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Divya
Dham is a unique Hindu temple located in Woodside Queens.
It was founded by Swami Jagdishwaranand, and is now run by
Swami Vidyananda under the auspices of the American Seva Sangh
Association. This huge ex-electronic warehouse houses many
of the most beautiful murtis in the United States. These include
a replica of the Trimurti found in the Elephanta caves near
Mumbai (see right), a 20-ton Jyotirlingam surrounded by 1008
smaller Shivalingams, 51 statues of the goddess representing
the 51 Sakti pithas in India, and a host of others. One also
finds an enormous model of the Himalayan Mountains and a walk-in
replica of the much visited cave of the goddess Vaisno Devi.
The founders and supporters of Divya Dham envision this as
a major Hindu pilgrimage destination in the Western hemisphere,
and hope that many non-Hindus will visit, as well.
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