HIDDEN VALLEY, CALIFORNIA, May 17, 2015 (by Sarah Ruf, Maricopa Monitor): Organizers of a three-day religious ceremony expect about 5,000 worshipers to converge on a Maricopa-area temple this weekend.They will celebrate the addition of two new Hindu deities in the Maha Ganapati Temple, now home to 11 gods and their corresponding shrines.The Murti Prana Prathishtapana Kumbhabhishekam ritual started at 8:30 a.m. Friday and runs through Sunday afternoon.
The intricate hand-carved statues were shipped in from India. Each one took a skilled artisan nine months to complete. The temple is crafted to resemble a 16th century house of worship in India, and the main building touts three 26-foot vimanas, or towers, that are painstakingly carved by a trio of skilled workmen: C. Shanmuganathan, M. Elangovan-Ilangoyan and K. Thandapani.”It’s the only temple in Arizona to follow traditional designs,” Natarajan said. It’s all slated for completion in May 2017.