CHICAGO: Many an Indian student at Purdue University and a number of Indian residents in West Lafayette expressed deep satisfaction on learning that their dream of having a place of worship in their town has inched to reality with Bharatiya Temple & Cultural Center of Greater Lafayette (BTCCGL) announcing the establishment of a temple in West Lafayette
BTCC has recently finalized a deal with a local church authority to buy out Northview Christian Life Church. It would renovate it into a full fledged temple where regular puja, prayer and rituals would take place. The BTCC management headed by Umesh Patel and Jagdish Patel agreed to a buy out the building from Lafayette Savings Bank for $415,000.
The move comes about nine months after the conception of Bharatiya Temple and Cultural Center of Greater Lafayette.The organization has about 100 members. In the absence of a formal place for worship, devotees were congregating at private residences or were renting halls. The building which housed Northview Christian Life Church will be renovated and refashioned to become a Hindu temple.
Besides worship services, this temple would also hold community events and classes and would also serve as a cultural center. It hopes to organize at least one religious function each month. Umesh Patel hopes the group forges a bond with Purdue students.” We want to connect the Purdue Indian community with the local Indian community,” he said. “There’s a lot of talent there, and we want to support the students.”
While it may have been a long time coming, Jagdish Patel said the path to buying the building happened quickly. Umesh Patel and Jagdish Patel are President and Treasurer respectively of BTCCGL.
Award-winning city West Lafayette, formed in 1888 and most densely populated in Indiana, has been named as “Sixth Most Educated Small Town” in USA and top 10 “Brainiest Places to Retire”. Home to Purdue University, prominent people associated with it include baseball players Bob Friend and Erik Sabel, actress Anissa Jones, football player Chike Okeafor, bridge champion Eric Rodwell and songwriter Tom Kelly. John R. Dennis is the Mayor.
Suri Swamy
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