Hindu Temples in USA
Temples – A place to worship, a divine and peaceful surrounding, the calmness and pristine feeling, who doesn’t need to feel that?
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There are around 1500 Hindu temples in U.S.A, though the Hindu population does not exceed more than 1% of the total American population.
America is famous for its cultural diversity. And humanity is above all cultures.
Historical data states that the Vedanta Society built the first Hindu temple in USA’s San Francisco way back in 1905.
You can visit these temples not only for worship but also if you are interested in seeing the architecture and beauty.
In this article, I will cover the list of Hindu temples famous for their serine beauty along with locations and specialties.
Popular Hindu Temples in the USA
Though there are many temples in the USA, some of them which are most widespread are mentioned below.
So, here are the 10 most popular Hindu temples in America
1. Sri Maha Vallabha Ganapati Devasthanam, New York
Deities: The central deity is Lord Ganesha. Though, sacred images of Laxmi, Venkateshwar, Parvati, Shiva, Hanuman, and some others are also found.
History: Its construction was completed in 1977. The exterior design of the temple was stimulated by South Indian temples.
Architecture: The architect of this Ganesh temple is Sithapathi Muthiah and the whole architecture is done with granite stones inspired by South Indian Architecture.
Facilities: Temple canteen, in which pure vegetarian food is served.
Address: 45-57 Bowne St, Queens, NY 11355
Phone: (718) 460-8484
2. Malibu Hindu Temple, California
Deities: The central deity is Lord Venkateshwara and Shiva.
Also has shrines for other Gods and Goddesses like Parvati, Rama, Sita, Hanuman, Lakshman, Radha Krishna, Subramanya, and Padmavati.
History: Built in 1981, mostly with white stones. It is owned and maintained by the Hindu Temple Society of Southern California.
Architecture: The architecture is inspired by South Indian style architecture with clean parks and peaceful spaces.
Facilities: The temple held gatherings for ceremonies. It also has separate places or rooms for meditation and also has enough space for picnics.
It has a full stage for special cultural and Hindu programs.
Address: 1600 Las Virgenes Canyon Road, Calabasas, CA 91302.
Phone: (818) 518-4287
3. BAPS Shri Swaminarayan Mandir, New Jersey
Deities: The central deity is Lord Venkateshwara and Shiva.
Also has shrines for other Gods and Goddesses like Parvati, Rama, Sita, Hanuman, Lakshman, Radha Krishna, Subramanya, and Padmavati.
History: The mandir’s construction started in 2010. Nagaradi style based this mandir is built with 68,000 cubic feet of Italian Carrara marble.
These marbles were shipped to Rajasthan and artisans there beautifully carved the stone.
Architecture: The beautiful temple built according to the principles of Shilpa Shastra serves as an excellent example of exquisite Indian architecture and design.
With a height of 42 feet, width of 87 feet, and length of 133 feet, it is amongst biggest Hindu temples in the world.
Facilities: The cafeteria provides satvik food.
Address: 112 N Main Street, Robbinsville, New Jersey 0856
Phone: (606) 918-1212
4. The Shiva Vishnu Temple, Florida
Deities: The central deities are Shiva and Vishnu. Other includes Saraswati, Ayappa, Laxmi, and Muruga.
History: With the help of 12 architects from Mahabalipuram, the Shiva Vishnu Temple’s construction began in 1999.
Dr. Ganapati Sthapati, an architect from Chennai, gave guidelines for constructing this Dravidian-style temple, a south Indian-style temple situated in Broward County, South Florida.
Architecture: The temple spreads across a vast area of 6200 Sq. and its architectural style belongs to Chola, and Pallava dynasty periods (10th century).
Facilities: They also provide religious services at the temple campus or at individual homes.
Address: 5661 SW 160th Ave, Southwest Ranches, FL 33331
Phone: (954) 689-0471
5. Sri Ganesha Temple, Alaska
Deity: The central deity is Lord Ganesh, while other deities include Lord Rama and Durga.
History: Sat Guru Shri Sivaya Subramuniyaswami of Kauai’s Hindu Monastery donated an idol of Lord Ganesha to the group of Hindus who had been regularly gathering to worship in Downtown Anchorage since 1995.
Afterward, the temple was established in 1999.
