Source: Deseret News

http://deseretnews.com/dn/view/1%2C1249%2C495032733%2C00.html

On May 10, 2003 Deseret News reported that "the resident priest of Utah's newest temple has traded his revered place among the majority faith in India for leadership of a minority faith congregation in a state whose collective population is less than half of his native city... Pandit Shashidhara Somayaji, the new priest of Sri Ganesh Temple, moved from Bangalore, India, to take a job in South Jordan... Shashidhara Somayaji is still getting used to what residents view as a growing suburb, where everyone says 'hello, hello' to a newcomer — particularly a shy-appearing Indian whose faith includes a visible mark in his forehead... After a decade of dreaming about their new temple — not only a spiritual but a cultural gathering place for the state's Indian community — the group opened its new 2,000-square-foot facility for a three-day public dedication celebration last weekend. Pandit Somayaji found himself in the middle of it all after members of the temple committee launched a worldwide search for a full-time priest, and he was invited to apply for the position."