THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1994, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Saturday, October 1, 1994 TAG: 9410010251
SECTION: LOCAL PAGE: B1 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY KAREN E. QUINONES MILLER, STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: CHESAPEAKE LENGTH: Medium: 84 lines
They had been preparing for Diwali - the passing of the old year and the beginning of a new one - one of the most important Hindu celebrations.
But Friday, the 700 members of the Hindu Temple - who live from Williamsburg to Elizabeth City - found no cause for celebration.
Some stood sadly, as in mourning, looking at the smoldering remains of their 4-year-old temple, which was destroyed by a pre-dawn fire. The cause is still unknown.
``I went into shock when I got the call this morning,'' said Sudhir C. Mehrotra, a temple member. ``I didn't know what to say. I just completely froze up.''
Diwali, a holiday celebrated from Oct. 31 to Nov. 4 in which Hindus come together and exchange good wishes, will not be the same this year.
The Fire Department received a call about 4:35 a.m. from a security company that an alarm had gone off at the temple, located at 217 S. Dominion Blvd., about two miles south of Interstate 464.
Firefighters arrived at the single-story, cinder-block building within minutes, but not in time to save the temple, which cost $1.5 million to build.
``There were reports of flames shooting 100 feet in the air,'' Capt. James Gray of the Chesapeake Fire Department said. ``The men could see the fire from 464.''
The priest - called a pujari - and his wife lived in an apartment in the 10,000-square-foot temple. They were asleep when the fire started.
Firefighters say that when they arrived on the scene, the couple - who are in their early 70s - seemed to be unaware of the fire and thought firefighters were burglars.
``When they finally realized what was going on, they got excited and wanted to save some of the possessions inside,'' Gray said. ``We had to restrain them. In fact, one of them had to be forcefully removed from the premises.''
Ashok Patel, president of the temple's executive committee, said the idea for a place where Hindus - most of whom are from India - could congregate started in 1985.
``We had a sizable amount of people in the area,'' Patel said, ``and we began to feel we needed our own place to worship. A place where we can have our own programs. A place where our children could meet.''
Groundbreaking was three years later, and the temple officially opened its doors in September 1990. This week was the fourth anniversary of that event.
In addition to the building, religious items were lost. ``We lost many things, including five statues of deities that we had ordered from India,'' Patel said. ``I saw one of the statues still standing but damaged; the others I did not see at all.''
The hand-carved marble statues cost about $10,000 to import, Patel said, and the congregation had been thrilled when they finally arrived late last year.
``We were supposed to have the ceremony to permanently install the deities this Dec. 10, but now . . .'' Patel's voice trailed off.
Patel started talking to a group of eight or nine men who stood in front of what was left of the temple. The whole group then walked around the building, talking and shaking their heads in frustration.
Mehrotra tried to be optimistic.
``We have insurance,'' he said. ``We can rebuild. The committee will soon meet to discuss the plans, but I expect we should be able to have the temple open again in maybe six months.''
``Of course we still have to look around for a place to worship until then - a place to celebrate Diwali - but the important thing is we will soon be back on our own.'' ILLUSTRATION: Staff color map
Hindu Temple
For copy of map, see microfilm
Staff photo by JIM WALKER
A pre-dawn fire Friday destroyed the Hindu Temple in Chesapeake. The
temple, which cost $1.5 million to build, just turned 4 years old;
its officially opened in September 1990.
KEYWORDS: FIRE HINDU TEMPLE
by CNB