SALEM — A growing Hindu population in southern New Hampshire and the surrounding area is driving the desire to build a temple in Salem.

Dr. Deepak Sharma, a pediatrician in Salem, hopes to break ground this year on a 17,000-square-foot, three-story temple on Lowell Road.

In addition to a 160-person prayer hall, the temple would serve as a cultural center offering children's activities, language classes, a community kitchen, yoga and other programs. Sharma estimates construction costs at $2 million to $3 million, to be collected through fundraising.

The project-review process by town officials is just beginning.

Small Hindu places of worship exist in many New Hampshire communities, but practicing families find they often have to travel to Massachusetts to attend larger temples in North Andover, Ashland or Boston, Sharma said.

Usha Dwarak of the Hindu Temple of New Hampshire in Nashua estimates about 3,000 practicing Hindu families live in the area.

“Basically, Hinduism is a way of life,” Dwarak said.

Core to its teachings is “Karma,” doing what you're supposed to do as a way to reach God, and showing devotion by attending temple and following a Hindu calendar of festivals. Services may involve hymns and chanting.

“If you went to a temple in India, it would be solely a place to worship,” Dwarak said.

It's become popular in the United States for temples to take on the role of a cultural center as well as a place of worship, Dwarak said.

The Hindu Temple of New Hampshire is mainly a place of worship, but also offers teachings, fine arts and some cultural events. Traditional guidelines are observed. For example, modern dance would not be permitted in the temple, Dwarak said. Classes in Kriya, a yoga breathing technique, are open to everyone. Traditional language classes are also held.

The number of attendees is growing, Dwarak said.

“People are turning to the temple to reconnect with their roots and help children grow up with their value system,” Dwarak said.

A 2011 U.S. Hindu census conducted by the Institute of American Religion in Santa Barbara, Calif., tallied about 1,600 temples and centers serving an estimated 600,000 practicing Hindus. About 258 were traditional Hindu temples with about 268,000 practitioners. Hindu sub-traditions accounted for about 400 temples and about 282,000 congregants.

About 940 smaller centers served some 55,000 members in 2011. One-third of the total Hindu population was found in clusters in California, New York and New Jersey, according to the survey.

With the help of the temple's teachings, children are learning things about the faith that may be difficult for parents to explain at home, Dwarak said.

Dwarak is familiar with the path ahead for Sharma. Like many, Dwarak drove to Ashland to attend temple festivals. The commute was difficult, especially during the winter. With so many Hindu families in the area, she proposed opening a temple in Nashua.

Relying mainly on word of mouth and email, volunteers invited local Hindus to ceremonies and left informational pamphlets in places popular among the Indian community. In 2008, their first temple opened on Daniel Webster Highway in Nashua. They outgrew that temple in about two years and moved to the current location, on Progress Avenue.

The tables have turned, with families from Massachusetts and occasionally Rhode Island attending the temple in Nashua.

“Regularly we have at least 40 families coming and more in some cases,” Dwarak said.

The temple is still maintained by a group of volunteers. “It's amazing how all these people came together,” Dwarak said.

New members are encouraged to visit the temple.

“Anybody who wants the peace and tranquility that the temple provides is always welcome,” Dwarak said.