Hundreds celebrate as North Queensland's first purpose-built Hindu temple to be built

Townsville's Hindu community has held a sacred ceremony ahead of construction on North Queensland's first purpose-built Hindu temple.

North Queensland Hindu Community temple dedication in Vincent. Jiana Patel, 4, with, Nilpa Keshwala and Darshana Pandya. Picture: Evan Morgan

Townsville Hindu community marked a significant cultural milestone on Sunday with a groundbreaking ceremony for the first purpose-built Hindu temple in North Queensland.

The North Queensland Hindu Community Inc. hosted their bhoomi pooja – a special ceremony to mark the new era for religious and cultural infrastructure in the region, ahead of the planned construction of the Shree Durga Mahalakshmi Temple in Vincent.

Currently, the group have been using a community hall as their place of worship.

The North Queensland Hindu Community committee said the temple would be dedicated to three goddesses as one entity and would be a place of healing and community.

President of the committee Shravan Dathrik said the preliminary works on the temple have been done, with building construction to start in January.

North Queensland Hindu Community temple dedication in Vincent. Jiana Patel, 4. Picture: Evan Morgan

As the Hindu community grew in Townsville, the committee said the need for a purpose-built temple also grew – with the aim of teaching the next generations.

“There were a lot of rules and regulations in terms of building a Hindu temple, so it’s taken a while, but it felt great that we finally got here,” a spokesman said.

“This came from the community, for the whole community.”

“Even though it’s a Hindu organisation, we don’t have any religious segregation so anybody and everybody can walk into that space and be part of it.”

The ceremony featured traditional rituals, including a Vedic bhoomi pooja, a ritual held before starting construction to honour mother Earth and remove negative energy from the land.

Townsville’s MP’s Janelle Poole, Adam Baillie, and Natalie Marr attended the opening ceremony, along with Townsville’s Mayor Nick Dametto.

The Shree Durga Mahalakshmi Temple was envisioned to become a long-term cultural and social anchor for Townsville and serve as a hub for festivals and holidays such as Diwali and educational programs.

The ceremony featured traditional rituals, vibrant cultural attire, and the symbolic soil-turning by dignitaries.

For more information people could visit the North Queensland Hindu Community Inc. Facebook page.

Originally published as Hundreds celebrate as North Queensland's first purpose-built Hindu temple to be built