Canton
Michigan
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The Hindu Temple of Canton
A small group of people gathered for a Diwali Dinner on October 26, 1986 at a restaurant and felt the need to have a temple on the west side of Metropolitan Detroit. An ad-hoc committee was formed to pursue the idea. Energized with the moral support of The Bharatiya Temple in Troy, Michigan and the Hare Krishna Temple in Detroit, Michigan, a land deal was finalized in late 1986.
The Bhumi Puja was performed in the spring of 1987. Construction of Phase I, the Temple, kitchen/bathroom, and a hallway with a basement, was started in 1988. The Temple opened on December 25, 1990. Regular Sunday morning prayer started with framed pictures of deities. With inspiration from Shri Damodar Dutt Shastri during his nine days of Ramayan Katha, Hanuman Chalisa prayer service started on Tuesday evenings.
Since the Temple was opened, the following celebrations have been performed every year: Navaratri Garba, Ram Navmi, Krishna Janmastami, Maha Shivratri, Hanuman Jayanti, Ganapati Choth, and Diwali. On May 15, 1993, Murti Pratistha was performed with three days of grand celebration, which was blessed by the presence of the late Shri Sat Guru Sant Keshavdasji. On the same day, an inauguration of Balavihar was performed.
Balavihar began by Smt. Sharada Kumar conducting class each Sunday. The class grew from a handful of youths in the beginning to 50-60 students of all ages. The prayer hall, measuring 40’ x 60’, was getting crowded and a strong need for a larger facility was felt. Language classes started for our youth. The temple was blessed with a fulltime, in-house priest. Now he temple could open its doors every day. With the voluntary help of medical doctors from within our community, the temple started a medical clinic to provide services and guidance at no cost to community members.
A Long Rang Planning and Construction Committee was formed under the leadership of Shri Tom Patel and planning of the expansion project began in the summer of 1996.The Bhumi Puja for the new facility was performed on June 22, 1997 with several members and devotees laying bricks under the foundation. The construction of the expanded facility was completed on December 25, 1997. It consisted of a new additional 60’ x 80’ hall, a 20’ x 40’entrance foyer, and an additional 115 parking spaces. Shri Purshotamdas Jalota, with his devotional musical program, performed the first event in this new facility on May 16, 1998.
In the beginning of this year, Mr. Bhavesh Patel and his group entertained us with the popular songs from India. Mr. Chandra and his group of talented musicians gifted us with the afternoon devotional Bhajans in March 1999. Our youths continued the tradition of beautifying our temple grounds. Shahtriji began the tradition of a Saraswati Havan for graduates. The temple celebrated its first Indian Independence Day Celebration on August 19, 2001. In February 2002, Mr. Kanu Desai and his yoga class celebrated its three year anniversary. In April 2002, Mrs. Sharada Kumar and her Gita class celebrated its eight year anniversary.
The Bhumi Puja was performed in the spring of 1987. Construction of Phase I, the Temple, kitchen/bathroom, and a hallway with a basement, was started in 1988. The Temple opened on December 25, 1990. Regular Sunday morning prayer started with framed pictures of deities. With inspiration from Shri Damodar Dutt Shastri during his nine days of Ramayan Katha, Hanuman Chalisa prayer service started on Tuesday evenings.
Since the Temple was opened, the following celebrations have been performed every year: Navaratri Garba, Ram Navmi, Krishna Janmastami, Maha Shivratri, Hanuman Jayanti, Ganapati Choth, and Diwali. On May 15, 1993, Murti Pratistha was performed with three days of grand celebration, which was blessed by the presence of the late Shri Sat Guru Sant Keshavdasji. On the same day, an inauguration of Balavihar was performed.
Balavihar began by Smt. Sharada Kumar conducting class each Sunday. The class grew from a handful of youths in the beginning to 50-60 students of all ages. The prayer hall, measuring 40’ x 60’, was getting crowded and a strong need for a larger facility was felt. Language classes started for our youth. The temple was blessed with a fulltime, in-house priest. Now he temple could open its doors every day. With the voluntary help of medical doctors from within our community, the temple started a medical clinic to provide services and guidance at no cost to community members.
A Long Rang Planning and Construction Committee was formed under the leadership of Shri Tom Patel and planning of the expansion project began in the summer of 1996.The Bhumi Puja for the new facility was performed on June 22, 1997 with several members and devotees laying bricks under the foundation. The construction of the expanded facility was completed on December 25, 1997. It consisted of a new additional 60’ x 80’ hall, a 20’ x 40’entrance foyer, and an additional 115 parking spaces. Shri Purshotamdas Jalota, with his devotional musical program, performed the first event in this new facility on May 16, 1998.
In the beginning of this year, Mr. Bhavesh Patel and his group entertained us with the popular songs from India. Mr. Chandra and his group of talented musicians gifted us with the afternoon devotional Bhajans in March 1999. Our youths continued the tradition of beautifying our temple grounds. Shahtriji began the tradition of a Saraswati Havan for graduates. The temple celebrated its first Indian Independence Day Celebration on August 19, 2001. In February 2002, Mr. Kanu Desai and his yoga class celebrated its three year anniversary. In April 2002, Mrs. Sharada Kumar and her Gita class celebrated its eight year anniversary.