Architecture: It’s a simple building with images made up of black and white marble.
Facilities: They also provide religious services at the temple campus or at individual homes.l
Address: 4025 Raspberry Road, Anchorage, AK 99502
6. Sri Venkateswara Swami (Balaji) temple, Illinois
Deity: The central deity is Lord Venkateswara. Other deities in the temple are Lord Balaji, Lord Ganesh, Lord Shiva & Goddess Parvati.
History: Nine families donated 20 acres of land with a farmhouse in Aurora (a far west suburb of Chicago), and so the Balaji temple was constructed.
With lots of space, it also meets the local building codes, structural safety standards and the needs of the community.
Architecture: Padmasri M.Muthiah Sthapathy, a noted expert on temple construction in India collaborated with Sri Subhash Nadkarni, a reputed architect of Chicago and a devotee of Balaji, and together they designed the temple.
This design is an outstanding merger of ancient Shilpa shastra and modern architectural technology.
This design also served as a model for other temples that were built later in the United States.
Facilities: They also provide religious services at the temple campus or at individual homes.
Address: 1145 Sullivan Rd, Aurora, IL 60506
Phone: (630) 844-2252
7. Sri Lakshmi Temple, Ashland ( New England Hindu Temple)
Deity: The central deity is Goddess Laxmi and other deities are god Ganesha, Balaji, Natraja, Parvati, and some more.
History: In 1989, construction of the entire temple was completed, and a four-day grand opening ceremony took place in May 1990.
It spread over 12 acres
Architecture: It was built with the guidance of Muthiah Sthapathi inspired by Vastu Shastra.
It is very huge with a height of 50 feet from the ground.
Facilities: The temple authorities organize various daily pujas, festivals, shloka classes, and culture/Indian language classes.
Address: 117 Waverly St, Ashland, MA 01721, United States
Phone: +1 508-881-5775
8. Hindu Temple, Atlanta
Deity: The central deity is Shiva.
There are two main idols of Lord Venkateshwara and Lord Ramalingeshwara present.
Other deities here are Ganesha, Hanuman, Durga, Nagendra, and Bhairava.
History: The temple was established on 19th October 1984. It is a very beautiful blend of 2 temples, and 2 deities- Shiva and Balaji.
Architecture: Made with white marble, it is the personification of traditional Indian architecture and is a pleasure even for the eyes.
The temple architecture from the Pandya Empire.
Facilities: The temple authorities provide all puja facilities.
Address: 5851 GA-85, Riverdale, GA 30274, United States
Phone: +1 770-907-7102
9. Radha Krishna Temple, Utah
Deity: The central deity is Lord Krishna and Radha.
History: The grand temple built by the devout ISKCON followers (called Hare Krishnas) is modeled on the Kusum Sarovar Temple in Mathura and is the only Rajasthani-style structure in the US.
Built in 1998, this Krishna temple features an amphitheater, a gift shop & a vegetarian buffet.
Architecture: Containing huge domes, 108 spires, decorated archways, marble idols, and Krishna paintings on walls, Sri Sri Radha Krishna Temple looks and gives the feel of India.
Facilities: Besides prayer sessions and religious preachings, free yoga and meditation classes, art and photography displays, tour guides, and cultural exhibits are also organized at the temple.
Address: 8628 South State Road (311 West 8500 South), Spanish Fork, UT 84660
Phone: +1 801-798-3559
10. Shiva Vishnu Temple, California
Deity: The central deities are Lord Shiva and Lord Vishnu.
History: It was originally established as the Hindu Community Cultural Center (HCCC) in 1977 with the goal of offering religious services to the Hindu community
Architecture: Made up of white stone and the architect is inspired by Dravidian culture.
It is very huge and captivating.
Facilities: Besides all types of puja like abhishek, shanti puja, satnarayan puja, etc. it provides cultural and religious education also.
Address: 1232 Arrowhead Ave, Livermore, CA 94551, United States
Phone: +1 925-449-6254
Conclusion
There are many temples in America. A list of some of the best temples is provided above.
You can visit these temples for experiencing the divine touch and serine atmosphere.
Experience the calmness and peaceful atmosphere.
Also, if you have an interest in architecture then these beautifully designed, culturally inspired temples are never to be missed sights.
