A new $3.2 million Hindu temple is coming up in Charlotte (North Carolina, USA), which is hoped to be ready by early 2015.

According to reports, it is being built in about 20,000 square feet in a campus of 19.5 acres at the same site as existing Hindu Center of Charlotte (HCC) building, and its walls will be covered with hand-carved sandstone, presently being worked on in Rajasthan (India).

Currently under construction and aimed at giving a authentic Hindu appearance, it will have 13 deities, each five feet and one inch tall and carved from marble. It will have five domes, with 51 feet high main dome weighing 500 tons; and an 8,500 square feet prayer hall.

Meanwhile, Hindu statesman Rajan Zed, in a statement in Nevada (USA) today, applauded efforts of temple leaders and area community to realize this Hindu temple complex.

Rajan Zed, who is President of Universal Society of Hinduism, further said that it was important to pass on Hindu spirituality, concepts and traditions to coming generations amidst so many distractions in the consumerist society and hoped that this temple complex would focus in this direction. Zed stressed that instead of running after materialism; we should focus on inner search and realization of Self and work towards achieving moksh (liberation), which was the goal of Hinduism.

Area has over 4,000 Hindu families and temple leaders and large donors include Ball Gupta, Suresh Vyas, Thakor Topiwala, Ravi Patel, Tansuka Ganatra, etc.

HCC, inaugurated in 1982, opens every day from 08-30 am to 08-30 pm. Besides religious services, it also runs various educational programs/classes; including yoga, shloka, Hindi and Gujarati; and is thinking of launching online courses on Bhagavad-Gita, Upanishads, Hanuman Chalisa, Hindi, Gujarati, etc. It also has a Senior Citizens Forum and Hindu wedding at HCC only costs $151. Mahashivratri celebrations will be held on February 27, which will include all-night-puja.