Hindu Temple of Wisconsin

Last updated
Hindu Temple of Wisconsin
Hindu Temple, Pewaukee, Wisconsin.jpg
The Hindu Temple of Wisconsin in 2010
Religion
Affiliation Hinduism
Deity Vishnu
StatusActive
Location
LocationW243 N4063 Pewaukee Road, Pewaukee
State Wisconsin
CountryUnited States
USA Wisconsin location map.svg
Om symbol.svg
Shown within Wisconsin
Usa edcp location map.svg
Om symbol.svg
Hindu Temple of Wisconsin (the United States)
Geographic coordinates 43°05′28″N88°13′42″W / 43.09111°N 88.22833°W / 43.09111; -88.22833
Architecture
CreatorSuhas Pawar
Date established2002
Groundbreaking1998
Completed2000
Specifications
Direction of façadeEast
Height (max)40 feet
Site area22 acres
Website
https://www.ourhtw.org/
https://www.jainwi.org/

The Hindu Temple of Wisconsin (HTW), located in Pewaukee, is the oldest Hindu temple in the U.S. state of Wisconsin. As of 2023, it is attended by 2,500 families. [1] A Jain temple is located on the same property.

Contents

Plans for the first Hindu temple in Wisconsin were made in the mid-1990s to serve the growing Indian population in Wisconsin. Construction on the temple involved two phases, lasting from 1998 to 2002.

The building was designed by Suhas Pawar. Its incorporates North Indian and South Indian temple design and practices with nontraditional adaptations. Though the temple primarily honors Vishnu, it has shrines to several Hindu deities.

Location

The Hindu Temple of Wisconsin and Jain Temple of Wisconsin occupy a 22-acre lot at W243 N4063 Pewaukee Road (Wisconsin Highway 164). Most of the property is Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources-protected forest. It is next to the Shepherd of the Hills Lutheran Church and near a Jehovah's Witness Kingdom Hall. [2]

History

Background

In 1997, there were about 1,000 Indian Hindu families in the state. The number had gone up from 300 a decade earlier due to an increase in technology jobs. Before the temple was established, they frequently traveled to temples in Aurora and Lemont, Illinois or met in each other's homes and basements. [3] [4]

Beginning in April 1995, a group of about 60 people planned to build a temple in the Milwaukee metropolitan area. [4] Though previous efforts had been unsuccessful, they formed a committee in 1996 with the involvement of artists and an engineer to create a design. They visited Hindu temples in the United States and consulted South Indian architect Muthiah Sthapati about designing a building for Hindu practices. [5] [6]

Foundation

The City of Pewaukee approved construction in November 1997. [3] The project faced no opposition from residents, who were glad it limited business development, and it defeated a bid for a community center. [7] [3] According to temple secretary Sarvesh Geddam, the location was "in the middle of nowhere" when the temple was built. [8] A rural location was chosen as Hindu families were spread across the state, [3] and the cost of building in Pewaukee was lower than in Milwaukee. [1]

The project broke ground in 1998. [6] On August 9, the temple held a ground blessing ceremony, following Hindu tradition, attended by about 350 people. [9] The first phase of construction was completed in 2000 and cost $4.5 million. It received funds from about 400 families and $2 million of loans. [10]

The temple held its first puja on July 7, 2000. It was attended by nearly 200 people and conducted by a priest from the temple in Aurora. A Jain ceremony was held two days later. At the time, there were fewer than 50 Hindu temples in the country and none in Wisconsin. [2] The first board president was Kumar Iyer, an orthodontist from Brookfield. [3]

By September 2000, the temple had performed two weddings. [10] In March 2001, it hosted an interfaith conference featuring religion professor Anantanand Rambachan. [11] After the September 11 attacks, it held a meeting to honor the victims, condemn racial harassment, and fundraise for the American Red Cross, attended by Representative Tom Barrett. [12]

After construction was completed, at a cost of $4.7 million, the temple was inaugurated on June 28, 2002. Two days later, it held prana pratishtha and kumbhabhishekham ceremonies in which it installed idols of deities. Hundreds of volunteers set up the events and twelve priests came to lead the rituals. [13] [4] On June 13, 2003, a second prana pratisha was conducted to install the final idols. The gopura was completed later. [7]

