ROD SANFORD/Lansing State Journal New Year's: Anju Singh (right) holds her son Shashank Singh, 8 months, after prayers for peace Thursday, New Year's Day, at the Bharatiya Temple in Haslett. At left is Navodita Bhardwaj.

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Lansing State Journal

HASLETT -To celebrate the New Year, about 200 Hindus and people of other faiths prayed for peace Thursday at the Bharatiya Temple, a Hindu house of worship.

They also prayed that all the souls who died in war last year rest in peace and that the living enjoy happiness and prosperity in 2004, temple priest Surendra Bhardwaj said.

The temple began hosting the interfaith vigils, which include chanting in Sanskrit, in the late 1990s.

Participants sit around a ceremonial fire that's intended to cleanse the air, water and everything touched by the smoke.

About 900 mid-Michigan families regularly attend the temple, at 955 Haslett Road.

For more information about the temple, visit the Web site: http://lansingtemple.org.