Salt Lake City (USA): Utah’s capital Salt Lake City has a Hindu temple now named Sri Sri Radha Krishna Temple. This is the third Hindu temple in the state of Utah (USA). Other Hindu temples are Sri Ganesha Hindu Temple of Utah in South Jordan and Sri Sri Radha Krishna Temple in Spanish Fork. Moreover, there is an India Cultural Center in South Jordan.
Opened on July 23 in a 3.72 acre site near downtown and University of Utah which was a school building owned by Seventh Day Adventists, this Krishna Temple, as per an announcement, is “dedicated to bring people to Krishna Consciousness”.
Meanwhile, Hindu statesman Rajan Zed, in a statement in Nevada (USA) today, applauded efforts of Temple management and Utah community for realizing this wonderful Hindu temple complex.
Rajan Zed, who is President of Universal Society of Hinduism, further said that it was important to pass on Hindu spirituality, concepts and traditions to coming generations amidst so many distractions in the consumerist society and hoped that this new Temple would help in this direction. Zed stressed that instead of running after materialism; we should focus on inner search and realization of Self and work towards achieving moksh (liberation), which was the goal of Hinduism.
This new Sri Sri Radha Krishna Temple in Salt Lake City also has a gift shop, a lounge, classrooms, auditorium, and kitchen. It holds services on Saturdays and Sundays, besides a Sunday school and Saturday Bhagavad-Gita (Song of the Lord) class. It plans to hold festivals like Holi, urban summer camps, community events and become a cultural resource. Besides a Krishna Janmastami celebration on August 20, it will hold “Great Salt Lake Yoga Fest” on September 3-5 and an “India Fest” on September 11. Supported by volunteers, it reportedly plans to launch a vegetarian sandwich shop and buffet and offer Wi-Fi. Caru Das Adikari is the temple priest.
Hinduism, oldest and third largest religion of the world, has about one billion adherents. Lord Krishna is the eighth avatar (incarnation) of Lord Vishnu and subject of major Hindu scriptures such as the Bhagavad-Gita and Bhagavad-Purana.
Founded in 1847 by Brigham Young and his Mormon followers, Salt Lake City houses world headquarters of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and hosted 2002 Winter Olympics. Lonely Planet describes it as "modern city with charming anachronisms and a stunning mountain setting" and it has 213 sites listed on National Register of Historic Places, including four National Historic Landmarks. Notable people associated with Salt Lake City include actor Robert Redford, actress Roseanne Barr, Atari founder Nolan Bushnell, The New Yorker founder Harold Ross, novelist Wallace Stegner, internet pioneer Ivan Sutherland, vocalist Bobby McFerrin, and football player Merlin Olsen. Ralph Becker is the Mayor.
Source: North India Times