Source: News Report
HAMM, GERMANY, October 2, 2002: The Ruhr Valley in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany, is well known for its coal mining and steel tempering. And from now on it will also be associated with Europe’s largest Hindu Temple. Dedicated to Sri Kamakshi Ambal, the temple was officially opened in Hamm-Uentrop, an industrial zone just outside the city, in ceremonies from June 30 to July 7, 2002. All consecration rituals were carried out by 14 priests who came especially for this occasion from India, Sri Lanka, Australia and the United States. Sri Lankan Priest Siva Paskaran’s years of hard work and unflagging dedication to realize this dream have paid off, much to the delight of the 600 Hindus of Hamm and Germany’s overall Hindu community of about 45,000. Seventeen years ago, Paskaran arrived in Germany as a refugee from war-torn Sri Lanka. He was on his way from Berlin to Paris, but when the train pulled into Hamm, hunger compelled him to disembark. For him, this was a sign from above that he should stay there and build a temple. The priest sought out a German architect by randomly pointing to a name in the yellow pages, Heinz-Rainer Eichhorst. This architect had never designed temples and had never been to India but was thrilled by the challenge of the project. He packed his bags and accompanied the priest for three weeks on travels through southern India to view large temple complexes. “You only get the chance to do a project like this once in a lifetime,” he says. After plans were approved by the local authorities, the temple cornerstone was laid in March 2000. Ten Indian temple-building craftsmen are still at work decorating the 700 square meters of facade with sculptures and ornamentation. Now more than 15,000 people who come from all over Europe each year for the festival honoring Sri Kamakshi Ambal have a magnificent place of worship.