Later history

After the December 2004 tsunami in India, the temple held a fundraiser to donate to the Association for India's Development and AIM For Seva. [14] Along with other religious groups in Wisconsin, it provided donations and volunteers to aid victims of Hurricane Katrina. [15] By 2007, temple membership had grown to 2,000 families, with over 300 attending per week. [16]

In August 2012, the temple held a vigil for the mass shooting at the Sikh gurdwara in Oak Creek, Wisconsin. [17] HTW's president, Anand Adavi, and other members visited the gurdwara. [18]

In June 2016, the temple completed an 8,000-square-foot expansion and Governor Scott Walker attended the celebrations. [19] The temple hosted vaccination clinics during the COVID-19 pandemic. [8]

Two smaller Hindu temples in Pewaukee have been founded by attendees of HTW. Followers of the Shirdi Sai Baba movement purchased a former nondenominational Christian church, slated to be torn down, and converted it into the Wisconsin Shirdi Sai. Followers of the BAPS movement founded the BAPS Shri Swaminarayan Mandir in 2018, located in a former mattress warehouse on the same street as HTW. [8] [1]

Design

The temple was designed by Suhas Pawar, an Indian immigrant based in New Berlin. He designed the temple to resemble those in India, with stone stucco walls and golden domes above the windows. His design includes a skylight above the entrance, which is not traditional. [10] The building is 40 feet tall and has two stories, each measuring 12,000 square feet. [13] Due to the site's topography, the main entrance is on the second floor facing west, but the main hall faces east like typical Hindu temples. The roof has two domes: a South Indian gopura and a North Indian shikhara. [5]

The second floor has the main temple hall and a lobby resembling typical outdoor temple spaces. The first floor has a foyer, a kitchen, and a community hall, directly below the main hall, with a stage and space to seat 350 people. [13] [5] On the second-floor foyer, next to the skylight, is a bronze relief sculpture, Geetopadesh, which depicts a scene in the Bhagavad Gita of Krishna and Arjuna riding a chariot with five horses. The sculpture was designed by Pawar, his daughter Deepa, and University of Wisconsin–Milwaukee professor emeritus Narendra Patel. [20] [13]

The main hall is 90 feet by 60 feet. [13] It has a homa kunda in the northeast corner with downward smoke pipes to meet fire hazard regulations. [5] It houses eleven shrines with idols, imported from India, along with an idol of the temple's primary deity, Vishnu. [13] [4] The temple chose gods popular in each region of India, placing gods common in South India on the south side of the hall and ones from North India on the north side, with Vishnu in front of the entrance. [10] These are placed on the edges of the hall, without columns obscuring them, to emulate traditional outdoor spaces for circumambulation. [5] The shrines were designed by two pairs of brothers from a university in South India. [10] [4]

Jain Temple of Wisconsin

The Jain Temple of Wisconsin Jain Temple of Wisconsin.jpg
The Jain Temple of Wisconsin

The Jain Temple of Wisconsin is located on the same property as the Hindu temple and shares its parking lot. It is the only Jain temple in Wisconsin and has encouraged Jain immigrants to come to the state. [1] Initial plans housed both temples in the same building, but Jain families raised funds for a separate temple to meet their needs for worship. [2] At the time it opened, about 40 Jain families lived in the state. [10] As of 2023, the temple has about 60 families, many of whom also attend the Hindu temple. [1]

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Krishna</span> Major deity in Hinduism

Krishna is a major deity in Hinduism. He is worshipped as the eighth avatar of Vishnu and also as the Supreme God in his own right. He is the god of protection, compassion, tenderness, and love; and is widely revered among Hindu divinities. Krishna's birthday is celebrated every year by Hindus on Krishna Janmashtami according to the lunisolar Hindu calendar, which falls in late August or early September of the Gregorian calendar.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pewaukee, Wisconsin</span> City in Wisconsin, United States

Pewaukee is a city in Waukesha County, Wisconsin, United States. The population was 15,914 at the 2020 census. It is part of the Milwaukee metropolitan area.

