A USD30 million Sai Balaji temple coming up in New Jersey

A grand temple dedicated to Sai Balaji along with a cultural centre and a gigantic 30-feet statue of Hanuman is fast coming up in a New Jersey city at an estimated cost of more than USD30 million.

The statue of Hanuman inside its sprawling 12 acres campus of Om Sri Balaji Temple, would be visible to the entire township of Monroe in New Jersey.

As per the 2020 census, the township has a population of about 50,000. Over the last several years, the township has experienced a rapid growth rate in its Indian American population. As estimated, more than 6,000 Indian Americans are living in the city. After its completion in the next few years, the temple is expected to cost more than USD30 million.

During a temple awareness and fund-raising event over the weekend, at the newly built campus in Monroe, temple officials announced that the first phase of the project is completed and a grand inauguration “Prana Prathistha” (installation of the deities) event is planned for the week of June 13-19, a media release said Tuesday.

“Phase-1 includes 10 classrooms, a kitchen, dining hall and a large prayer hall. Their goal for the event last week was to bring awareness of the newly built temple, bring the communities together, and most importantly the next generation,” said Rajendra Dichpally, spokesperson of Sai Balaji temple.

In his opening speech, its founder, Suryanarayana Maddula, shared his childhood dream about building a temple along with a centre for community education. Temple authorities have acquired 12 acres of land near Monroe about 10 years back, a media release said.

According to Maddula, the primary mission of the Om Sri Sai Balaji Temple is to cater to the spiritual needs of all families and to celebrate all occasions, festivals and rituals.

All plans and architectural designs of the temple have been approved by the Planning Board of Monroe Township. The groundbreaking ceremony for the Om Sri Sai Balaji Temple was held on June 26, 2016.