How it all began?
~ By Swaran K. Jain

The Hindu Temple and Cultural Center of Kansas City began as a dream in 1982 and became a reality through the dedication, unity, and hard work of the community. Today, it stands as a place of worship and cultural heritage for future generations.

On one hot evening in July of 1982, we were discussing, among many things, the need to build our own temple where we could worship, share our cultural heritage with others and pass on our traditions to the future generation. As the interest in the idea grew, the discussion became more and more intense and enthusiasm for such a project became an overflowing desire. Someone said that a thousand-mile journey must begin with a single step. Our journey began at that instant. A dream was born. Then came a need for nourishment, a need to transform this dream into reality.

Four families, Abhay and Mina Bisarya, Swaran and Kusum Jain, Ashok and Alka Rattan, and Om and Sumitra Rattan met to take further steps. We needed to determine what it would take to build our own temple. Following this meeting, a series of events took place. Great pains were taken to develop and frame our constitution. Articles of Incorporation were prepared and submitted to the State of Kansas. We were happy to find that our temple would be recognized as a non-profit organization both by the State of Kansas and the Internal Revenue Service. This recognition was a giant leap forward towards our noble cause.

Now, more than ever, we needed the support of the Indian community as a whole. We needed some way of informing everyone of this noble cause. So, on August 26, 1982, the first Samachar Patrika was sent to everyone in our community announcing the need for everyone's help to make this project a wonderful reality.

The first puja was held at Om and Sumitra Rattan's house on September 18, 1982 at 11:00A.M. The community’s response was simply overwhelming. We received cash donations totaling $6,594.00 and pledges for cash in the amount of $33,933.00.

The monumental response from the community propelled us directly toward our goal. What had started as the dream of a few people had now blossomed into the goal of an entire community. Now began the long and taxing search for a suitable site for which to build our temple. To ensure some sort of financial security for the purchase of the land, many fund raising dinners and functions were held. They were resounding successes.

Finally, on April 9, 1984, a five-acre tract of land located in an area close to at least eighty- percent of the Indian population of Kansas City, was purchased. This purchase was a milestone in the history of the Hindu Temple and Cultural Center of Kansas City. Never before had we purchased anything of such magnitude. It was another step closer to this noble goal.

With great fanfare and festivity, the ground breaking and bhumi puja took place on Sunday, October 27, 1985. This day marked a new chapter in the history of our temple. By now we had crossed many hurdles and were confident that our dream would soon become a reality. Much hard work had been accomplished but much more lay ahead. Our imaginations were let loose on conceptual ideas of the temple. We had many designs, plans and ideas for it. Ultimately, though, it boiled down to the desires of the community versus financial constraints. We needed a place of worship and enlightenment with a functional, yet aesthetically pleasing design. So, as soon as the Board of Trustees approved the designs, construction began under the skilled supervision of Bob Sathyanarayana.

Brick by brick, the dream was beginning to take its shape. Finally the years of toil and hard work were starting to pay off. The Journey was at a landmark. The dream was almost alive.

The opening of the Hindu Temple and Cultural Center of Kansas City, on May 22, 1988, at 9:00 A.M. was a historic event. It was breathtaking achievement of incredible magnitude which had tested the collective efforts of our community time and time again, and it was here at last. Now we had our own temple, a place where we could gather together, worship together and pass on our cultural heritage to our children. Much work was still to be done, but at last the dream had come true.

At that time our efforts were concentrated on making our temple complete with devasthan and murtis. Pradeep Shukla was given the task of designing the devasthan. We give our many thanks to Pradeep for a beautiful devasthan and a job well done.

It took a countless number of hours, Herculean efforts, and many visits to India by Abhay Bisarya, Chairman of the Murti Committee, Jagan Agrawal, Thakor Patel, and Laxmi Naidu to be able to acquire beautiful murits for our temple. We thank them for their superb efforts.

In July of 1982 we had a dream, a dream of having our very own temple. In April 1991, the Murti Sthapana fulfilled this dream. During the last fifteen years, slowly and gradually we continued the growth and development of our temple, another chapter written another hurdle crossed. From its inception in July 1982 till its completion in April, 1991, the temple building project passed many stages that tested the collective will, strength, and commitment of all those who were associated with it. Temple’s successful completion and spiritual fulfillment is a source of satisfaction and pride for our entire community. There are so many people in our community who, in their own way, contributed toward the building fund. They donated their time, efforts and labor. We offer our many sincere and heartfelt thanks. Your hard work has made it possible to realize this dream of our own temple and cultural center. Now we can pass on our heritage to future generations.

Rajagopuram
– A Journey

The Rajagopuram Expansion Project at HTCC of Kansas City represents a shared vision to preserve tradition, enhance temple architecture, and serve generations to come.

In 2018, the Hindu Temple and Cultural Center of Kansas city (HTCC) completed the courtyard project and started the Hawan Kund project, which were both aimed at enhancing the temple's grounds and facilities. However, an ardent devotee expressed his concerns and feedback through email on Oct 15th 2018, stating that the temple's elevation needed enhancement as well. At that time, I Sreenukumar Gadiraju was the President of the HTCC Executive Committee (EC).

Upon receiving the feedback from the devotee, we met with the expansion committee, which consisted of Sri Abhay Bisarya, Sri Mohan Gupta, and Sri Hasu Doshi. Within Five days of this meeting, the Board of Trustees (BOT) held its first meeting to discuss the matter. At the meeting, it was agreed that the building of the Rajagopuram was long overdue and needed to be prioritized. Proposal to build Rajagopuram for the temple was discussed, and Mrs. Sonia Garapaty, the then Chairman of the BOT, requested that the proposal be put forward.

