While Manish reports on the celebrations @ Amritsar, in local news, the Bay Area Sikh's have opened the nation's largest Gurdwara in San Jose - MercuryNews.com | 08/28/2004 | Gurdwara facts
The new San Jose gurdwara will be the largest and most expensive in the country. The Bay Area is home to four other Sikh temples, in Hayward, Pittsburg, El Sobrante and Fremont. Fremont's temple, built in 1991 for $1.8 million, had been the nation's largest. The San Jose gurdwara: Cost $10 million, which was collected over 10 years. Was paid for with $6.75 million from the sale of its former home on Quimby Road, and $4.36 million from individual loans and donations from the Sikh community. Encompasses three buildings that total 20,000 square feet on 40 acres in the Evergreen district.
When planned, the Gurdwara raised some controversy -
Plans for the 40-acre property sparked controversy when Sikhs first unveiled their goal to move from the old temple on Quimby Road. A vocal minority of neighbors feared there would be traffic and noise headaches and criticized the magnitude of the project, which was scaled back to meet some of the concerns. Public hearings in San Jose lasted late into the night and at times erupted into name-calling. Protesters carried signs reading ``No Sikh Jose.''
But all's well that ends well -
``I'm very emotional,'' said Amrit Singh Sachdev, 49, a computer engineer. ``This is bringing back memories for me, when the whole street shuts down, just like in India.'' The ceremony, which drew about 7,000 guests, signified a happy chapter in a rocky journey that began in the early 1990s.
Whole streets shut down like in India? Well, I suppose there's always a temple opening up somewhere....
