(PartiallyPolitics.com) – New Jersey is going to have one of the largest Hindu temples outside of India built in Robbinsville. The temple’s construction required over 2 million cubic feet of stone and was constructed by the Hindu sect Bochasanwasi Shri Akshar Purushottam Swaminarayan Sanstha.
Columbia University’s Hinduism scholar Yogi Trivedi has pointed out that in temple construction there are two basic elements that take precedence. Those are service and devotion. He added that this temple is not just Indian American or Indian, but rather it is an attempt to construct a temple that represents the universal values shared by all of its visitors.
The temple is located on a 125-acre plot of land and sculptors and artisans have worked for more than 4.7 million hours collectively in order to finish the construction.
However, while the New Jersey temple might be grand it is also facing legal troubles as in 2021 a civil lawsuit was filed against the temple. The lawsuit alleged that the construction team had been composed of low-caste Indian laborers who had been overworked while not receiving correct compensation for their work. However, out of the 19 original plaintiffs, only 7 are still pursuing the case.
The 12th Century Angkor Wat complex in Cambodia is the largest Indian temple in the world, and it was built in dedication to the deity Vishnu by King Suryavarman II. The Robbinsville temple in New Jersey has now taken the spot of the second-largest temple in the world.
In order for the construction of the temple to be finished limestone was sent to the U.S. from Bulgaria and marble from Italy. The materials had to first be shipped to India and from there they were sent to New Jersey which is over 8,000 miles away.
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