An unlikely storyline, it plays like the random nocturnal wanderings of a human mind busy with seemingly unconnected details that somehow blend together, leaving a distinct message in their wake: If you begin to build it, they will come.
"They" are Utahns from a variety of backgrounds, wielding shovels and rakes, wearing T-shirts and work gloves and jeans. Many have been Latter-day Saints who know little about gurus or Krishna, Sanskrit or mantras. Most pray to a vastly different god. But a temple — there's a concept they understand.
And so they have come, hundreds of volunteers, to a modest hilltop in Spanish Fork to help raise a dome for Hindu deities from the dust of a llama ranch pasture. Next month, they will celebrate success. The first Krishna temple to be built from scratch in America will hold its opening gala and installation ceremony on June 23.
Ten years in the planning stages and five years under construction, the 15,000 square-foot temple will become the spiritual home for a few dozen local Krishnas and the largest visible sign of the state's growing Hindu community. Planners say it will also be a testament to interfaith cooperation and respect.
Vai Devi dresses a figure of Radha, a deity, for the Deity Installation Ceremony.
Since the groundbreaking for the temple in 1996, "There has been a lot of anticipation over this building, not only among Hindus but among Mormons and others in general. I think that will peak on June 23. Everyone has been so curious about it that even those who don't have any love for the Krishnas will be hard put to stay away on that day just out of curiosity," Das said.
Though much work still remains to finish what will become a multidomed structure, the main dome and 12 of the scores of arches planned are complete, and an occupancy permit has been issued. "It won't be completely finished for probably a year, but we decided to open for people to enjoy now," he said.
Visitors will be greeted by wandering llamas and a 200,000 gallon freshwater pond and waterfall outside the temple itself. Ascending a wide stairway to the second story, hand-carved teakwood doors will open into the main dome area, which features arched windows spilling sunshine over a shiny white marble floor. Centered under the 33,000 pound dome will be a nine-foot lotus flower, constructed of green and pink marble.
The main alcove awaits the arrival of a teakwood throne. Four 40-inch high marble deities, which were hand-carved in India by Krishna artisans, will also adorn the dome area. Two of them — the black Krishna and Radha — literally embody the "divine couple" representing the ultimate in Krishna sacred worship and will occupy the throne opposite the large entry doors.
A marble figure of Radha, a deity, is 40 inches tall.
"Once they are formally installed in the temple (during the opening festivities) they are considered no different from God," Das explained. Because Krishnas believe the Lord has "manifested himself everywhere, it shouldn't be so astonishing to think that he manifests himself in stone through the authorized form."
Since their arrival in Utah 13 years ago, Das said his family and fellow Krishnas have had "worship that has been sort of makeshift and inventive, but after the 23rd we'll be bound by the same rules and regulations that have been going on for thousands of years in temples in India."
Das seems sensitive to the perception that Krishnas worship what many view as objects rather than an unembodied god. "We don't think of these images as idols, but we think of them literally as the Lord incarnate. An idol is something you worship for material gain. For us, this is the form of the Lord as described by saints who have seen him."
Krishna worship is open to the public, Das said, noting that the personal nature of the services "immediately strikes any Westerner who observes them." During the initial worship festival, brahmin priests will chant Sanskrit mantras and sanctify the building with the traditional fire sacrifice. They'll also conduct the ritual bathing and installation of the marble deities on the throne.
A figure of Krishna Supreme Lord will adorn dome area.
The ceremonies mean the "whole atmosphere is purified," Das said. The priests "ask the divinity to enter into the form of a Lord at that point. Afterward, that deity is treated as a supreme person for the purpose of benefitting us and accepting our service." In the big scheme of things religious, Krishna temples and their deities are analogous to the branches of a bank, he said.
"You have the central bank headquarters (the Lord) but so many branches from which you can make a deposit."
Krishnas' love of god "ultimately has to translate into a personal relationship, and that always involves service, especially when we're the subordinates."
In addition to providing a place for worship, the temple will be open to the public from predawn hours until closing at night. In that respect, Das believes the building will become a gathering place for various community groups. "In India, people just throng there all day and all night, like a community center where they can congregate rather than in bars and dance clubs."
The building, which will hold nearly 500 people indoors, and accommodate from 2,000 to 3,000 in the amphitheater outside, will be available to host community events, he said. Its first floor also features teakwood doors, an ice-white quartz floor and a large lobby that will contain a variety of Hindu statuary. A large gift shop will also be housed on that level near the lobby, featuring literature, clothing, jewelry, beads, pictures and altar paraphernalia. "It will basically be a museum where you can buy things.
A llama enjoys the shade of the Hare Krishna Temple.
Furnishings for the temple are being handcrafted in an Indian village so small "they don't even have a road to it. You have to go through a rice paddy to get there." A dining table and chairs, swings, sofas and chairs are scheduled to be shipped from Bombay this week and arrive in time for the celebration festival.
Once the temple has been sanctified that day, the building's outdoor stage will host a variety of speakers and entertainment, including remarks from Dr. Dinesh Patel, a leader of the Indian community in Utah, and Stanley Green, an LDS stake president in Salem. Sen. Orrin Hatch, R-Utah, has been invited and is expected to speak. Indian music and dance will follow, with plenty of vegetarian food and drink available for guests.
"We've had so many people come out and volunteer for us, or reduce the price of their construction work. We want them to come and join with us so we can say thank you."
For more information, call 801-798-3559.