The Hindu Temple

Maple Grove is home to one of the largest Hindu mandirs in North America.

About the Mandir

Since 1979, the Hindu Society of Minnesota’s only mandir, or temple, was located in a refurbished church in north Minneapolis, a location far too small to support the needs of the growing Hindu community. The story of the Maple Grove temple is a long and complicated one. Temple leaders first met with officials of several Minneapolis suburbs in the late ‘80s to discuss a location for the new temple. Today, Hindu society leaders often note that the temple’s location meets the requirements of the vāstu śāstra, which requires temples be placed on an elevated rectangular piece of land facing east and surrounded by water. The Maple Grove land, purchased in 1998, is bordered by two creeks, has a large pond and is surrounded by woods and corn fields.

Though ideal from an aesthetic vantage point, building in this obscure farm plot had setbacks. City ordinances marked the land as a future residential zone that denied any building permits before 2020. The location lacked the paved roads, sewers, and water facilities needed for a temple of the size the society envisioned. Although many Hindus live in the greater Minneapolis-St. Paul area, few live in Maple Grove. As a result, local banks were reluctant to loan out the large sum of money required to construct a temple that appealed to few Maple Grove residents.

Construction of the $9 million, 43,000 square foot structure started on October 4th, 2003, under the Rochon Corporation led by architects from Leo Daly Inc. The temple exemplified traditional Hindu architecture built to modern standards, with new materials and structures built to withstand Minnesota’s harsh weather. The main facility consists of 21 mini-temples, each built in a different style with murti (images expressing the Divine Spirit) crafted by shilpis brought in from India on visas. The temple also has an auditorium, classrooms, a kitchen, and a dining hall, all incorporating modern technologies, and climate control. The fountain-festooned pond in front of the building collects rainwater as the primary source for the irrigation system.

April 2006 Vandalism
Shortly after 9 PM on Wednesday, April 5, 2006, two vandals broke a window to a children’s classroom and entered the soon-to-open Hindu Temple in Maple Grove. They smashed other windows, kicked in doors and bashed holes in the wall of the auditorium and ceiling of the dining hall with a baseball bat. But most gravely, the vandals dismembered, decapitated or otherwise destroyed 9 of the 14 murtis (carved statue deities) of the temple. Reports on how exactly the deities were destroyed were conflicting: the Indo-Asian News Service reported that the deities had been flipped over, while the local Minneapolis Star Tribune reported the deities had been hit with baseball bats. Media reports estimated between $200,000 and $300,000 in damage to the temple. On April 18th the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension announced the Hindu Society was offering a $10,000 reward for information leading to the arrest and successful prosecution of the vandals. Meanwhile, the Hennepin County Crime Lab analyzed evidence from the scene.

A “Concerned Citizens Forum”
600 people attended a community forum organized on April 13 to discuss the vandalism. The forum, held at the temple and organized by the temple’s leadership, brought speakers from many religious traditions together to discuss the implications of the crime for the broader community. Many government officials also attended. Some at the forum expressed frustration at the police’s refusal to classify the vandalism as a “hate crime.”

The Forgiven
A little over a month after the vandalism, Tyler William Tuomie of Andover, Minnesota and Paul Gus Spakousky of Orono, Minnesota were arrested in connection with the temple vandalism. Both were charged with three felonies: one count of burglary in the third degree and two counts of damage to property in the first degree. Amy Klobuchar, then Hennepin County Attorney, led the case against the vandals. In an August plea bargain, both pled guilty to one count of criminal property damage, while the other counts of property damage and the third degree burglary charge were dismissed.

Hennepin County District Court judge Kevin Burke sentenced both to 30 days in jail, a year of probation and 200 hours of community service at the temple. Both were also ordered to attend a meeting with the victims, held at the temple, where both were welcomed “with hugs” and gentle descriptions of Hinduism. Both Tuomie and Spakousky were involved in alcohol-related offenses after the vandalism; Burke ordered both to receive a chemical dependency evaluation. Both were also ordered to pay $96,254 in restitution. The sentences of both were significantly lessened by Dr. Shashikant Sane, a prominent member of the temple's Board of Trustees, who requested the judge be lenient to keep the young men from becoming “hardened criminals.”