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The Early Years (1980-1993)
The Bharatiya Temple of Lansing had its origin in the desires of a few people around 1980 to build a temple in the Lansing area. There were about 100 Hindu families living in and around Lansing at that time, some of them since the 1960s. The need for having a place where they could worship, and also preserve their cultural heritage, was acutely felt. The initiative to build the temple was led by a few dedicated people (Sudhakar Kulkarni, Shrikumar Poddar, and Prakash Kapoor) but the eventual realization of the Temple involved a broad cross section of the Lansing-area Indian community, coming from all the regions of India.
The Temple was legally incorporated as a non-profit religious organization on January 12, 1982. The first Constitution of the Temple was completed in May 1982, and it set down the following objectives:
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History of the Bharatiya Temple of Lansing
• Establish permanent Hindu deities in the main sanctum.
Perform various religious activities such as traditional Puja, Bhajan, Satsang, Havan, and Arati.
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N. Anantaraman
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• Provide humanitarian services to the local and world community.
Promote the study and understanding of all religions of the world.
• Develop and maintain harmonious relations among all faiths of the world.
Preserve the Hindu identity (religion, culture, and traditions) for future generations. Promote Indian culture and values.
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In November 1982, the Lansing community received a murti (idol) of Sri Ganesha as a gift from Satguru Sivaya Subramuniyaswami of Kauai Aadheenam in Hawaii. The Satguru's words to us at that time, "You start worshipping Sri Ganesha and He will build His own temple," were prophetic. The murti remained in the home of Sudhakar and Usha Kulkarni for the next 10 years, and was worshipped there by the community.
The Temple never had hired premises. During 1983-88, intensive (and ultimately successful) efforts were made to acquire land for the construction of the Temple. In December 1988, the current site of the Temple was purchased. This site was developed and a small one-room structure, to serve as the Sanctum, was completed in April 1992. Sri Ganesha was moved there at that time. In January 1993, the Constitution of the Temple was amended to allow a democratic election process. Under the leadership of
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