Leaders, dignitaries mark dedication of new Hindu temple

The Hindu Society of Southern Indiana planted its roots deep into Bartholomew County Sunday afternoon while dedicating its new temple — and Mother Nature watered the effort with a refreshing shower at the end of a gratitude-laden, inauguration ceremony with leaders and dignitaries.

“This is indeed a big day,” said Algy Ramasamy, vice president of the society, speaking under a tent on the two-acre grounds on Goeller Road, where an estimated 1,000 people milled about throughout the day since before dawn.

Ramasamy mentioned a long list of Christian churches, schools, apartment clubhouses, you name it, where the Hindus worshipped locally since the 1980s — and a 1987 picnic gathering at then-Ceraland Park where he said local Hindus decided to pursue a space of their own.

Leaders of the new, $1.2 million, 10,000-square-foot Sri Ganesh Mandir, which basically translates to holy Ganesh’s temple, celebrated what was termed a soft opening in April. Groundbreaking was three years ago. Ganesh is the elephant-headed Hindu god of intelligence, wisdom and prosperity.

Mayor Jim Lienhoop, wearing a formal Indian tunic as were a few other local leaders, called the consecration a “once-in-a-lifetime opportunity” for most people, and mentioned that the seeds of faith marking the day reminded him of the same kind of passion that brought his ancestors here long ago to launch St. Peter’s Lutheran Church.

“This is really an example of a very American activity on display this weekend,” Lienhoop said. “Many of you here have come from halfway around the world for economic opportunity and for advancement. You have brought your religion and culture with you. And now you will have a place to practice it with others.”

Rep. Greg Pence, R-Indiana, called the celebration “a magnificent and joyous event, and, after many decades, you finally have your own home. … Your young people will have a wonderful life (here), a wonderful memory and a wonderful place to come back to come back to, thanks to everything that you all have done today for this generation and the next generation.”

Pence closed his remarks with a blessing that began with, “Let us be united. Let us speak in harmony … .”

Jennifer Rumsey, Cummins Inc.’s president and CEO, highlighted the importance of diversity and multiculturalism both for business and for quality of life.

“Cummins believes that our business can be only as strong as the communities in which our employees live and work,” Rumsey said. “And it’s critical for our success that we attract diverse talent and create communities that welcome people — and enable them to grow and thrive.”

Alice Johnson, chairwoman of the board of The Heritage Fund — the Community Foundation if Bartholomew County, was an especially key speaker since the foundation has long been one of the most vocal organizations championing local diversity in a very purposeful and direct way. Its Welcoming Community surveys that began nearly 20 years ago highlighted international residents’ needs for a range of outlets, culturally and otherwise, to make them feel more at home in a small, conservative, Midwestern town.

Since then, both local Islamics and Hindus now have their own space that they use for a variety of purposes.

Johnson mentioned that she and husband Rick Johnson, another longtime community leader, believe so strongly in the idea of multicultural outlets that they made a donation to the Hindu society’s building fund. Others mentioned the same, and Hindus said more than once in the past two years that many Christians have donated.

“Conversations in our community made us at The Heritage Fund aware that we needed to nurture a place where diversity thrives, and where everyone feels welcome and safe,” Alice Johnson said. ” … We knew that in creating that climate, it would help us attract creative people with diverse backgrounds. And with that multi-cultural exposure would come great new ideas, new festivals and events to attend like this one for our community, economic growth, and better understanding.”

More about the temple

For more information about Sri Ganesh Mandir, go to sriganeshmandir.com