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Monday, August 18, 2008
Hindu temple beats banality of (another) strip mall
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
It’s become a tourist attraction as well as a place for individuals to worship.
I’m talking about the BAPS Shri Swaminarayan Mandir, a Hindu temple, Lilburn’s newest landmark. Thousands of people volunteered time and money to build the structure, said to be one of the largest of its kind in the United States.
Catherine Fox, the Atlanta Journal-Constitution’s arts critic, wrote last year that “Lilburn’s new landmark rises - literally and figuratively - like a heavenly white apparition above the banality of a nearby strip mall.”
I got to thinking about the temple this morning after reading an article in today’s AJC about the building of Al-Farooq Masjid, Atlanta’s largest mosque. The new $10 million edifice, located on 14th street, was the site of a grand opening and celebration on Sunday.
Location, it has been said, is everything. So let’s consider the Lilburn temple from a pure location standpoint, not a faith or religious one.
Does it “fit” where it’s located, at the intersection of Rockbridge Road and Lawrenceville Highway?
Does it dress up that stretch of asphalt and strip malls, make the area more appealing?
Or is it too ornate, too opulent for that section of town?
Personally, I like it there.
What about you?
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