Source: The Washington Post

On June 17, 2001, The Washington Post reported that "the Montgomery County Agricultural Fairgrounds in Gaithersburg [Virginia]" was filled this weekend "with members of the Hindu movement Gayatri Pariwar, which claims 55 million followers worldwide, 50 million of them in India...About 3,000 people, mostly Washington area residents of Indian descent, performed the ritual of yagna." They kindled sacred fires to "offer an oblation to the inner being -- the light inside you...The festival also included free mahaprasad -- food -- and seminars."