About Vermont Mandir and Cultural Center (VMCC)

The thought of having a collective place of worship had been brewing in the Indo-American community of Vermont for a long time and was an oft-discussed topic during our social gatherings. With the onset of 2020, a group of community members formed a steering committee and decided to put their heads together to attempt giving these isolated discussions a shape and form and hence, from a long-conceived notion, Vermont Mandir and Cultural Center (VMCC) was born.

To render this concept a concrete shape with lots of support from the community, VMCC envisions to establish a temple in the Greater Burlington area to provide ALL its residents and community at large a platform to practice, immerse and grow in their Sanatan/Vedic faith, while nurturing their religious and cultural practices. Nestled in the beautiful Champlain Valley, Burlington is home to a sizeable ethnic population and being able to walk into a Mandir in town instead of having to drive to either Albany or Montreal will be nothing short of a DREAM come TRUE!!!!!

VMCC is a non-profit religious organization as defined by IRS Code 501(c)(3) for federal tax exemption or the corresponding section of any future federal tax code and will indulge in raising funds exclusively from donations. The application for the tax-exempt status with the IRS is currently being processed. The organization does not and shall not be participating in any political activity as defined in sections 501(c)(4) (for Action Organizations) or 527 (for Political Organizations) of the IRS Code.

Simply put, Sanatan Dharma means ‘eternal duty’ which makes Hinduism more a way of life and all the prominent Hindu texts like Upanishads, Vedas, Ramayana and Mahabharat frequently described as a concise guide to Hindu philosophy and a practical, self-contained guide to life. ‘Mandir’ is temple in Hindi language, a place of worship where religion and culture blend. As everyone eagerly awaits the Pandemic tide to turn and welcome back the safe environment, VMCC is focused on procuring a physical space to start its operations. It will be a humble start to bring people together under one roof for cultural and religious celebrations. Gregorian calendar layered with lunisolar calendar is abundant with fun filled year-round festivities which a working temple/mandir will be able to support.

Once up and running, powered by volunteer fuel our local mandir will be able to achieve its goal by offering:

✅ Scheduled pujas / Prasaadam

✅ Spiritual discourses

✅ Festivals and celebrations

✅ Yoga and mindfulness sessions

✅ Language classes

· Murti Sthapna ( placing idols of deities)

VMCC counts on your continued support to bring this project to FRUITION.