History and Mission

History

After several years of successfully organizing community-wide Sri Ganesha and Maha Satyanarayana Pujas each year, at gatherings of nearly 300 devotees in Gainesville, Florida, the need for a traditional and permanent temple was strongly voiced and several members of the community formed a core group and started formal preparations for establishing a Devi temple in the region. At their meeting in December 2011, the following resolutions were adopted-“Whereas according to Hindu traditions, temple worship is of paramount importance, it has become necessary to have a Hindu temple in a suitable place in North Central Florida. Whereas hundreds of Hindus in North Central Florida, millions of people in the United States and around the world practice Hindu belief, since at present there is no Hindu temple in North Central Florida, a temple be constructed for the benefit of the Hindus in North Central Florida”

Mission

Devi Temple of Florida was officially incorporated as a Non-Profit organization with the Florida Division of Corporations and a federal tax exemption application was subsequently filed. The Federal Income Tax Exempt status for the Devi Temple of Florida was approved in December 2012 under Section 501(c) (3) and a Public Charity status under Section 170 (B)(1)(A)(i) was granted. It is the aim of the community members that the Devi Temple of Florida will function as a -

  1. Regular place of worship, will spread the message of Hinduism among all interested devotees irrespective of sex, religion, or national origin;

  2. Will establish and maintain schools to teach and study Hinduism, Vedas and the teachings of the Sacred Hindu scriptures, Sanskrit and other languages, arts, and dance;

  3. A major resource of information and education on yoga, pranayama, meditation, traditions, festivals, mathematics and science, medicine, astrology, and other Vedic knowledge;

  4. Facilitate educational and cultural exchanges between Hindu and other world religions Devi Temple of Florida, Inc. solicits donations and pledges in support of its above goals from all patrons and benevolent donors. All donations are eligible for Federal Income Tax Exemption. Any support in the form of voluntary work, suggestions, and comments are always welcome.

Date

May 6th 2007 First Organizational Meeting

September 2009 Incorporated in Gainesville Florida

January 2010 First Puja

July 2017 Land Purchased

September 2017 Formation of Board of Trustees