Although time and distance separate them, the spirit stoked by Bowne can be found at the Hindu temple. The society offers outreach programs for seniors, children and the general public, including classes in yoga, guitar and dance. Its temple has become a popular tourist attraction, drawing people from around the world, and its canteen, open seven days a week, is a favorite stop for vegetarians.
   The outreach program has recently organized the first Hindu Temple Choir in Queens with 50 adults and 30 children and several instrumentalists.
   The society will host a five-day rededication program next month that will culminate on July 13 with a ceremony featuring a live elephant.
   Society officials hope to block off part of the street for the morning event, according to Dr. Uma Mysorekar, a gynecologist who is president of the group. That shouldn’t be a problem because many of the houses are already owned by the society for use as office space, outreach programs and staff housing for some of its office workers, and all priests and cooks.
   Marilyn Bitterman, district manager of Community Board 7, said the society has always been a good neighbor in the community since it opened in 1977. “They have their own parking lots and we have never gotten a complaint,” Bitterman said.
   Mysorekar will not put up with any nonsense from society members. “I put myself in the neighbors’ shoes,” she said. “If people block driveways, we will take immediate action and have their cars towed.”
   Nearby Flushing Hospital also helps out by allowing worshippers to park there for a small fee.
   While workmen put the finishing touches on the expanded temple, 14 artisans from India have completed their task of carving 16 pillars showing the 16 forms of the god Ganesh for the front walkway — which is on Holly Avenue.
   But perhaps their most important work was carving granite enclosures for the temple’s deities. New shrines have been built in the addition for several gods, including Sri Siva and Sri Shanmukha.
   Part of the July ceremony will be to reconsecrate the deities in their new homes.
   The original area, housing the large shrine to Ganesh, the elephant-headed deity, is closed off but will be opened soon to connect the two sides. “When open, we will have close to double the space,” Mysorekar said. “Previously, people sometimes had to stay outside because it was so crowded.”
   The facility is open 7:30 a.m. to 9 p.m. on weekends and 8 a.m. to 9 p.m. during the week with some of the 10 priests always in attendance. That helps to avoid crowds and gives people latitude in worshiping, Mysorekar said, except during festivals and special events.
   Priests at the Flushing temple come to the United States from India under a five-year visa. Part of their responsibilities involves stringing the colorful live flowers to create garlands that decorate the altars and deities.
   The society continues to raise funds for the expansion project, which is expected to be completed next year. The last item will involve constructing a 62-foot-high tower that will face east and will feature handiwork done by the stone cutters.
   “The significance of the tower is that you can see it from a distance and it gets the blessing of the lord,” Mysorekar said.
   Although it will be the tallest structure in the immediate area, there will be no lights on it that could interfere with air traffic.
   Mysorekar is upbeat about the future, even hoping to acquire a corner property that would be turned into a parklike setting.
   “Our faith in God is immense and it will get us through this,” she said of the three-year project. “If you do things with passion and love, someone will show you the way.”