California neighborhood fumes after Hindu temple draws crowds

A fight has broken out between homeowners and representatives of a large Hindu temple in California after the site allegedly hosted a series of boisterous events.

Locals in the Bay Area filed more than 25 noise complaints against the Fremont Hindu Temple, also known as Vedic Dharma Samaj, after raucous parties with loud music and yelling infuriated the neighborhood.

Footage shared by one of the neighbors shows flashing lights and loud noise continuing past 9 p.m. — despite no special permit being in place.

The city met with the neighbors and temple representatives in July to discuss the noise issues the community is having.

In recent weeks, however, neighbors say they’ve experienced another deafening event that left them feeling discouraged.

“I could tell you that, we have had issues with sleep. We have had problems waking up in the morning because these events sometimes go on for very late in the night and it’s been very frustrating,” one neighbor told NBC Bay Area anonymously.

“We saw hundreds of people at 9:30 and the noise was still going on,” he continued about the event the temple held recently.

“The first week we moved in, there was almost like a concert-like setting in our neighborhood here,” a different neighbor added.

For their part, the temple got a special event permit for the event, NBC Bay Area reported. Locals, however, say the noise continued past the 9 p.m. cutoff for amplified sound.

The city said they received complaints about the event and are investigating them.

Locals want the temple to consider limiting the number of people who attend their events.

“City staff will continue coordinating with the temple and adjacent neighbors, monitoring activities and adjusting future permitted activities as appropriate to work toward constructive solutions to the issues that have been reported,” the city of Fremont told NBC Bay Area.

Neighbors have also complained about noisy events during school hours.

To clarify, neighbors aren’t opposed to the temple holding events. They just want the religious organization to be more respectful of how they’re going about things, according to the news station.

“They’re drawing 10s of thousands of people, a more appropriate venue with proper permits would be more appropriate here,” one of the neighbors said.

Videos and photos on social media from the Fremont Hindu Temple show a variety of events. Some posts showing hundreds of thousands of people in attendance. Others include religious ceremonies with music playing in the background and offerings being made to different Hindu Gods.

The Fremont Hindu Temple has been serving the Bay Area since 1985, according to its website. Its main objectives include providing a place for the Hindu community to worship, meditate and hold various religious ceremonies.

The temple’s history dates back to the early 1970s, when waves of immigrants from India, including engineers, doctors and their families, settled in the Bay Area and began practicing their faith in their homes.

As more immigrants arrived and the Hindu community grew, its members decided to purchase a building in 1982 to establish a permanent place of worship where they could gather and conduct religious ceremonies.

Late last year, the temple was the target of a burglary, The Mercury News reported.

A 30-year-old San Jose man faced burglary charges in connection with the theft, while his 25-year-old girlfriend was charged as an accessory. Charging documents allege the pair entered the Fremont Hindu Temple and stole five gold ornaments that were hanging from religious statues inside.

The California Post reached out to the temple for comment.

Download The California Post App, follow us on social, and subscribe to our newsletters