User:NatFee/Hindu Temple of Central Illinois

Hindu Temple of Central Illinois (HTCI), (formerly known as Hindu Heritage Center, HHC) is a non-denominational Hindu temple in Peoria, Illinois and was one of the first temples in downstate Illinois. The temple offers a variety of Hindu deities and traditions. It serves approximately 1,000 families in the greater Peoria metro.

Before the temple
In the late 1980s, a group of approximately 30 Hindu families in the area began to meet to pray in each other's homes. Although most Hindu temples in the United States are located in larger metropolitan areas, the group pledged money to try to build a temple in the smaller city of Peoria. Before the temple was constructed, the nearest temple was in Chicago or St. Louis. The group filed for nonprofit status and continued to meet, observing major festivals in rented school auditoriums or church halls. The Ramnavami festival was held at the Grandview Hotel in Peoria. The Sankranti-Pongal festival was held at the Dunlap High School in Dunlap, Illinois. The Maha-Shivaratri festival was held at the Lakeview YWCA in Peoria.

Non-profit status
Hindu Heritage Center was established as a non-profit religious organization on March 15, 1994. This name was originally chosen because the group was unsure what facility they would be able to obtain.

According to Pam Adams for the Journal Star, "Devotees searched a long time for the right location to build a temple according to Hindu principles. It needed to be on a hill, in a serene setting, with a river nearby and water running east to west."

The community raised $200,000 to build a facility and made an offer on a 25 acre tract of land in Limestone Township, on a bluff overlooking Kickapoo Creek. They filed for a special use permit on September 9, 1996. The Planning and Zoning Commission recommended approval, but the request was initially denied by the Zoning Board based on neighborhood concerns of an increase in traffic. The Peoria County Board voted 11 to 7 to approve the special use permit. The title policy was issued on April 18, 1997.

The community had grown over the years, with as many as 400 people participating in festivals. They decided to build a modern temple with facilities for a Community Center as well. A traditional temple was ruled out due to factors of cost, time, and climate. However, the modern temple would include a copper roofed tower (Gopuram) atop the Sanctum.

Opening
Groundbreaking on the new temple began on August 27, 1998, coinciding with the Ganesha festival. The site was cleared and the northeast corner marked to conduct the Groundbreaking Homa. Construction began on November 11, 1998. The facility was dedicated on November 6, 1999.

The inauguration on April 29, 2000 coincided with the Ramanavami celebrations. Dignitaries, performing artists, Swamijis, and Illinois Senator attended.

A new 30-foot wide, half-mile long road was constructed called Temple Hill Road. According to the Journal Star, the project entailed: 40,000 cubic yards of excavation, clearing 11.25 wooded acres, 1,540 tons of asphalt for the road, and 1,269 tons of asphalt for the parking lot.

Future plans
One of the temple's founders, Prakash Babu, purchased an adjacent parcel of 25 acres with plans to build a 129-unit condominium for older adults. Other plans include a new meditation center, priests' quarters, and lakes for worship ceremonies.

Description
The temple has two multilingual priests who speak Hindi and English. It has a banquet hall, auditorium, and classrooms. There are also hiking trails in the wooded area around the temple.

Deities
There are multiple deities, which is unusual for a Hindu temple. Eight Murthis were commissioned from India, all 4 feet high standing and 39 inch high seated: Ganesha, Shiva Parivar, Ram Parivar, Balaji, Radha Krishna, Durga, Swaminarayan, and Mahavir. The Shivaparivar Murthi was approximately 1800 pounds and had to be hand-carried to the Sanctum platform by devotees. Other brass and bronze statues were procured from Mahabhalipuram. The Pranaprathista ceremony took place in May 2005, installing energy into the idols in the Sanctum.

Notable special events
The temple has also hosted events to raise awareness of Hindu culture and traditions. Swami Viditatmananda Saraswati presented on the concepts of Vedanta and Iswara in 2008. On October 17 2010, Shree Ramana Maharishi Academy for the Blind in India performed traditional Indian music such as Bharatanatyam. In 2011, a "Jerusalem to Mumbai" event brought members of the Jewish Federation of Peoria to the temple to celebrate common interests. In 2015, volunteers participated in a Peoria-area "Good Deeds" Day with volunteers from other faiths. In 2017, the temple served as a site to educate the community about the Hindu religion as part of an interfaith tour. The temple has hosted other events, such as a guest speaker for Diwali and a special presentation at the Peoria PlayHouse Children’s Museum. In May 2022, Hindu Swayamsevak Sangh held a Darshana event at the temple.