As you are aware, in Hindu temple architecture, the Rajagopuram, also known as the temple's main gateway structure, is a significant aspect of traditional temple architecture. Rajagopurams are decorated with intricate carvings and sculptures, and it serves as a symbol of the temple's grandeur and spiritual significance.

The Rajagopuram Expansion Committee went to work on developing a proposal for the project. This involved researching similar projects at other temples, determining the scope of the work, and estimating the cost. Based on Minnesota Temple’s sthapathi, Mr. Ramasamy Sithambaram made a beautiful model, which was presented to BOT, Executive Committee(EC) and devotees.

The initial estimate proposed to BOT for approval was for $500, 000. BOT approved the budget unanimously and decided to explore all options. The committee then invited three more Stapathi’s from Minnesota, California and Dallas in April 2019. Finally, Mr. Ravindran Chidambaram was selected as a head Stapathi, based on his experience in the United States and the economics..

The Rajagopuram expansion project was a huge undertaking involving the construction of a 35-foot-tall structure with intricate carvings. The tower was to be adorned with traditional Hindu motifs and figures, including deities and scenes from Hindu mythology.

To lead this project, the Rajagopuram Expansion Committee has selected Mr. Ramasamy Sithambaram as the Executive Chairman. Mr. Ramasamy, a passionate individual who is knowledgeable about preserving the rich cultural heritage of traditional Hindu architecture, assembles a team of people to execute the project.

To begin the project, Ramasamy reached out to Mr. Selvam Rajavelu, the architect who had completed the Utah Temple project, including the Rajagopuram. After a couple of meetings with him, Mr. Rajavelu agreed to come and visit the HTCC in July 2019. Following his visit, he was hired as the architect for the project starting from August 1st, 2019.

Drawings for the project were submitted to the City of Shawnee in September 2019 for approvals. However, the city has a height limit of 45 feet, which meant that only three stories of the Rajagopuram could be constructed at HTCC.

On September 28th, 2019, the Rajagopuram Fundraising Committee hosted a fundraising dinner that exceeded all expectations. This event was held at our HTCC community hall and attracted a huge turnout from the community. The fundraising dinner was a resounding success, and the committee received overwhelming support from the community. The pledges received in that single event totaled around $800,000, and collected donations around $1.1Million by Jan 2023,which was a tremendous achievement. As a Fundraising chair for the Rajagopuram project, I would like to thank the generous contributions made by the community members and devotees as a testament to their faith and dedication towards the temple.

After the successful fundraiser, the groundbreaking ceremony for the Rajagopuram Project was held on Vijayadasami, October 8th, 2019. The ceremony was a grand success, with members of the community gathering to witness the auspicious event. The ceremony was conducted according to the traditional Hindu customs, and it was a momentous occasion for the temple and the community.

The project had received approval from the Board of Trustees, and the budget allocated was $765,000. The Rajagopuram construction committee was determined to ensure that the project would be completed within the allocated budget and on time. However, during the course of the project, it was realized that the front entrance of the temple also required renovation. The committee decided to add the renovation of the front entrance to the project with an additional cost of $130K.

The city permit was received in October 2019, and after reviewing three bids for the first phase of the structure, DF Construction was selected to undertake the construction, and Terracon was chosen to conduct inspection and testing during construction.

One of the biggest challenges that the committee faced was obtaining the necessary visas for the Shilphis from India. The committee had filed for R1 visas for the Shilphis and Sthapathi in November 2019, but due to the COVID-19 pandemic, all travel from India was put on hold in March 2020. This put a significant strain on the project and delayed the construction process.

Despite the setback caused by the pandemic, our committee was very optimistic and continued to work hard and ordered some of the idols, Dwajasthambam and doors and accessories, and shipped them from Chennai in January 2021 in a container.

In August 2021,Mr. Ashish Patel, the then Chairman of the BOT put in a process to bring the Shilphis in an expedited manner and upon approval from the BOT, the shilphis arrived in September 2021 and started working on it immediately. Meanwhile the committee had set a target of completing the front entrance project before winter of 2021. However, due to the pandemic, the total cost of the project increased by around 10%, and there was a big increase in materials, extra travel costs and unproductive winter months for outside work.

Despite the challenges, the committee remained focused on completing the project. In April 2022, the Dwajasthambam was installed between Rajagopuram and the main temple as designed with gold electroplated ornaments. The inauguration ceremony for the Dwajasthambam held on May 15th 2022. The ceremony was a grand success, with thousands of devotees gathering to witness the auspicious event. The ceremony was conducted according to the traditional Hindu customs, and it was a momentous occasion for the temple and the community.

Rajagopuram construction project started in April 2022 with two Stapathis and three more Stapathis joined by July 2022 and most of the work was completed by December 15th, 2022. The committee had scheduled the Kumbhabhishekam on May 14th, 2023

The Rajagopuram expansion project was a demonstration of commitment and teamwork of patrons under the leadership of the Founding Members, BOT Chairs, and EC-members of 2018 through 2023, listening to the concerns of the devotees and taking appropriate action. Regardless of facing challenges due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the committee was able to complete the project and build the entrance beautification and the Rajagopuram for our generations to adore. Our prestigious Rajagopuram project is a collaborative effort that involves the various HTCC committees, the craftsmen, and the community at large, and it is a source of pride and joy for everyone involved.

Meaningful Ways to Participate in Temple Life and Spiritual Practices

Engage with the temple through prayer requests, ritual bookings, seva, and events. Whether you wish to participate or stay connected, each step brings you closer to the divine.