Aesha Trivedi already had an American-style temporary tattoo Saturday morning, a watermelon slice on her right cheek.

But she decided that wasn't enough. The 10-year-old from Okemos sat patiently, palm up, while Aparna Agrawal applied a paste made of henna in the shape of flowers, leaves and a bird to Aesha's hand.

The ancient art known as mehndi was among many aspects of Indian culture on display as members of the Bharatiya Temple in Haslett celebrated its 10th anniversary. The Hindu temple was dedicated 10 years ago.

A new addition is slated for completion in August, said Jai Tripathi, a member of the board of trustees. He was in a booth signing up new temple members and collecting donations for the building project and operating budget.

The addition includes 4,300 square feet on the main floor and a 4,300-square-foot basement that includes a dining hall and full commercial kitchen.

Despite a rainy morning, temple members and visitors from the community said they enjoyed the festival.

Merrill Hagens of Ovid and Karen Kocsis of Laingsburg came to the festival to check out the jewelry and clothing vendors as well as sample some food.

"I bought a really neat wall hanging," said Kocsis, who works at Michigan State University. "I make my own jewelry, so I wanted to come and see what they had."

She took the adventurous route for lunch, picking a combo plate that included vegetables, rice and chick peas with curry. Hagens went with MSU-made ice cream, sold from the same booth as traditional Indian lassi. That's a drink of blended mango and yogurt.

Kids such as Aesha lined up for mehndi on one or both palms. Once the henna paste is in place, it is treated with a solution of sugar, lemon and water to keep it from drying too fast. When it comes off several hours later, the design shows up in a brown stain that can last for days or even weeks.

"I love the temporary tattoos because they're so pretty, and I love to show them to my friends," Aesha said.

Contact Kathleen Lavey at 377-1251 or klavey@lsj.com.