The Ellora Caves are a UNESCO World Heritage Site in Aurangabad district, Maharashtra, India. It is one of the largest rock-cut Hindu temple cave complexes in the world, with artwork dating from the period 600–1000 AD, also including several Buddhist and Jain caves. The complex is a leading example of Indian rock-cut architecture, and several are not strictly "caves" in that they have no roof. Cave 16 features the largest single monolithic rock excavation in the world, the Kailash temple, a chariot-shaped monument dedicated to the god Shiva. The Kailash temple excavation also features sculptures depicting various Hindu deities as well as relief panels summarizing the two major Hindu epics.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hindu temple architecture</span>

Hindu temple architecture as the main form of Hindu architecture has many different styles, though the basic nature of the Hindu temple remains the same, with the essential feature an inner sanctum, the garbha griha or womb-chamber, where the primary Murti or the image of a deity is housed in a simple bare cell. For rituals and prayers, this chamber frequently has an open space that can be moved in a clockwise direction. There are frequently additional buildings and structures in the vicinity of this chamber, with the largest ones covering several acres. On the exterior, the garbhagriha is crowned by a tower-like shikhara, also called the vimana in the south. The shrine building often includes an circumambulatory passage for parikrama, a mandapa congregation hall, and sometimes an antarala antechamber and porch between garbhagriha and mandapa. In addition to other small temples in the compound, there may be additional mandapas or buildings that are either connected or separate from the larger temples.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Belur, Karnataka</span> Town in Karnataka, India

Belur is a town and taluk in Hassan district in the state of Karnataka, India. The town is renowned for its Chennakeshava Temple dedicated to Vishnu, one of the finest examples of Hoysala architecture and the largest Hindu temple complex that has survived from pre-14th-century Karnata-Dravida tradition. A historic site inspired by the teachings of Ramanujacharya, it has been a Vaishnava Hindu pilgrimage center since at least the 12th century. It was also the first capital of the Hoysala dynasty, before they built Dwarasamudra.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Aihole</span> Historic site in Karnataka, India

Aihole (ಐಹೊಳೆ), also referred to as Aivalli, Ahivolal or Aryapura, is a historic site of ancient and medieval era Buddhist, Hindu and Jain monuments in Karnataka, India that dates from the sixth century through the twelfth century CE. Most of the surviving monuments at the site date from the 7th to 10th centuries. Located around an eponymous small village surrounded by farmlands and sandstone hills, Aihole is a major archaeological site, featuring over 120 stone and cave temples spread along the Malaprabha river valley, in Bagalakote district.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jainism in the United States</span>

Adherents of Jainism first arrived in the United States in the 20th century. Jain immigration began in earnest in the late 1960s and continues to the present day.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ranganathaswamy Temple, Srirangam</span> Hindu temple in Tamil Nadu, India

The Ranganathaswamy Temple is a Hindu temple dedicated to Ranganatha and his consort Ranganayaki. The temple is located in Srirangam, Tiruchirapalli, Tamil Nadu, India. Constructed in the Dravidian architectural style, the temple is glorified by the Tamil poet-saints called the Alvars in their canon, the Naalayira Divya Prabhandam, and has the unique distinction of being the foremost among the 108 Divya Desams dedicated to the god Vishnu. The Srirangam temple stands as the largest religious complex in the world with a continuous historical presence as a Hindu temple. Some of these structures have been renovated, expanded and rebuilt over the centuries as a living temple. The latest addition is the outer tower that is approximately 73 metres (240 ft) tall, it was completed in 1987 by ahobila mutt. Srirangam temple is listed as the largest functioning Hindu temple in the world, the still larger Angkor Wat being the largest existing temple. The temple is an active Hindu house of worship and follows the Tenkalai tradition of Sri Vaishnavism. Priests of this temple follow pancharatra tradition, and belong to the vadakalai or tenkalai traditions. The annual 21-day festival conducted during the Tamil month of Margali (December–January) attracts 1 million visitors. The temple complex has been nominated as a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and is in UNESCO's tentative list. In 2017 the temple won the UNESCO Asia Pacific Award of Merit 2017 for cultural heritage conservation, making it the first temple in Tamil Nadu to receive the award from the UNESCO.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rishabhanatha</span> First Tirthankara of Jainism

Rishabhanatha, also Rishabhadeva, Rishabha or Ikshvaku, is the first tirthankara of Jainism. He was the first of twenty-four teachers in the present half-cycle of time in Jain cosmology, and called a "ford maker" because his teachings helped one cross the sea of interminable rebirths and deaths. The legends depict him as having lived millions of years ago. He was the spiritual successor of Sampratti Bhagwan, the last Tirthankara of the previous time cycle. He is also known as Ādinātha, as well as Adishvara, Yugadideva, Prathamarajeshwara and Nabheya. He is also known as Ikshvaku, establisher of the Ikshvaku dynasty. Along with Mahavira, Parshvanath, Neminath, and Shantinath, Rishabhanatha is one of the five Tirthankaras that attract the most devotional worship among the Jains.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Badami cave temples</span> 6th-8th century Hindu and Jain cave temples in Karnataka, India

