New Hindu temple in Novi reflects region's growing Asian-Indian population

Gazing at a new Hindu temple in Novi, Anand Gangadharan reflected Thursday on what the all-granite building means to him.

“It feels emotionally right,” said Gangadharan, the temple’s vice chair. “It’s extremely gratifying for our community. It makes America our home in a rock-solid fashion.”

That feeling is echoed by thousands of other of Hindus across metro Detroit this week as they celebrate the grand opening of a $10-million temple with six days of religious ceremonies that end Sunday. The Sri Venkateswara Temple and Cultural Center is the first one in Michigan named after a popular deity in southern India.

It’s one of several new Hindu temples being built in metro Detroit that reflects the growth and success of the Asian Indian-American community in Michigan. A Hindu temple in Troy opened a new $11-million center last year and other new Hindu centers have opened in recent years in Detroit, Hamtramck, Ada, Canton, Pontiac, Sterling Heights and Livonia.

On Thursday, 24 priests from across the U.S. and India chanted in Sanskrit while sitting around six fires lit over bricks in the parking lot outside the 25,000-square-foot temple. About 8,000 people, including one of the top leaders in the Hindu community in India, are expected to attend the ceremonies over the six days.

The temple in Novi was created largely by the members of the Telugu-speaking community, many of whom come from Andhra Pradesh, a state of about 85 million people in India. Serving about 3,000 people, the temple has had a temporary center in Novi for five years.

“It’s an indescribable feeling,” Bhavani Koneru of Novi said of the new temple’s opening. “It can’t be expressed. You can only feel it.”

The goal of ceremonies this week will be to invest spiritual energies into several statues known as vigrahas, which are meant to be representations of God. They’re resting in crates on beds of milk under tents near the temple.

On Sunday, they will be lifted by a crane into the sanctuary of the temple and a priest will pour blessed water on top of them. The main deity, Sri Venkateswara, is believed to be an avatar of Vishnu, who is seen as a supreme God who pervades everything.

Most of the temple’s founders and trustees are immigrants from India.

There are about 85,000 Asian Indian Americans in Michigan. The community has a median income of $86,400 compared to $48,700 overall in Michigan, according to the U.S. Census. About 76% of Asian Indian-American adults in the state have bachelor’s degrees or higher compared to 27% among all Michigan adults.

Padma Kuppa of Troy a member of the national Hindu American Foundation board, said the new temple reflects the diversity within Michigan and within the Hindu community.

“It’s very exciting for the community to worship together,” said temple trustee and secretary Srinivas Koneru as he stood inside the main hall Thursday. “It’s our home.”