Narendar Passi couldn't hold back his tears as he described the scene of the fire that burned down the Hindu Samaj Temple of Hamilton. The president of the temple's board of directors at the time, Mr. Passi received a call from the temple's priest early in the morning of Sept. 15, 2001. The temple was burning.
"The structure was wooden," he said. "Nobody could control [the fire] The firefighters came, but there was no water hydrant. They tried hard. But they couldn't have saved it.
"This structure is now mostly steel."
Mr. Passi, now the temple's lifetime librarian, is referring to the newly built structure that stands at the site of the old temple. He was one of more than 100 people who attended the first ceremonial puja (prayer) for Saraswati, the goddess of learning, held in late June.
The city's police force has described the fire that blazed four days after Sept. 11 as "hate-motivated arson." Inspector Warren Korol said he couldn't comment on the case because the investigation is continuing. The fire caused the temple's roof to collapse, while the ground floor of the one-storey building was gutted. The fire also damaged the temple's library collection, which was composed of about 5,000 volumes, many from the 19th century, according to a report by the Canadian Conservation Institute. The only part of the building left standing was its brick exterior.
"You should have seen how they cried," Mr. Passi said of the congregation.
One of the first people who came to the burnt temple was Javid Mirza, president of the Hamilton Muslim Association. "He said, 'I am sorry. They wanted to burn our mosque. But they burnt your temple.' "
Efforts to rebuild the temple through fundraising began almost immediately after the fire. Although they're still short of money, and more construction needs to be done, the Hindu Samaj Temple decided to open its doors in May.
"We don't see the exposed drywall, or the unfinished floors. This is our home," said the current temple president, Karn Malhotra. "Many followers have scattered over four years, and we're trying to welcome them back." Last weekend, the temple organized a pran pratishta (consecration) ceremony for Ganesh, the elephant-headed god.
The temple is located on a long and fairly lonely stretch of a road, with wide tracts of farmland on either side. Large iron grill gates, inscribed with the temple's name and auspicious Hindu symbols, lie at the side of the temple. Drywall and steel rafters are still visible in the main prayer hall, and the floor has been covered with foam and chatais (traditional mats). The soft smell of incense has sharp undertones of wood shavings.
The temple started in 1975 with bhajans (hymns) held at a hall in McMaster University. In 1984, the Hindu community bought and gradually turned an old church into the temple. The process was aided, tragically, by a donation from a member who had lost his family in the Air-India disaster and gave the temple part of his compensation."The church had pews, and Hindus sit on the floor," Mr. Passi explained. "We had to install deities. It was a beautiful temple. We were on the upward swing, when we hit bottom again."
Many local community and religious organizations offered their premises to the Hindu Samaj Temple followers. The temple organizers took up the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints' offer. But the main focus was to rebuild, Mr. Malhotra said. It's the only temple in Hamilton.
There are 15 deities at the temple and different days of the week are assigned for different Hindu communities to pray. With the temple closed, some followers were travelling as far as Brampton or Pickering to find their deity.
"But the main point is that this is more than just a temple," Mr. Malhotra said. "This is our home. It's a meeting place for people. It's a place for our children to learn about their culture and heritage. We also organize meetings for seniors that are open to everyone, not just Hindus.
"This was a hate crime. Through no fault of our own, we became victims of hate crime. And every day that we're not here, we continue to be victims."
The estimated cost of rebuilding has been pegged at $2-million, and the outstanding loans amount to $500,000. People in the community have personally pledged loans, Mr. Malhotra said. Although the temple received $120,000 from the Ministry of Heritage, the temple's president said he is waiting to hear from the provincial government.
"As we see it, the right to practise one's religion is a constitutional right," Mr. Malhotra said. "We're not saying that the government should fund the building of a temple, a mosque or a synagogue. But once a religious place is burnt as a result of arson, as a result of hate crime, it is their responsibility to help rebuild it.
"We did get some funding from the federal government, but it's not enough. We're struggling, and we shouldn't be. The community has done its part."