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Oppiliappan List Archive: Message 00043 Apr 2006

 
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Dear All:

It is indeed a sad day for all of us .
V.S
----- Original Message ----- 
From: "mohan_r_sagar" <madhuriandmohan@xxxxxxxxx>
To: <ramanuja_society@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
Sent: Monday, April 10, 2006 3:11 PM
Subject: [ramanuja_society] USA's only Varadaraja Temple Vandalised


> Dear Devotees,
>
> Rather sad news for the Hindu community in general, and for
> followers of Bhagavad Sri Ramanuja's philosophical path in particular.
> The Hindu Temple of Minnesota, the first temple in the US that is
> dedicated to the worship of Varadaraja Perumal of Kanchipuram - the
> archa form of Sriman Narayana Who Played a Major Role in Ramanuja's
> life and philosophy - was recently vandalized.  The following clipping
> is from the current issue of the Times of India >>----->
>
> CHICAGO: A Hindu temple, that was to be inaugurated in June, was
> vandalised in the city of Maple Grove leaving its idols damaged and
> the 20,000 strong Indian American community in the state of Minnesota
> "outraged".
>
> The vandals, who apparently entered the $9-million temple after 9 pm
> on April 5, punched holes in several walls as they rummaged through
> the property.
>
> Umesh Singh, executive committee member of the temple's board of
> trustees, said that he had been at the temple till about 8 pm,
> overseeing preparations for its June consecration.
>
> That formal inauguration is now likely to postponed since the idols
> were damaged during the attack. Singh said the idols, made from
> granite, were flipped over by the vandals but did not seem to have
> been specifically attacked.
>
> "Police are doing a thorough investigation. Samples from the temple
> have been sent to the crime lab whose report is awaited," Singh said.
> He said there were no graffiti or racially charged messages left on
> the temple walls.
>
> Asked how the Indian American community was viewing the attack, he
> said: "Naturally we are all saddened. Some of us are outraged and feel
> violated by the attack. But the city authorities have been very
> cooperative in their investigation because they too want to bring the
> perpetrators to justice soon."
>
> The 43,000 square feet temple, built with the help of sculptors and
> temple architects from India, was in the final stage of its
> construction and was scheduled to open in June.
>
> The Hindu Society of Minnesota raised the money to build the temple
> from among the community. It was in the making for nearly two years.
>
> "The city of Maple Grove has been enthusiastically involved in the
> planning and construction of the new temple and is extremely
> distressed about the acts of vandalism. The city is actively working
> with authorities on the investigation of the vandalism," an official
> statement from the temple management said.
>
> "We remain positive that our temple will be restored and that this
> case of vandalism will not affect the healthy and established
> relationship between the Hindu Society of Minnesota and the greater
> community," Shashikant Sane, chair of the Board of Trustees of the
> Hindu Society of Minnesota, was quoted as saying by the statement.
>
> Bala Balasubramaniam, a trustee of the temple, said the Indian
> American community had sought the help of state Senator Satveer
> Chaudhary on the matter. "Minnesota is a very tolerant state and it
> has always accepted immigrants with open arms," he said.
>
> He said the authorities were treating this as a serious crime. One of
> the many surmises being circulated was that the attack may have come
> from schools students during a spring break.
>
> Students across the country are known to indulge in drunken revelry
> during the spring break and are known to have indulged in similar
> vandal attacks.
>
> According to Singh and Balasubramaniam, there were no suspects in the
> case yet, a fact independently reported by the local media.
>
> Maple Grove Police Capt. Tracy Stille told the media that hate crimes
> had distinct characteristics that could not be associated with the
> damage done to the temple.
>
> "This was extensive," he said. "We're certainly looking at any
> possibility, bias-motivated or not."
>
> The temple authorities quoted L.K. Advani, senior leader of India's
> main opposition Bharatiya Janata Party, as saying that he was "pained
> and appalled" by the attack and urged the US government to bring the
> culprits to book.
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
> -----------------
>
>
> srirangarAja charaNAmbhuja rAja hamsam
> srimad parAnkusa padhAmbhuja brungarAjam|
> sri bhattanAtha parakAla mukhAbhja mitram
> srivatsachihnna saranam yathirAjameedE||
>
> I pay homage to Sri Ramanuja, the swan who has chosen the Lotus Feet of 
> Sri Ranganatha as his refuge;
> who is collecting the pollen and nectar from the flower-like feet of 
> Parankusa (NammAzhwAr);
> who brightens like the sun the faces of Bhattanatha (PeriAzhwAr) and 
> Parakala (Thirumangai AzhwAr), and
> who is the refuge of Kuresa!
> Yahoo! Groups Links
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
> 






 
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