Growing up in Raleigh in the 1970s, Alok Sharma remembers only a dozen or so Indian families like his in the area. His parents worshiped with a handful of Hindus in the basement of a Raleigh home.

“We were probably no different than other cultural groups that migrated,” said Sharma, 44. “We had to keep our culture but also be a part of America.”

A few decades have forged a new landscape: Three major Indian temples now line the Cary-Morrisville border and serve part of the estimated 21,000 Indian-Americans in the Triangle.

“Our community is growing so much,” said Manoj Pandya, a Morrisville resident who sits on the board of directors for the Hindu Society of North Carolina, the oldest and largest temple in the Triangle. It was founded in 1986 by Sharma’s parents, who based the center in Morrisville because of its burgeoning Indian presence.

In fact, today’s Morrisville is brimming with Indian-owned grocery stores, restaurants and businesses. A 2004 census reported 2,142 Indian residents in the 6.8-square-mile town — a jump from 472 in 2000.

The temples are expanding to keep pace, with two announcing completed construction projects this month. The Hindu Society is building two homes onsite for its poojari (priests), and the Sri Venkateswara Temple is hosting a massive five-day commencement celebration May 24-28 to introduce its ornate $3.5 million South Indian-style temple.

Hindu Society Priest Shivananda Bhat, who has presided over services for the past six years, said members rely upon the temples not only for worship up to three times a day, but also as a home-away-from-home for the Hindu community.

“We have about 1,000 people a day coming and going,” Bhat said. Living in the U.S. since 2001, Bhat spends most of his days onsite assisting his members with marital counseling, ceremonies and prayer guidance. A traditional Hindu vegetarian who doesn’t drink alcohol, he invites everyone to come in and learn about the religion — so long as they take their shoes off before entering.

“We have so many deities. Most people get confused,” he said. “But there is one supreme God that took several incarnations. People worship those incarnations for different reasons.”

The Hindu Society has 15 deity statues lining the front of the temple. Bhat noted that others choose to highlight one or two, depending on the preferences of their congregations. As the oldest temple in the region, Bhat said they took a more inclusive route to accommodate the beliefs of Hindus from multiple areas in India.

Bhat tried to be as flexible with his accommodations. But his old house on the 14-acre property became so run down that the congregation had to move him into a nearby apartment. Luckily, a member from the temple stepped up and has almost completed construction on two new homes — one for Bhat and the other for D. Trivedi, the temple’s other priest.

“I don’t think I’ve built anything this fast,” said Mihir Chakraborty of MC Custom Homes, who erected the 1,200-square-foot houses in two months for $150,000.

“He built it at a very good price,” agreed Pandya, showing off the sturdy construction, granite countertops and new fixtures. “Our community wants our priests to be comfortable and in a good environment.”

The temples are also reaching out to the community at large. The third area temple, Shri Swaminarayan Mandir, is partnering with the two others to host a health fair June 20 at the Hindu Society’s Aviation Parkway location, where everyone’s invited for a free health screen courtesy of several local Indian doctors who are volunteering their time.

“Part of our mission is to provide humanitarian services to the entire Triangle community,” said Bhaskar Venepalli, who sits on the board of trustees for Sri Venkateswara.

Venepalli, 56, anticipates the new temple will attract more Hindu families to the Triangle.

“Our worshipping in Morrisville is South-Indian based,” he said, noting that residents will drive several hours to a temple that adheres to the traditions of their home regions.

Meanwhile, Bhat is thankful to be part of his fellow Indians making a home in America. He moved into his new digs May 2 with his wife.

“I’m so happy that this community is taking such good care of me,” he said.