PENN HILLS, Pa. â When throngs gathered to rededicate the oldest major Hindu temple in the United States, there was poignance â prayers for continued recovery from the pandemic that struck many loved ones in India â and the elation of coming together after more than a year of restrictions.
And there was joy.
Shouts of the divine name âGovinda!â rose June 27 from the crowd of worshippers at the Sri Venkateswara Temple, atop a steep hill just east of Pittsburgh. Dressed in festive saris and other traditional clothing, they gazed up toward a gopuram â an ornamented temple tower whose white, newly restored facade gleamed brilliantly in the mid-day sun.