universal. The ashram will have guesthouses for visitors who will be given lessons in meditation, religion and spiritual practices, apart from providing facilities for meditation and yoga. 'The expressed object [of the Temple Universal] is to help the spiritual growth of man by the aid of all forms of religion which are recognized as so many paths, leading to the same goal.'"