New Vedanta Temple to be Consecrated in Houston
By siliconindia   |   Thursday, 15 September 2011, 18:43 IST
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Houston: Vedanta Society of Greater Houston (VSGH) is consecrating a new Temple on September 24 in Houston (Texas, USA). Four senior most swamis of Ramakrishna Order in USA will attend, while Swami Kripamayananda of Vedanta Society of Toronto (Canada) will preside over the dedication ceremony of the Temple built on a 1.5 acres plot purchased in December 2007. It will include worship, homa, tabla ensemble, dance performance and Vandana vocal presentation. Harris County Judge Ed Emmett and City of Houston Mayor Annise D. Parker are expected to attend and Swami Sarvadevananda of Vedanta Society of Southern California will perform Sri Durga Puja. Founded in 2002, VSGH is a spiritual non-profit organization and conducts classes, retreats, and special events to “bring a better understanding of the vedantic concepts”. It is spiritually guided by Swami Chidananda (Chicago) and Swami Brahmarupananda (Washington DC). Society states that Vedanta, based on sacred scriptures Vedas, “affirms the oneness of existence, the divinity of the soul, and the harmony of religions." In USA, besides Houston, there are Vedanta centers in Seattle, Portland, San Francisco, Sacramento, Berkeley, Hollywood, Santa Barbara, Trabuco Canyon, San Diego, South Pasadena, St. Louis, Kansas City, Chicago, Ridgely, Boston, Providence, New York, Washington DC, and St. Petersburg. Multi-cultural Houston founded in 1836, fourth-largest city in USA, is home to NASA Space Center, Port of Houston, Houston International Festival, Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo, Art Car Parade, and world-class paintings. Prominent people associated with it include journalists Walter Cronkite and Dan Rather; singers Hilary Duff, Clint Black, Beyoncé Knowles, Kenny Rogers; model Anna Nicole Smith; actor Patrick Swayze; actress Renée Zellweger; business magnate Howard Hughes; etc.

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