The Badami cave temples are a complex of Buddhist, Hindu and Jain cave temples located in Badami, a town in the Bagalkot district in northern part of Karnataka, India. The caves are important examples of Indian rock-cut architecture, especially Badami Chalukya architecture, and the earliest date from the 6th century. Badami is a modern name and was previously known as "Vataapi", the capital of the early Chalukya dynasty, which ruled much of Karnataka from the 6th to the 8th century. Badami is situated on the west bank of a man-made lake ringed by an earthen wall with stone steps; it is surrounded on the north and south by forts built during Early Chalukya and in later times.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jain temple</span> Place of worship for Jains, the followers of Jainism

A Jain temple, Derasar or Basadi is the place of worship for Jains, the followers of Jainism. Jain architecture is essentially restricted to temples and monasteries, and Jain buildings generally reflect the prevailing style of the place and time they were built.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Indu Jain</span> Indian businesswoman (1936–2021)

Indu Jain was an Indian media executive and philanthropist. She belonged to the Sahu Jain family and was the chairperson of India's largest media group, popularly known as The Times Group.

Dharapat is a village in Bishnupur subdivision of Bankura district in the Indian state of West Bengal. It is 12 kilometres (7.5 mi) north of Bishnupur.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Thyagaraja Temple, Tiruvarur</span> Temple in Tamil Nadu, India

Thyagaraja Temple is a Shiva temple, located in the town of Thiruvarur in Tamil Nadu state, India. Shiva is worshiped in the form of a lingam as Thyagarajaswami, also known as Putridankondar. His consort Parvati is worshipped as Goddess Neelotpalambika. She is also worshipped as Goddess Kamalambika, whose separate shrine is an important center for Shaktism and Tantra, and is also regarded to be one of the Shakti Peethas. The presiding deity is revered in the 7th century Shaiva canonical work, the Tevaram, written in Tamil by saint poets known as the Nayanars and the shrine is classified as a Paadal Petra Sthalam.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gyaraspur</span> Town in Madhya Pradesh, India

Gyaraspur is a town in the Vidisha district, Madhya Pradesh, India. It is also the headquarters of a tehsil of the same name.

Hindu University of America (HUA) is an unaccredited U.S. higher education institution based in Orlando, Florida.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Veeranarayana Temple, Gadag</span> Hindu temple in Karnataka, India

Veeranarayana Temple in Gadag city is a Hindu temple known to have been built around c.1117 by the Hoysala empire King Vishnuvardhana. Gadag city is the administrative headquarters of Gadag district in the state of Karnataka, India. The primary deity in temple is the Hindu god Narayana. The Veeranarayana temple is a protected monument under the Karnataka state division of the Archaeological Survey of India. Priests in the temple are Madhva Brahmins and is under their control.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Adikesava Perumal temple, Sriperumpudur</span> Hindu temple in Tamil Nadu

Adi Kesava Temple is dedicated to Hindu god Vishnu located in Sriperumbudur, Kanchipuram district, in the South Indian state of Tamil Nadu. Constructed in the Dravidian style of architecture, Vishnu, who is worshipped as Adi Kesava, and his consort Lakshmi as Ethiraja Nadhavalli. The temple is believed to be the birthplace of Ramanuja, the exponent of Vishishtadvaita philosophy. The gold plated shrine in front of the hall of Ramanuja was built by the Maharaja of Mysore. It is considered one among the 108 Abhimana Kshethram of Vaishnavate tradition.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hindu Temple of Central Indiana</span> Hindu Temple in Indiana

The Hindu Temple of Central Indiana is a Hindu temple in Indianapolis, Indiana. Opened in 2006, it is the oldest Hindu temple in Indiana. Local public TV station WFYI has called it "a breathtaking new monument - impressive in both scope and design, as well as a testament to the growing multiculturalism of the region." The Indianapolis Star says it is "an iconic structure that pays homage to various holy shrines across India."

