New Temple Inaugurated in Hyderabad

This article, "New Temple Inaugurated in Hyderabad," was published in The Hindu, August 19, 1976, in Chennai, India.

HYDERABAD, Aug. 18. 

The Rs. 16-lakh Radha Madan-mohan temple on the busy Nampalli Station road was inaugurated this morning. 

The Chief Minister, Mr. J. Vengal Rao, who was the chief guest, said the phenomenon of foreign nationals taking to the Krishna Consciousness Movement indicated a "reversal in history". Despite advances in several fields and reaching celestial planets, people in the developed West had to turn to India for spiritual succour. There was however a tendency in this country to forget the rich Vedic culture of the past, he added. 

The Founder of the International Society for Krishna Consciousness, A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, emphasised the need for people to realise the importance of the Bhagavad Gita and try to understand its essence. 

The Minister for Endowments, Mr. Sagi Suryanarayana Itaju, said "we must all be grateful to Swami Prabhupada for making us realise the richness of our culture." Mr. J. B. Muthyal Rao, former Indian envoy to Somalia, spoke. Earlier, Swami Mahamsa welcomed the gathering. 

The temple called the Radha Madanmohan International Centre has been built by the ISKCON. It has been designed by the Director of Town Planning, Mr. G. Venkataramana Reddy and the plot of land was donated by Mr. G. Puna Reddy. The Deities in the temple are Radha and Krishna, Jagannath Swami, Subhadra and Balaram. 

When the Chief Minister was leaving after the inaugural function, a man aged about 30 threw himself before his car. The ear had just started moving and the driver brought it to a quick halt. 

The man was taken into custody by the City Police. It was stated that he was "mentally unsound." - FOC.