Review Board OKs Hindu Temple

The Woodlands, TX -- The Hindu Temple of The Woodlands recently received the approval of The Woodlands Design Review Board for their designs for a temple. The proposed temple, which would be the first Hindu temple in Montgomery County, will be built on 8.3 acres of land at the intersection of Woodlands Parkway and South Forest Gate.

Close to 150 Hindu families live in The Woodlands. For the last two years, members of the Hindu Temple of The Woodlands have gathered at other locations in the area for classes and celebrations.

The first of three phases of construction will include the main temple, a Ganesha temple, consisting of classrooms and a kitchen in 13,500 square feet. It should be completed in 2009 at a cost of $1.5 million. The 89,000 square foot temple will also include a 39,000-square-foot reception hall/auditorium.

A statue of Ganesh, the deity of good fortune, has been donated from a Hindu temple in Hawaii. Statues of the deities Shiva, Lakshmi and Vishnu (Balaji) are being donated by the Tirupati Tirumala Balaji Temple in south India.

Construction of the temple is expected to begin in February of 2008.