Seventh Hindu Temple Completed
As part of our disaster relief humanitarian projects, we have previously reconstructed six Hindu temples that were all destroyed or damaged due to war or natural disasters.
We are glad to partially sponsor the construction of Sri Sithy Vinayakar Temple in Periyapandiviricchan Village in the Manar District of northern Sri Lanka. The temple was completed and handed over to the community with a grand opening ceremony on the 3rd of September, 2014. I and four other Buddhist monks participated in the special event.
In April of 2013, I was invited to the village and led to the site of the Temple by the community leaders. That was my first visit to the area and they pleaded for help repeatedly and explained to me why the community is not in a position to finance the construction of their temple. Seeing their genuine desire to rebuild the temple and how they struggled to make it happen motivated me to help them.
As I committed to help to rebuild the temple, I had no idea that it would cost five times more than the original estimate they provided and take more than a year to complete. I was glad that two of my sponsors, Mr. Perera and Mr. Hareesh, adjusted to accommodate the changing story and trusted me to complete the project. The Hindu community also contributed and they were glad to share the extra cost.
I had to make several trips to northern Sri Lanka due to delays of the work. We would not have completed this project without the help of one of my Mongolian student, Rev. Sujatha. He managed the money with our Triple Gem Society Vice President in Sri Lanka, Mr. Patmasiri.
Rev. Sujahta and Mr. Patmasiri visited the construction site numerous times to solve problems and supervise work. Despite many challenges and difficulties and after many setbacks, we managed to have the opening ceremony on the 3rd of September, 2014 with the full participation of the Hindu devotees of the region and walk away with happy feelings.
Although we were the main sponsors of this temple, it was completed with the considerable help from the Hindu community and the supervision of the village leaders. I am grateful to all of them and especially to my sponsors Mr. Perera and Mr. Hareesh for helping to fulfill my commitment. May the merits of this noble deed bring them peace and good health.
