Source: Hinduism Today, Paras Ramoutar
CARAPICHAIMA, TRINIDAD, October 26, 2001: The ground-breaking ceremony for one of this country’s biggest religious projects got under way yesterday at the Dattatreya Yoga Center (DYC), Datta Drive, Orange Field Road, Carapichaima. The project, when completed in June, 2002, is a 78-foot Hanuman statue costing at a cost of close of US$167,000. At yesterday’s religious ceremony to start the project, Sat Maharaj, president general of the Sanathan Dharma Maha Sabha, unveiled a model of the Sri Kaarya Siddhi Hanuman murti and pledged $8,333. In attendance were Noble Khan, president of the Inter Religious Organisation (IRO); Chandresh Sharma, member of Parliament; Ganase Ramdial, president of the Senate; RK Shravastav, director of the Gandhi Institute and most of this country’s leading pundits. Ramesh Persad-Maharaj, president of the DYC said, “This project isn’t a DYC project, it is a project for all the Hindus in this country and the people of Trinidad and Tobago, regardless of religion, creed or race.” Sat Maharaj joked that his organization is a poor one, and then listed the projects, such as the building of four colleges and other religious projects, that his organization will undertake. The ceremony started with a Ganesh puja in the Dattatreya Temple and proceeded to the north western side of the complex with the unveiling of the model Hanuman and blessing of the foundation site. The 78-foot murti will be made from 300,000 fire clay blocks, steel and concrete. The model statue made of fire clay blocks and concrete was carved out by architect Subramanian and 14 sculptors from South India, who will now proceed with the final construction.