Hindus look forward to place of worship

A large Hindu temple being built on Fenton St will be the only worshipping centre for followers in the central North Island when completed.

The two-storey BAPS Swaminarayan Temple, near the intersection with Marguerita St, is the first traditional Hindu worship centre to be built in Rotorua.

Built by Urbo Homes, the 600sq m temple is expected to become a landmark attraction for both New Zealand-based and overseas Hindus, according to Rotorua Hindu Vijay Patel.

Five domes and an ornately hand carved front door imported from India will be added to the frontage as well.

The temple will serve as a daily worship centre for all Hindus, and there will be dining and kitchen facilities on the ground floor, Mr Patel said.

"It will be a very big addition to the Indian Hindu community in the Bay of Plenty as there is no temple within 150km radius of Rotorua - the closest being in Hamilton."

A Hindu poojari, or priest, will live on-site, he said.

The temple, estimated to cost more than $1.5 million, will open in April.

Figures from the 2013 census show there were 2334 Hindus in the Bay of Plenty region - up from 1431 in 2006. Nationwide, almost 90,000 people identified as Hindu.