A large Hindu temple in Michigan is finally complete after more than than a year of construction, and more than 100 gods are represented at the property.
The new temple at Paschima Kasi Sri Viswanatha Temple in Michigan’s Flint Township includes 126 gods sculpted out of concrete by two craftsmen from India in a process that took more than a year, MLive reports.
According to Daily Mail, the men lived at the temple while they worked on the sculptures.
According to MLive, the temple, which sits outside of the main worship area, was completed in January, but the vision for the massive property spanned years, Hanuman Marur, the temple’s president, said.
There are more than a dozen Hindu Temples in Michigan, but the Paschima Kasi Sri Viswanatha Temple is the only one in Genesee County.
Temples are sacred structures in Hinduism.
Building the temple cost roughly half a million dollars and it will be used for special worship occasions and ceremonies, according to Hinduism Today.
The project was funded by contributions from dozens of donors, Hinduism, Today reports.
The structure is made out of concrete and white limestone. About 7,000 of the white limestone blocks were shipped from Canada, MLive reports.
Carvings of the gods, set into the 65-foot structure face four directions and east of the temple sit two life-sized elephant sculptures, according to MLive. The animal is sacred in Hinduism.
Marur described the temple as ‘God’s home’ saying that when people enter the structure, which is similar to the type found in India, they should get a ‘feeling of a temple.’