Pearland is home to rare Hindu temple crafted by hand

PEARLAND, Texas (KTRK) -- The Sri Meenakshi Temple in Pearland is only one of three Hindu temples built in the United States since the 1970s.

Hindu temples are built with handcrafted masterpieces shipped from India. As for the Sri Meenakshi Temple, many of the stones are made in house.

According to temple founder Sam Kannappan, the in-house stone artisans are called "Silpis," who were trained in India.

"We bring them here to make the molds and build the final touches," said Kannappan.

The Silpis live at Sri Meenakshi, where they are taught English and are tasked to keep up with the maintenance of the temple.

"We help each other, work together and live together. We feel like one big family," said Balu Manikantan, who is one of the Silpis.

The Sri Meenakshi Temple is open everyday.

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