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Manassas Baptist Church, raised in 1905 in Old Town Manassas (Virginia, USA) with tainted glass windows, is BAPS Swaminarayan Mandir now, according to reports.

Besides a prayer room, it has an assembly hall, education center, and housing facility for visiting sadhus. It has been possible after years of efforts of the community, and prior to opening this temple, area Hindu families have been travelling to Beltsville (Maryland, USA) for worship and related needs. Now, it is attracting devotees from as far as Fredericksburg (Virginia), reports suggest.

Meanwhile, Hindu statesman Rajan Zed, in a statement in Nevada (USA) today, applauded efforts of Temple management and area community for realizing this wonderful Temple complex.

Rajan Zed, who is President of Universal Society of Hinduism, further said that it was important to pass on Hindu spirituality, concepts and traditions to coming generations amidst so many distractions in the consumerist society and hoped that this new Temple would help in this direction. Zed stressed that instead of running after materialism; we should focus on inner search and realization of Self and work towards achieving moksh (liberation), which was the goal of Hinduism.

Manassas Mayor Harry J. (Hal) Parrish II reportedly participated in the opening ceremony and Sadguru Mahant Swami Sadhu Keshavjivandas performed the sacred ritual.

Besides worship, this temple reportedly will also serve as a venue for sharing heritage and culture; celebrating festivals; promoting ethical/moral values and spirit of volunteerism; and organizing educational fairs, leadership and health camps, cultural events and blood donation drives. Members include Prakash Patel, Viresh Desai, Arati Patel, Dhiraj Patel, etc.

Established in 1907, Bochasanwasi Shri Akshar Purushottam Swaminarayan Sanstha (BAPS) with headquarters in Amdavad is “a socio-spiritual Hindu organization with its roots in the Vedas”. Worldwide, it claims to run 3300 centers, 5400 weekly assemblies exclusively for children and 7215 for others, eight hospitals and healthcare clinics treating 415,000 patients annually, 31 educational institutions, tree plantation-water conservation-recycling projects, 800 centers for tribal upliftment, and over 700 mandirs; and has over 800 sadhus and 55000 volunteers.

Manassas, incorporated in 1873, known for Battles of Manassas (1861-62), has three listings on National Register of Historic Places. Prominent people associated with it include baseball players Jim Bucher and Jon Knott, radio personality Mike O’Meara, and model Leeann Tweeden. Lawrence D. Hughes is the City Manager.

Three Utah Councils in USA opened with Hindu prayers for the first time

In Utah (USA), Council of Salt Lake County and City Councils of West Valley and Sandy reverberated with Sanskrit mantras from ancient Hindu scriptures on September 20, which is more than a century after these were established.

Hindu statesman Rajan Zed delivered these historic invocations from Sanskrit scriptures. After Sanskrit delivery, he then read the English translation of the prayers. Sanskrit is considered a sacred language in Hinduism and root language of Indo-European languages.

Zed, who is the President of Universal Society of Hinduism, recited from Rig-Veda, the oldest scripture of the world still in common use, besides lines from Upanishads and Bhagavad-Gita (Song of the Lord), both ancient Hindu scriptures. He started and ended the prayers with “Om”, the mystical syllable containing the universe, which in Hinduism is used to introduce and conclude religious work. Om was followed by Gayatri Mantra, the most sacred mantra in Hinduism.

Council members, County/City employees, and public stood quietly in prayer mode during the prayers. Rajan Zed was wearing saffron colored attire, a ruddraksh mala (rosary), and traditional sandalpaste tilak (religious mark) on the forehead. He presented copies of Bhagavad-Gita to Max Burdick (Salt Lake County Council Chair); and Mayors Peter Corroon (Salt Lake County), Michael Kent Winder (West Valley) and Tom Dolan (Sandy) during meetings with them.

Reciting from Brahadaranyakopanishad, Zed said “Asato ma sad gamaya, Tamaso ma jyotir gamaya, Mrtyor mamrtam gamaya”, which he then translated as “Lead me from the unreal to the Real, Lead me from darkness to Light, and Lead me from death to Immortality.” Reciting from Bhagavad-Gita, he urged Councilmembers to keep the welfare of others always in mind.

Rajan Zed opened the City Councils of South Jordan, Draper, Taylorsville, and Layton in Utah with Sanskrit mantras from ancient Hindu scriptures in July.

Zed is one of the panelists for “On Faith”, a prestigious interactive conversation on religion produced by The Washington Post. He has been awarded “World Interfaith Leader Award” and is Senior Fellow and Religious Advisor to New York headquartered Foundation for Interreligious Diplomacy, Director of Interfaith Relations of Nevada Clergy Association, Spiritual Advisor to National Association of Interchurch & Interfaith Families, etc.

Salt Lake County, settled in 1847, is well known for its ski resorts and the area hosted XIX Olympic Winter Games in 2002 and has 15 cities and one town. Tagline of West Valley City, second largest in Utah, is "Unity-Pride-Progress", and notable people associated with it include football players John Madsen and Naufahu Tahi. Established in 1871, prominent people linked with "Heart of Wasatch" Sandy City include actress Mary Elizabeth Winstead, dancer Julianne Hough, historian Grant H. Palmer, and golfer Mike Weir.

Utah houses world headquarters of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.