[2][better source needed] In 1995, a group of local Hindus started worshipping together informally in Downtown Anchorage.
[3] American Hindu leader Sivaya Subramuniyaswami donated a Ganesha murti to the group, and on June 25, 1999, formally established the Sri Ganesha Mandir in rented space in the Anchorage Church Of Religious Science.
[1][3][4] During the inauguration, local Inuit spiritual leaders and elders blessed the congregation with songs, chants, and drumming.
[1] Approximately forty visiting Hindu pilgrims also attended the event.
With donations from the local Hindu community and local construction magnate Jerry Neeser,[5] in 2003 it purchased a property on Raspberry Road to become the temple's permanent home.