Workers building US temple report rising lung illness
Guardian report highlights silicosis cases, workers allege low pay, long hours, unsafe conditions, deepening concerns over labor rights abuses
Dust of Devotion: Rajasthan Workers’ Lungs Scarred Building US’s Grandest Hindu Temple
Behind the majestic spires of New Jersey’s BAPS Swaminarayan Akshardham—one of the world’s largest Hindu temples outside India—lie tales of quiet tragedy. Workers who carved its 185-acre splendor from Rajasthan stone, toiling from 2015 to 2023, now battle incurable silicosis, tuberculosis, and bronchitis. The Guardian‘s probe uncovers the human cost: lungs ravaged by silica dust, lives cut short. Ramesh Meena and Devi Lal, two Rajasthan natives, succumbed—Meena to the disease, Lal waiting for a transplant that never came.
Dalit Hands, Hazardous Toil
These were mostly Dalit men from Rajasthan’s marginalized folds—caste’s long shadow pushing them to risky stone work. Over 200 arrived on R-1 religious visas, dreams of seva (service) turning grueling. A 2021 federal lawsuit paints horror: $1.20/hour wages, 90-hour weeks, passports seized, families a world away. “We carved gods’ home, but our breaths faded,” one might whisper, voice raspy.
Imagine Meena, chisel in hand, dust coating lungs like fine sand. Or Lal, hacking coughs echoing in barracks, homesick for Jaipur’s warmth. Sent back ill, they returned broken—villages mourning silent heroes.
Echoes of 2021: Lawsuits, Raids, No Charges
This builds on 2021 bombshells. The New York Times and AP exposed “religious volunteers” as construction grunts. Federal raids scooped dozens; a criminal probe ended charge-free in 2025. The civil suit—forced labor, trafficking, wage theft—pauses no more, marching on.
Workers spoke of chains: restricted exits, sparse family calls, exhaustion. BAPS counters fiercely: true volunteers in selfless seva, housed, fed, doctored, laws obeyed. Safety? Followed to the letter, they insist, religious freedoms shielding.
The Human Toll: Families Shattered, Questions Linger
Picture Rajasthan hamlets—wives widowed young, kids fatherless. Dalit communities, India’s underbelly, supply such labor: quarries, kilns, now American marble halls. Silicosis sneaks slow—scarring lungs irreversible, breaths labored like climbing endless stairs.
BAPS’s denial stings devotees. The temple dazzles—hand-carved pink stone, pink like Rajasthan sunrises—but at what price? Workers’ pleas: masks scarce, ventilation dreams. “We built for faith, got sickness,” a survivor might say, eyes distant.
US probes peeled layers: visas twisted for toil, hours brutal. No charges, but shadows remain. Civil fight ahead—justice for the voiceless?
Broader Shadows: Labor, Faith, and Diaspora Dreams
This saga spotlights migrant grit. Rajasthan boys chase abroad glory, only to choke on devotion’s dust. Hindu pride swells at Akshardham’s scale, yet whispers question: Is seva exploitation cloaked? BAPS upholds purity—volunteers inspired, not enslaved.
For Dalits, it’s familiar fight: hazardous gigs, caste-locked. India watches—Hyderabad analysts note parallels in Gulf labor woes. Globally, temples rise, but workers’ health? Overlooked footnotes.
Ramesh and Devi Lal’s graves remind: stone endures, flesh falters. As lawsuit looms, may truth carve fairly—honoring builders behind the beauty.