MARICOPA, ARIZONA, March 16, 2002: Although the current building is a beige, modular structure, a 15-acre site in Maricopa will be the first place in Arizona where a traditional-looking Hindu temple will be built. The grand opening for the Maha Ganapati Temple of Arizona took place in February, and 500 devotees made the trip. Temple leaders have hired a full-time priest from India, Sri Raman Sastrigal. The turnout is a sign of the growth in the Indian community in Arizona. “God will give grace, and, therefore, this temple will grow and the community will grow,” the priest said through an interpreter. “The peace will grow. Everybody will be happy.” The site also will have a community center, but the temple will be built first. The community members are planning the design and raising money for the temple. They expect to finish raising the $500,000 cost of the temple in a year or so and will start construction then. “All the Hindus want the temple to look like the temples in India, to bring a good vibration,” said Dave Mahadeven, an engineer and Mesa resident who serves on the Maha Ganapati board of directors. He came to Arizona 19 years ago. “There was no temple at all in Arizona when I came. Now there are three.” The Valley has other Hindu temples, including one in Scottsdale, housed in a former church.
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