'Centre of the orbit': St. John's Hindu Temple marks 30 years of bringing community together

The Hindu community in Newfoundland and Labrador is celebrating a special milestone Wednesday — marking three decades since its temple was consecrated on May 7, 1995.

Ramachandran Venkatesan was among those involved in making the dream of a dedicated Hindu temple a reality — something he says was a big feat for a community that only counted about 100 families at the time.

"People were elated," he said. "I mean, it was a big thing for us."

It wasn't the first religious centre for Hindus in the metro area, who had started gathering at a house-turned-temple in neighbouring Mount Pearl in 1976. Yet, that building soon became too small to accommodate the growing community.

That's why, in the early 1990s, they set out to find a new location, big enough to fit a larger temple. They were successful in the east end of St. John's, which was home to many community members already.

In 1994, construction began, The following year, the new temple was consecrated.

Another seven years later, in March 2002, the temple was completed with the addition of a spire and dome built by Eagle Fibreglass Products in Holyrood — an additional $100,000 cost.

All that, said Venkatesan, was possible because of a small federal grant, and community members raising money — some even contributing by taking out personal loans.

"It's a lot of work, a lot of thought, energy and money that goes into that," he said. 

"In the middle of the city, we were able to get such a nice building. So, we were all very happy."

Ever since, said Venkatesan, the temple has served as both a religious and cultural hub for the Hindu community — helping pass traditions on to the next generations.

"We gather and our children learn about our heritage and Hinduism," he said. "That's one of the main things the temple has been able to accomplish."

Seshu Adluri is one of the volunteers making that possible.

As the temple is without a dedicated priest, children lead the prayers — under the guidance of Adluri and others.

"That's one of the ways in which the children get to learn the heritage and the traditions," he said.

"And hopefully, they will carry it towards later on when they grow up, become adults and they have their families and they have something to fall back on. So far, it has worked very well."

Beyond that, he said, the temple has also played a major role in providing a sense of community to newcomers.

"Without this temple, it is difficult to imagine the community, Hindus, having a similar cohesion," said Adluri.

"I cannot possibly overstate it. It's a very big role in keeping the community as a unit."

It's something temple chair Jai Ragunathan has experienced first-hand. When he came to St. John's as a student from southern India in 1999, he hadn't travelled across his home country at that point, which encompasses many different ethnic groups and languages.

With the St. John's temple being the only one in the province, he said, they all come together under one roof — a major difference from bigger urban centres, where each group often has its own temple.

"I see all the people from all the regions of India displaying their culture, their food, their clothing," said Ragunathan.

"I learned more about the culture in India after coming here. So, that meant a lot to me."

During big community events, like the temple's popular St. John's Regatta food stall, they all pull together for the same cause.

And the community continues to grow, Ragunathan says, thanks to an influx of international students and more job opportunities in the province.

While the temple is able to accommodate everyone for the time being, the building is at capacity for most major festivals — like Diwali, which about 250 people attend every year.

Going forward, Ragunathan hopes to bring them together by offering more non-religious activities, and making sure the temple is "not just a place for worship," but also a community centre.

For Adluri, the temple's cultural and religious significance for the community hasn't changed over the past three decades — and he is certain it will continue for the years to come.

"Whether everybody comes to the temple on Sundays or not, this is the centre of the orbit," he said.

"This is a cornerstone … around which the community revolves."

Download our free CBC News app to sign up for push alerts for CBC Newfoundland and Labrador. Click here to visit our landing page.