Construction of Hindu temple to begin
With a price tag of $5M, this community and cultural hub faced opposition from neighbours
Twenty-two years in the making, with plenty of setbacks and a vote by city councillors that could easily have gone the other way, a Hindu temple in Cambridge is set to begin construction this week.
“I think it’s going to be an attraction for Waterloo Region,” says Dwarka Persaud, president of the Radha Krishna Mandir and Cultural Centre.
“People will come to see it.” With a price tag of $5 million, the two-storey community and cultural hub at 85 Boxwood Drive — to be built on rezoned agricultural land in the shadow of the Toyota factory — faced opposition from neighbours concerned about parking, drainage and compatibility, and Toyota plant representatives over potential noise, odour and dust complaints.
The legal battle dragged on for years, sparking controversy and allegations of racism against city planners until a staff recommendation against the temple was unani mously overturned by Cambridge city councillors in 2018, which cleared the way for construction.
For Persaud, who purchased the one-hectare empty lot north of Highway 401 in 2000 and shepherded the project every step of the way, all that’s in the past as he looks forward to embracing the surrounding community in the Hindu spirit of peace and goodwill.
“When we open, the first people invited will be our neighbours,” says Persaud, who envisions the temple as “a place of peace and contentment.”
“I will personally go out and invite every neighbour to have a meal with us and explain what we do and how we do it.”
The current Hindu temple on Cambridge’s Old Mill Road is a converted 19th-century church that has 2,400 square feet and 21parking spots.
When it opens a year from now — barring construction delays — its 21,000-square-foot replacement will boast almost 10 times that space, with parking for 112 vehicles, a greenhouse, prayer hall, classrooms for music and yoga and a reception hall for weddings, celebrations and interfaith community events.
“The mosaic is changing,” notes Persaud, who moved from Guyana in 1969 to study business at the University of Waterloo and says an increase in immigration from India, along with a flood of international students, have fuelled the spike in numbers.
“It’s a growing community with at least10,000 Hindus in Waterloo Region and Guelph.
“When I first came here, if you looked up my name in the phone book there were three people. Now there are two pages.”
Back then, he says, questions about religious or cultural affiliation never came up.
“If you saw brown people it didn’t matter where they were from. They became your friends. You identified. I still identify with every religious belief. Most Hindus do. I have friends from all religions and backgrounds.”
The temple has been hosting a seven-day Bhoomi Puja ceremony — featuring spiritual leaders and speakers from different parts of India — to give thanks to “Mother Earth” since ground was broken on Tuesday.
It wraps up Monday with construction expected to begin on Wednesday.