By IANS
London : A small factory unit in an Ireland town has been identified as a potential location for the first Hindu temple in the country, home to more than 3,000 Hindus.
Hectic plans are underway to establish a temple in Letterkenny, one of the largest towns in Donegal County.
The new temple is expected to be completed as early as December, independent.ie, an online news portal reported
“When my son was born in India we took him to the temple where we had a naming ceremony. Families who have had their children here in Ireland have not been able to do these things, it is the one thing they are missing,” said an Indian in the town, Naidu Yttra.
The Indian community in Letterkenny is also appealing to the local council to subsidise the cost of the new temple.
The new temple is expected to boost the local economy by bringing Hindus from around the country.
“We don’t really have a temple in the Republic, and a lot of people come up to Belfast, or to Fermanagh where we have a retreat,” Paurusa Das, a Hindu priest based in Belfast and Fermanagh, said.
“With so many people coming together it’s going to make Letterkenny a tourist spot among Indians in Ireland,” Naidu said.
Census figures from 2002 show that there were over 3,000 Hindus in Ireland. Although the 2006 census figures are yet to be published, the number is expected to have grown.