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 Groh, James (September 1, 2023). "My Block: How Pewaukee became the unlikely center for Indian culture and religion". WTMJ-TV . Retrieved May 25, 2024.
  2. 1 2 3 Paprock, John-Brian (July 14, 2000). "Hindu Temple in Pewaukee is State's First". The Capital Times . p. 1E. ProQuest   395185300 – via Proquest.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 Martino, Sam (November 9, 1997). "Waukesha County temple to serve Hindus". Milwaukee Journal Sentinel . p. 1. ProQuest   260654277 – via Proquest.
  4. 1 2 3 4 5 Jansen, Corissa (June 30, 2002). "Hindu rituals give life to temple". Milwaukee Journal Sentinel . p. 1B. ProQuest   261663200 – via Proquest.
  5. 1 2 3 4 5 Chapagain, Neel Kamal (January 15, 2013). "Hindu Temple of Wisconsin: Redesigning Temple Architecture and Redefining Traditions". International Journal of the Constructed Environment. 2 (4): 93–112. doi:10.18848/2154-8587/cgp/v02i04/37357. ISSN   2154-8587 – via Art & Architecture Source.
  6. 1 2 Hodnett, Cynthia M. (May 8, 1998). "Hindu temple start set for August Worshipers, now shuttling to Chicago, eager to build in Town of Pewaukee". Milwaukee Journal Sentinel . p. 3. ProQuest   260742390 – via Proquest.
  7. 1 2 Pais, Arthur J. (June 27, 2003). "$5m Hindu Temple of Wisconsin is milestone for community". India Abroad . p. C1. ProQuest   362801881 – via Proquest.
  8. 1 2 3 Karmarkar, Richa (September 9, 2022). "How a small town in Wisconsin became home to four Dharmic houses of worship". Religion News Service . Retrieved May 25, 2024.
  9. ↑ Martino, Sam (August 11, 1998). "Future site of Hindu temple is blessed Custom dictates ground must be initiated before construction begins". Milwaukee Journal Sentinel . p. 3. ProQuest   260778389 – via Proquest.
  10. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Jansen, Corissa (September 5, 2000). "First stage of state's first Hindu temple is completed". Milwaukee Journal Sentinel . p. 015B. ProQuest   261200040 – via Proquest.
  11. ↑ Heinen, Tom (March 17, 2001). "Building dialog". Milwaukee Journal Sentinel . p. 05B. ProQuest   261288065 – via Proquest.
  12. ↑ Jones, Meg (September 24, 2001). "Hindus urge tolerance of differences". Milwaukee Journal Sentinel . p. 04A. ProQuest   261382039 – via Proquest.
  13. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Thariath, Abraham (June 14, 2002). "$4.7 million temple set to open in Wisconsin". India Abroad . p. 46. ProQuest   362799555 – via Proquest.
  14. ↑ Zhang, Xiao (January 9, 2005). "Hindus Rally to Tsunami Victims; Temple in Wisconsin is Leading an Effort to Raise Money for People in India". Wisconsin State Journal . Associated Press. p. D5. ProQuest   391369126 – via Proquest.
  15. ↑ Lalwani, Sheila B.; Newson, Kawanza (September 5, 2005). "Hurricane Katrina; Opening hearts, wallets for Katrina's victims; Religious groups offer money, supplies, prayers for the displaced". Milwaukee Journal Sentinel . p. B1. ProQuest   263545557 – via Proquest.
  16. ↑ Michalets, Katherine (December 16, 2007). "Hindu Temple has 2,000 Families: That's Twice as Many than the Pewaukee Temple Had in 2000". Wisconsin State Journal . The Waukesha Freeman. p. D.3. ProQuest   391423129 – via Proquest.
  17. ↑ "Sikh Temple tragedy unifies diverse communities". Milwaukee Courier . August 11, 2012. ProQuest   1033229828 – via Proquest.
  18. ↑ Kalk Derby, Samara (August 6, 2012). "Madison Sikh leader says the community won't be intimidated". Wisconsin State Journal . ProQuest   1031173898 – via Proquest.
  19. ↑ "'A dream come true:' Hindu Temple of Wisconsin celebrates much needed expansion". Fox 6 Milwaukee . June 25, 2016. Retrieved May 25, 2024.
  20. ↑ Heinen, Tom (September 1, 2001). "Sculpture illustrates teachings of poetic Hindu scripture". Milwaukee Journal Sentinel . p. 01B. ProQuest   261353672 – via Proquest.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.