Did you know that Alfred Ford, the great-grandson of Henry Ford, the founder of Ford Motor Company, is helping fund a magnificent Krishna temple being constructed in Mayapur, in the Indian state of West Bengal? The temple is expected to be completed in 2022. Alfred, belonging to one of the most iconic families of America, is the chairman of this project, which has a budget of more than INR 800 crores. 

The Temple of Vedic Planetarium (TOVP) also known as the Mayapur Chandrodaya Mandir will be the largest Vedic Temple in modern history (and the second largest religious monument after St. Peter’s Basilica). With a size of 400,000 sq ft. and a height of 350 ft. it will have the largest religious dome in the world and be able to hold 10,000 visitors at one time.

[Pic – https://telanganatoday.com/alfred-ford-on-mission-to-fund-biggest-temple]

Alfred Ford is an initiated disciple of A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, the founder of ISKCON. Also known as Ambarish Das, Alfred was born in 1950 in Detroit and embraced Hinduism in 1975 when he came to India with Srila Prabhupada. His entire life is now devoted to Lord Krishna. 

Talking about the temple funding, he said – 

“The project does not belong to any community or individual, but rather to the entire human race. So every individual should participate in the campaign.”

Alfred had also assisted in establishing the first Hindu temple in Hawaii and purchased a $600,000 mansion to house a temple in Honolulu. He also donated $500,000 for a Bhagvad Gita Cultural Centre in Detroit. 

This article is part of the series on Global Celebrities who have been touched by Sanatan Dharma. Read more about the spiritual journey of George Harrison , Hugh Jackman, Steve Jobs and Mark Zuckerberg.