2,000 help to celebrate temple groundbreaking MARLBORO - Guruvayoorappan (Krishna) Temple marked the start of a construction project to build a 33,000- square-foot temple and a 15,000-squarefoot priest quarters at aWooleytown Road location with a symbolic groundbreaking ceremony April 19. Drawing more than 2,000 devotees from across the state, the event marked the largest celebration in the 10-year history of the temple, according to a press release. Attendees included Karunakar Reddy, chairman of Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams, an independent trust that manages the Tirumala Venkateswara Temple at Tirumala, Andhra Pradesh, in India. Also attending was Padmashree Gowrishankar, chief executive officer of Sri Sringeri Sharada Peetham, one of the most important Hindu mathas, or religious establishments, in India. "We are very excited to have them here," temple Vice Chairman Ranganath Krishnan said. "They run the greatest temples in India and we needed those blessings." A Marlboro contingent led by Mayor Jonathan Hornik and members of the Township Council including council President Jeff Cantor arrived to show their support for the community. "The Hindu Indian people of Marlboro have added to the diversity of Marlboro's makeup," Hornik said. "I believe this new center will attract and be a focal point in Monmouth County for the Hindu Americans and we are excited about being a part of it." Also in attendance were state Assemblyman Samuel Thompson (R-Middlesex and Monmouth) and state Assemblywoman Caroline Casagrande (R-Monmouth and Mercer). "The anticipated $10 million project is the fruits of the hard work of thousands of devotees," said Nandu Balija, president of the Temple. On April 19 the temple collected more than $300,000 in donations. "A project of this scale costs money, but with the Lord's blessings and the support of our community, we are confident," Balija said. The fully constructed temple will have main sanidhis, or deities, for Guruvayoorappan (Krishna), Shiva, Ayyapan, Balaji (Vishnu), and Satyanarayana.