Historic Groundbreaking Held for India's First Temple

A small group of leaders from The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints participated in the groundbreaking ceremony of the Bengaluru India Temple on the morning of December 2, 2020. The full video of the ceremony will be available in coming days.

“Today marks history for the Saints in India as we break the ground and prepare the soil for the construction of the holy temple in Bengaluru,” said President NithyaKumar Sunderraj, president of the Bengaluru India Stake (a group of congregations).

For many years, Church members in India have travelled to either Philippines, Hong Kong, or Taiwan for their temple worship. For many, this is not an easy trip to make. Thus, one can imagine the excitement of Latter-day Saints in India when the temple was announced in April 2018 by Church President Russell M. Nelson. It will be the first temple of the Church in India, a country with more than 1.3 billion people of various faiths, including Hinduism and Islam.

“This day would not have been possible were it not for your diligence and prayers,” said Elder Robert K. William, an Area Seventy who presided the event. He attributed the privilege of having a temple to Church members’ faith and testimony, the volunteer service of many missionaries and pioneers in India and the guidance of senior leaders who shaped the foundation of the Church in the country.

“With the beginning of the construction and the future dedication of the House of the Lord, this will become a hinge point for India and India will not be the same anymore,” he continued. “Much of the effort to make this happen lies upon our shoulders and the shoulders of our rising generation.”