Prayers to purify Williamsville temple

Devotees will hold religious ceremonies on Wednesday to purify the Williamsville Hindu Temple at Guaracara Tabaquite Road in Kumar Village, which was vandalised over the weekend.

On Monday, the temple secretary, Vashti Sookhoo, said apart from the vandalism, there is the possibility that the perpetrators might have done "spiritual things."

"There are things we can see with your eyes. We intend to perform special prayers on Wednesday to purify the place," Sookhoo said.

She is also the councillor for Reform/Manahambre.

After the police visited the temple and gathered evidence on Sunday afternoon, devotees began clean-up operations.

Sookhoo said they removed all the rubble from inside, including the broken ventilation blocks and tiles.

They also secured the structure by using plywood to cover where the ventilation blocks were.

"Members from other temples came out to help us. We also boarded up the front entrance, where the burglar-proof was completely removed. We intend to continue with our normal satsang (gathering) on Wednesday evening. We're doing everything we can to keep the place secure until more repairs can be done," Soohkoo added.

Sookhoo renewed calls for anyone with information about the vandalism to contact the police.

The perpetrators smashed the locks on the front gates and ventilation walls at the side of the building.

They also shattered floor tiles near several murtis (statues) but left the murtis and the precious jewels adorning them undisturbed.

On Saturday afternoon, the vandals arrived at the temple in a green Mitsubishi Lancer.

Initially, residents mistook the noises made by the destructive act for construction and it was not until the next day, at around 7. 30 am, that they learnt of the vandalism.

No one has been arrested.

Princes Town police are investigating.