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Standing tall before a wall of carved marble peace icons, the president of a Hindu temple north of Toronto spoke a message of solidarity to a crowd gathered to mourn victims of the Mumbai terror attacks.

"There is no way to peace, peace is the only way," Dr. Budhendra Doobay told a group of more than 100 people Friday night as he stood beside busts including Buddha, Jesus, Nelson Mandela and Martin Luther King Jr.

"Let us seek another solution, let us seek another way."

Doobay led a solemn yet spirited ceremony festooned with serene chants of "om shanti om" and poems of peace and harmony favoured by Mahatma Ghandi, called bhajans.

And despite heavy hearts, the Indo-Canadians - many with eyes closed and hands clasped in prayer - added their voices to the meditative melodies in an effort to begin the healing process.

"We wanted to express our sorrow and share the grief with our friends and show our unity and respect for all religions, beliefs, cultures," said Mahendra Shah, as a friend beside him wiped tears from her eyes.

Shah and his wife, who live in Richmond Hill where the Vishnu Temple is located, said his cousins who live in Mumbai are having a tough time coming to grips with the mass violence.

More than 150 people have been killed since gunmen attacked 10 sites across India's financial capital on Wednesday.

Foreign Affairs said Friday that of the Canadians known to be at the targeted sites, 17 were safe, two had been killed and two more injured.

"People from all over the world come to India as visitors, and Indians welcome them with open arms, no reservation," Shah said. "When such things happen, it really creates fear in the minds of people."

Following speeches by both local and federal members of parliament as well as people representing the diverse local community - including Jewish, Muslim and Chinese speakers - those gathered took turns lighting 154 orange and white candles to commemorate the souls of the dead in Mumbai.

"(We came) to pay homage and gain closure," said Suvercha Pasricha, who brought her three children and husband and from nearby Maple, Ont.

The grandmothers and extended family of Nency Patel, 15, who attended with her family, are still holed up in their Mumbai homes, too afraid to leave. Nency remembered visiting the vibrant city last year.

"It was so peaceful, and now to see the people running around, fighting for their lives, trying to protect their children, it's heartbreaking," she said.

Arun Taploo, who visits Mumbai for work several times a year, said he hopes the severity of the attacks finally prompts India's government to action.

"This is a wake-up call," he said. "The government of India must come up with some sort of a resolution which is not party-bound."

Jason Kenny, federal minister of citizenship, immigration and multiculturalism, flew in from Ottawa to attend the service.

He condemned the attacks as "outrageous acts of violence," and said it can be difficult for Canadians to understand such horrors.

"No political cause, no religious cause can justify the hatred which leads to such violence against the innocent," he said.

The memorial service was open to people of all denominations.